Let’s jump right in…
If we want to understand what’s in our dog’s bowl and how we got here…. we have to ask the question:
Is kibble really the good stuff?
Or have pet food companies been selling us a story?
They certainly spend enough money marketing it.
If you’re here, I already like you… because you clearly care about your dog. Same here. That’s exactly why I started Dog BluePrints - because I want the absolute best for our dogs:
Better food. Better health. Better lives.
How I fed Blue…before I knew better
For years, I thought I was doing it right.
I followed the vet’s advice. Bought the “complete & balanced” kibble. Even spent hours on dog food review sites trying to pick the “best” brand.
But I never stopped to ask…
What even is kibble?
How’s it made?
Who decides what “complete & balanced” means?
Because…
corn gluten meal? meat and bone meal? animal byproducts?
None of that sounds like something I’d want to feed to Blue.
What I learned from Dr. Donald Strombeck
That’s when I started digging… and I kept running into the name Dr. Donald Strombeck - one of the most respected veterinary nutrition experts in the world. He used to believe in commercial pet food… until he didn’t.
“Pets are breaking down from disease at an unpresented rate from a variety of problems. Why are so many pets getting cancers, renal failure, hepatic diseases, multitudes of skin and coat problems? Diseases and illnesses we simply should not be seeing. Illnesses and poor nutrition affect each other.”
After decades of treating chronically sick dogs, he came to a simple conclusion:
feed them real food.
And real food doesn’t have to be complicated
We are not talking about intimidating raw diets or pricey delivery boxes or turning your kitchen into a lab.
We are just talking about everyday supermarket ingredients you probably already have:
🍗 Chicken..beef.. literally any meat
🐟 Fish… sardines, salmon…
🥚 Cooked or raw eggs
🥕 Cooked carrots, broccoli, or green beans
🫐 A handful of blueberries
🥄 Plain yogurt or cottage cheese
Nothing complicated. Just real food that helps them thrive.
Why Blue’s Still Acting Like a Pup at 12
Growing up in Ireland, feeding dogs wasn’t a mystery. It didn’t take a degree. It was just common sense. When I started doing that again with Blue…
Blue’s now 12…. but you’d never know it. His coat is soft, his breath is fresh, his teeth are great, and he’s never sick.
We only see the vet once a year for a quick check-up and a chat. And I truly believe it’s because I stopped relying on ultra-processed food in a bag as his only source of nutrition.
This isn’t about guilt or fear
It’s about asking better questions… and making small changes that actually help.
Even adding a little real food to your dog’s bowl can make a big difference.
That’s what this series is all about…
Practical tips you can actually use
No guilt trips
Just the good stuff, minus the nonsense
Next up…
We’ll look at where kibble actually came from.
(Spoiler: it wasn’t designed to help dogs live longer.)
Talk soon,
Linda
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