Image by glenn.jk han from Pixabay

In This Article:

• Why your dog’s diet is foundational to health
  
  
• Key differences between kibble, canned, cooked, and raw diets
  
  

• Tips for transitioning to minimally processed dog food

• Herbal and supplement support for dogs on processed diets

• Essential feeding guidelines to optimize your dog’s health
  
  

Raw, Cooked, or Kibble? A Truthful Look at Dog Diets

by Rita Hogan. author of the book: The Herbal Dog.

Over time, the foods we choose to feed our dogs either heal or harm -
and the responsibility to choose wisely falls squarely on us,
as guardians. . . Our dogs deserve nothing less.
                    ~ Karen Becker, DVM, CoAuthor of The Forever Dog

When I brought my first pug (Finnbar) home, I did what any uninformed puppy mother would do: I put him on a puppy kibble formula. We were at the vet every few months giving Finnbar steroids for chronic phenomena.

As he approached three, he started developing arthritis. I was done. I went down the rabbit hole of nutrition for dogs and ended up dedicating my life to holistic canine herbalism.

I quickly changed Finnbar's kibble, then transitioned him to limited-ingredient kibble, dehydrated food, then to freeze-dried food, then to raw. As Finnbar went through each food transition, the changes in his body were phenomenal, and we never made another trip to the vet for pneumonia.

His wrinkles cleared up, his snoring went from epic to slight, and his shedding became minimal. The big lesson I learned from all this is that a clean diet is a foundation for health and cellular function.

The following are some guidelines and helpful observations I’ve made after working with all types of dogs with different dietary needs. For more information on building a better bowl, all types of diets, and how to be suc­cessful in feeding your dog as an individual, visit TheHerbalDog.com.

Dogs Are Carnivores

Humans are omnivores, which means we eat plants and animals. Though there is much debate on the subject, dogs are carnivores, not omnivores. That said, they are facultative carnivores, meaning they can eat both meat and plant matter, but meat-based dietary protein is a must for them to thrive.

Today’s domesticated dogs are privy to a more varied diet than their ancestors, including excessive carbohydrates. Yet dogs produce very little to no salivary amylase, which breaks down the starches in plant matter. They also don’t produce cellulase, the enzyme that breaks down the cellulose in plant matter. While some dogs do okay on modern dog food formulations that incorporate grains and other plant-based foods, others have a harder time digesting them and can develop food sensitivities.

Canines in the wild eat the plant matter found in the intestines of their prey, which is already partially digested. One way to mimic that arrangement is to make sure that any vegetable matter you serve to your dog is slightly cooked, cooked, or combined with digestive enzymes and chopped in a food processor.

Kibble and Canned Food

Though I believe that a minimally processed diet works best for dogs, I also believe in meeting people where they are, including feeding kibble and canned food. There’s a hierarchy, starting at the bottom with ingredients like food dyes, meat by-products, propylene glycol, and GMO corn gluten meal and moving all the way up to ethically sourced, limited-ingredient diets. If you’re feeding your dog a highly processed diet, try to make it as high-quality as possible.

Cooked at high temperatures, kibble forces the dog-as-ecosystem into working nonstop because it’s dry, lacking enzymes (dead food), and filled with inflammatory ingredients like hydrogenated oils, white rice, corn gluten meal, animal by-products, various forms of sugar and salt, and arti­ficial dyes and flavorings. Kibble makes your dog’s liver and digestive sys­tem work overtime because it takes approximately eight to ten hours to process.

Canned food may look healthy but it has also been cooked at high temperatures and is filled with different liquids to increase moisture. Canning adds endocrine disruptors like bisphenol A (BPA) and polyvi­nyl chloride. Cheryl Rosenfeld, DVM, PhD, notes “When dogs consumed canned dog food containing BPA for two weeks, it was associated with metabolic and gut microbiome alterations.” Like kibble, canned food can range from poor to more healthy formulations.

I suggest reading Conor Brady’s Feeding Dogs and Dr. Karen Becker and Rodney Habib’s The Forever Dog and The Forever Dog Life.

