If you feed your dog kibble, this blog's for you! It's National Pet Day, aka the perfect time to learn how to boost your dog's kibble. While traditional kibble diets may be easier on the wallet, they don't provide the most nutrients to your dog's diet due to the high heat involved in the manufacturing process. But don't worry, if your dog must stay on a kibble diet, there are some easy and affordable ways to boost their kibble. Read on to learn how you can elevate their diet without breaking the bank!
How to Boost Your Dog's Kibble: Tips and Tricks
The 20% Rule 🥩
What is the 20% rule, you ask? It's a simple and effective approach that involves mixing 20% fresh ingredients into your dog's diet to Boost Your Dog's Kibble.
Start by measuring the appropriate amount of your dog's regular kibble. Remember, the kibble will make up 80% of the meal! Cutting back the amount of kibble by 20% will leave room for the fresh additions. Dry food tends to be on the dry side and lacks the moisture that fresh food provides, so when adding fresh goodies to the bowl, you’ll need to double up to make up for that extra moisture.
For example, if your dog usually eats 5 cups of kibble a day, you’ll want to reduce that to 4 cups to make space for the fresh food. This 1-cup reduction equals a 20% decrease. To fill in that gap, you’ll need about 2 cups of fresh food to balance the bowl out. 🥣
Did you know? Even just adding fresh veggies to your dog's kibble can help prevent bladder cancer! A study at Purdue University found that dogs who ate green leafy veggies like broccoli reduced their risk of cancer by 90%, while those munching on carrots saw a 70% drop. Talk about the power of veggies. 🥦
💡 Fun fact: Our Freeze-Dried Meals contain both broccoli AND carrots!
Beef Meal Patties
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A complete & balanced freeze-dried raw meal packed with all-natural superfood ingredients Healthybud’s easy to serve, rehydratable freeze-dried beef patties provide the powerful benefits of raw food with the convenience of kibble. Packed with delicious & natural ingredients and superfoods, this product was… read more
The Half and Half 🥒
The Half and Half is an easy-split approach that involves mixing 50% kibble and 50% nutritionally balanced fresh food. Unbalanced fresh food additions should never go beyond 20% of your pup’s daily bowl. If the portion of fresh food exceeds 20% of the overall diet long term, then the fresh food portion needs to be nutritionally balanced.
Start by measuring out the appropriate amount of your dog's regular kibble. You can use a cup or a weighing scale. Remember, the kibble will make up 50% of the meal and the other 50% will be another half-portion of nutritionally balanced dog food. A lot of our friends in the Healthybud community do half and half with our Freeze-Dried Raw Meals, and this is because they are formulated with vets to be complete and balanced according to AAFCO guidelines!
Hydration 💦
Kibble diets are naturally low in moisture and could benefit from a dose of hydration. Just like us humans, water is the cornerstone for countless bodily functions in your dog’s system. And hydration doesn’t have to just come from their water dish alone! One great way to increase the moisture in your pet’s bowl is Raw Goat Milk Kefir. This nutrition-packed hydration hero is chock-full of vitamins, electrolytes, and probiotics.
⚙️How does it work? Milk fermentation is a natural process where good bacteria break down the natural sugars in milk, creating a tangy and delicious drink that contains probiotic bacteria like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium (two specifically friendly bacteria for canines!), and offers a ton of benefits like improved digestion, enhanced nutrient absorption, and boosted immune function.
And there you have it – 3 delicious ways you can combine the convenience of kibble with the nutritional benefits of fresh food! With any of these approaches, you can give your dog the variety they crave and ensure they receive the essential nutrients they need to thrive!
Until next time, happy feeding from all of us at Healthybud!
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Turkey Gut Booster
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