But... they kind of are. lol. Dogs were/are opportunistic carnivores... they'll eat meat if available of course, but they can scavenge for almost anything if they really have to. It's well known that dogs, back before kibble was even invented, were basically eating corn mush and table scraps. Families were often struggling to eat themselves, highly doubtful they were tossing their best meats over to the dogs. Also, so many are against byproducts in their dog foods but aren't by-products essentially what raw feeders often feed? livers, lungs, kidneys... bully sticks, chicken feet, etc?
Yes, science isn't everything, but I don't like the idea that "natural" is always better either.
And there has been a lot of things stated as fact on the internet through the years that is simply untrue, and it took a long time for me to believe it too. Where did we come up with the idea that corn is SOO bad for dogs? I think if we see more than 1 corn ingredient in a food (i.e. corn gluten meal, corn, etc) it's possible majority of the protein is coming from corn. But IMO, corn gluten meal is no worse than all the pea protein's, and pea concentrates we see in a bunch of the supposed high quality grain-free foods of today. I guess I just don't see who determined that potatoes, peas and lentils are any better than barely, wheat and corn?
Yes, science isn't everything, but I don't like the idea that "natural" is always better either.
And there has been a lot of things stated as fact on the internet through the years that is simply untrue, and it took a long time for me to believe it too. Where did we come up with the idea that corn is SOO bad for dogs? I think if we see more than 1 corn ingredient in a food (i.e. corn gluten meal, corn, etc) it's possible majority of the protein is coming from corn. But IMO, corn gluten meal is no worse than all the pea protein's, and pea concentrates we see in a bunch of the supposed high quality grain-free foods of today. I guess I just don't see who determined that potatoes, peas and lentils are any better than barely, wheat and corn?
Kibble only appeared around the time of World War II. It was marketed as a cheap way to feed your dogs.
I imagine people in the past fed their dogs a lot of raw meaty bones, fatty scraps, organs, veggie scraps, etc. Of course dogs can survive on mostly anything, but there's a big difference between surviving and thriving.
The issue with ingredients like "animal digest" is that who even knows WHAT that is. Could it be euthanized shelter pets? Old sick cows? And we all know that corn is pretty much all genetically modified.
Of course, corn and other fillers are fine in moderation (dogs are opportunistic carnivores), but having genetically modified corn as the entire basis of their diet? That's not how dogs are supposed to eat. Imagine how we'd feel if corn was the primary part of OUR diets, and we're designed way differently!
I don't think there's anything wrong with byproducts as long as I can control them. I don't trust Ol' Roys "poultry byproducts" are going to be nearly the same as the organ meats and bones that my dogs eat.