In the meantime, here is a simple support protocol to improve your dog’s bowl as you work toward feeding a minimally processed diet. Remember to breathe and take small steps each day for yourself and your pups! Consistent small changes accomplish huge goals.

Basic Kibble / Wet Food Support Protocol

1. Give a low dose of milk thistle seed every other day to help your dog’s liver deal with toxins.
2. Add digestive enzymes.
3. Feed a good prebiotic and rotate probiotics.
4. Add a lymphatic stimulant, like cleavers or calendula.
5. Add a rotation of mushroom extracts or cooked mushrooms for extra antioxidants.
6. Add rotational herbs to your dog’s bowl to increase nutrition, anti­oxidants, and vitamin and mineral content. Here are some examples: chickweed, dandelion greens, nettle (dried), parsley, plantain, self-heal, turmeric, or violet leaf.

Cooked Food

Cooked food is a good option compared to kibble diets, and some dogs do better on a cooked diet due to their physical condition, age, or underly­ing disease. Cooking helps break down foods, especially plant fibers, serv­ing as a form of predigestion.

Avoid microwaving, broiling, and deep frying. Stick to lightly sautéing on low heat (in grass-fed butter, olive oil, or avocado oil), steaming, low-temperature baking, or using a low-heat slow cooker.

You can find many commercial options for lightly cooked, minimally processed dog food. See TheHerbalDog.com for suggestions.

Raw Food

Dogs are a product of evolution, and they, like their ancestors, do best on a 100 percent raw diet of meat, bones, and organs (with the occasional bit of plant matter). A healthy diet of fresh food is important to canine health because food is the raw material of nourishment and overall metabolism. The hormones that govern the stomach, nervous, and endocrine systems all depend on the breakdown and assimilation of nutrients.

Research has shown that diet has a great impact on an animal's microbiome (the community of microorganisms that live in the dog-as-ecosystem); you can, for example, change the balance of the bacterial population on your dog's skin from pathogenic to beneficial and vice versa based on what foods you are feeding.

There are many ways to work with a raw diet, from beginner to advanced. Let's look at some options.

Commercial freeze-dried foods can be a part of a raw diet. These foods are cold processed, which removes moisture but keeps enzymes, vitamins, and minerals. These products are shelf-stable until opened. Put freeze-dried food in the freezer between meal. Also, make sure that your dog gets plenty of water to go along with freeze-dried food.

Commercial raw food is prepackaged and frozen. It generally con­tains blends of meat and vegetables or blends of meat, bone, and organs. Traditional raw includes different cuts of meat, bone, and organ in varying proportions depending on your individual dog.

Bones: In a raw diet, uncooked bones (never feed cooked bones) can provide your dog calcium, which supports the health of their brain and nervous system. However, too many bones can cause constipation and white, crumbly poops, and large bones can cause cracked teeth.

According to Dr. Peter Dobias, dogs should not be given large bones like beef shanks as they can break teeth. He notes: “Small dogs (all the way down to Chihuahuas) do well on raw chicken thighs or chicken wings. Medium and large dogs should get bones such as lamb shanks or legs, lamb necks, and rib bones (cut into medium size pieces).”

If you’re uncomfortable feeding your pup raw bone, other choices for bone include powdered bone supplements and eggshell calcium.

Treats: Avoid treats with wheat, preservatives, gluten flours, and artificial color and flavors. Be mindful of dryness when giving dehydrated treats.

Feeding Guidelines

These guidelines can help your dog better assimilate nutrients, live longer, and decrease their toxic load.

1. Never feed your dog cold food. Cold food causes stagnation in the gastrointestinal tract, affecting assimilation. If your dog’s food is frozen or refrigerated, let it warm up to room temperature before offering it to your dog. Fully hydrate all freeze-dried and dehydrated food with warm or room temperature water before feeding.

2. Feed your dog just once or twice per day. Feeding once per day is associated with greater longevity and a decrease in chronic disease markers. That said, dogs are individuals, and some dogs may need to be fed twice daily. Feeding schedules can change according to your dog’s needs and condition. For those who feed twice per day, try to feed your dog most of their calories in the first meal and make the second meal smaller. The second meal is a great opportunity to feed broths, raw milks, and supplementals.

