Why Add Fresh Food to My Dog's Diet?

Feeding fresh food is not only a tasty way to offer your dog a variety of meals, but can also lead to a healthier, longer life according to several studies. Here are our top reasons for incorporating fresh, unprocessed foods into your pup's diet.

MORE ENERGY & LONGER LIFESPAN

Adding fresh food to your dog’s diet can increase not only their energy levels, but also their longevity. One study of 522 dogs showed that the dogs fed a fresh, home-cooked diet lived on average of 13.1 years, while the dogs fed a commercial diet lived an average of 10.4 years. 

HIGHLY DIGESTIBLE

Another study, the first of its kind, showed “whole, fresh food is highly digestible." This study demonstrates that dogs don't have any issue digesting freshly-prepared, whole-food meals over processed kibble or wet food.  

HEALTHY POOPS

A study from of the Department of Animal Sciences at Illinois found that fresh food could also mean less poop to scoop! The researchers found that dogs fed the extruded diet had to eat more to maintain their body weight, and produced 1.5 to 2.9 times as much poop when compared to the dogs on fresh diets. 

CANCER-FIGHTING

Results of this study suggest that consumption of certain vegetables may prevent or slow the development of a certain type of cancer in Scottish Terriers. Dietary vegetable consumption was linked to a reduced risk of transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder in these dogs. 

With such a wide and colorful variety of whole plant foods available to dogs, the list of health benefits goes on and on! Whether you're preparing full meals from scratch or adding fruits and veggies as a healthy snack, your pup will be reaping the many benefits of fresh whole foods.