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Be Informed, Be Empowered - Make sure to read the dates on the articles. I have included as many articles, research papers and reports as possible. The rule of thumb is that most up to date research is done in the last 5 years but there is frequently research gaps, meaning that nothing has been researched in a particular section or not within the past five years. Additionally, "reports and articles" are different than "research".
Issues and Research in Dog Food
By Dr. Nikki Woller, Ph.D.
The difficulty that we have with dog food is such an issue I thought it deserved its own page. I personally can spend hours discussing and debating the different dogs foods and the ramifications of feeding them. At the bottom of this page there are articles that we have found that outlines different concerns with regards to dog food.
We personally had a dog food injury 13 years ago with our very first dog, Kellie. She is a 7 pound Maltichon and my daughter's childhood service animal. At age 3 months, Kellie was diagnosed with a liver disorder. We were told she was going to die before age 1. Her liver enzymes were high and she was going to go into liver failure.
I immediately began researching dog food and learn that the dog food we w ere feeding Kellie (a very popular name brand that was recommended by the vet) had a chemical in it that was devastating to the liver. We immediately removed her from the dog food and began feeding a food that was low protein based and healthy for the liver.
Since that time, I have never fed a dog food that I haven't researched the heck out of. Other breeders will have different opinions and you should follow your own breeders advice however here we have been researching dog foods and feeding the best proteins for our dogs and their specific needs. I truly believe that all dog foods have a risk.
In 2019, the media released an article saying that the FDA discovered that grain free dog food injures the heart. Well, I have read all 70 something pages of the actual FDA report (below) and it never said anything of the such. About 5 years ago, feeding grains was supposed to be horrible for your dog. The truth is, no one has a consistent answer and the truth is that your specific breed of dog has specific needs based on a number of factors. This includes breed, and genetics.
In order to minimize the risk, we, at House Woller, feed a combo of different dog foods made by different companies. We feed one that is grain free, one that is human grade and with grains and one that is fresh chicken chunks with vegetables. Doing this, we have ensured that we are feeding a low grain high quality food. Doing so ensures that our dogs are not receiving 1 dog food in any large quantity. If we have to remove a dog food we can do so safely without any digestive issues. While feeding a tricombo can be a little more time consuming that scooping a kibble into a bowl, we have done this for years and found it to be the safest way of managing the dog food dilemma.
BTW - Kellie, our Maltichon is 14 and doing amazing!!