3. Don’t feed your dog the same diet throughout the year. Mix up proteins, vegetables, and supplements for nutritional variety.

4. Don’t overfeed your dog. Overfeeding puts pressure on the liver and causes gas and digestive upset.

5. Avoid storing or serving food in plastic containers. Exposure to plastic increases your dog’s toxic load and disrupts healthy endocrine func­tion. Many chemicals found in plastic are fat-soluble, and your dog’s food contains fats. Use stainless-steel or glass containers instead. There is no such thing as healthy plastic.

6. Filter your dog’s water. Municipal tap water is often contaminated with the chemicals used to sanitize it. Well water can contain environ­mental runoff, heavy metals, and other unknowns; even our rainwater contains glyphosate. Bottled water is full of plastic-based toxins, and it’s an environmental disaster. Have your water tested so you know what type of filter or system you need to provide clean water for your­self and your animals.

7. Never feed foods that are poisonous or can make your dog extremely sick. These include caffeine, chocolate, grapes, macadamia nuts, onions, raisins, raw potatoes, and anything with artificial sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose, or xylitol.

8. Avoid non-organic apples, bell peppers, celery, citrus, cucumbers, green beans, peas, peaches, pears, potatoes, strawberries, and watermelon; they are highly sprayed with pesticides and herbicides. Use only organic sources of hemp (CBD), kale, spinach, and sunflower; these plants, known as superaccumulators, remove heavy metals from soil. 

9. Don’t offer any foods or herbs that your dog consistently refuses to eat. When dogs consistently refuse to eat something, you can interpret their refusal as a warning sign that the food you’re offering may be inappropriate.

10. Avoid salt. Many kibbles, canned foods, and lower-quality commer­cial “fresh” foods are high in salt. Too much salt can lead to dehydra­tion, edema, stagnation, and kidney and musculoskeletal conditions. You can have their salt levels checked by your veterinarian.

11. Get your dog outside playing in the dirt, breathing fresh air, interacting with nature, and getting age-appropriate exercise. This contributes to a more diverse microbiome, aids in digestion, decreases stress, and increases longevity.

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved.
Adapted with permission of the publisher,
Healing Arts Press, an impint of Inner Traditions Intl.

Article Source:

The Herbal Dog

The Herbal Dog: Holistic Canine Herbalism Applications and Practice
by Rita Hogan.

In this comprehensive guide to holistic care for dogs, clinical canine herbalist Rita Hogan explains that by looking at dogs as individual ecosystems with unique personalities, physiology, and needs, we can select effective and personalized herbal remedies to support their constitutions and provide relief from many different ailments.

The author, who has spent more than two decades working with canines, uses energetic principles (cool, warm, dry, damp) to reveal how herbs are not "one size fits all" and how to find the root cause of chronic imbalances. She discusses in depth how a dog’s main organ systems work, how they are connected to each other, and why we need to understand them when choosing specific herbs and foods

.Presenting safe, clinically proven, and effective protocols for common canine conditions—from acid reflux to allergies to itching, scratching, and yeast—Rita presents a wide variety of holistic and herbal remedies: from herbal tinctures, glycerities, and phytoembryonics to flower essences, essential oils, medicinal mushrooms, and homeopathy. Her comprehensive materia medica of canine-specific herbs that she uses in her practice details what herbs are good for which conditions and why, what types of energetics are involved, safe dosage recommendations for each herbal remedy, and when to discontinue an herb.

Allowing each of us to take a hands-on approach to our canine companions’ health and longevity, this herbal guide outlines how to help them live their best lives by our sides.

Click here for more info and/or to order this paperback book. Also available as a Kindle edition.

About the Author

Rita Hogan, C.H., is a clinical canine herbalist with more than twenty years of experience specializing in holistic canine herbalism. An educator, speaker, writer, and herbal medicine maker, she lives and practices in Olympia, Washington.

Author's websites: https://www.canineherbalist.com/