Recently I had the opportunity to tour Standard Process, Herbsmith, and The Simple Food Project.
After spending that much time surrounded by supplements and dog food, one idea kept coming back to me:
Food is part of the foundation.
I use supplements with my own dogs, and I believe they can be useful when they make sense for the individual dog. But the trip reminded me to step back and look at what my dogs are eating every day before automatically reaching for another powder, chew, or capsule.
Then we toured The Simple Food Project, where they make freeze-dried dog food, and I learned a lot more than I expected.
I had no idea how involved freeze-drying was
They walked us through their process, showed us the graphs they use to monitor it, and explained how carefully they control moisture so the finished food can be shelf stable.
Honestly, I had no idea how involved the process was.
We also talked about kibble and how differently it’s made. Kibble is convenient, there’s no question about that, and I fed it to my dogs for years.
Seeing how another type of dog food is made didn’t suddenly make me think there is one perfect way everyone should feed their dog.
If anything, it gave me more questions to ask.
“Balanced” is an important word
About five years ago, I started feeding my dogs raw food. Then during my holistic pet health coaching certification, I learned how to cook nutritionally balanced meals for them.
And I want to emphasize balanced.
Cooking for your dog isn’t simply chicken, rice, and a vegetable tossed into a bowl. Dogs have specific nutritional requirements, and if homemade food is going to be their primary diet, the recipe needs to account for those needs.
The same idea applies when I’m looking at commercial foods. I don’t want to judge a food only by whether it’s kibble, freeze-dried, fresh, canned, or something else. I want to know whether it provides appropriate nutrition for the dog eating it.
The tour solved a real problem for me
Even after seeing how The Simple Food Project makes its food, I still feel good about cooking for my dogs.
But I walked away thinking…
This could solve a problem for me.
Bringing fresh food on a long road trip is difficult, and flying with it is even harder. In the past, I’ve transitioned my dogs back to kibble when we traveled.
Now I can see freeze-dried food being another option I feel comfortable keeping on hand for those situations.
That doesn’t mean it suddenly becomes the right choice for every dog or every family.
It means I found another option that might fit my dogs and my life.
That’s something I keep coming back to lately. A food, supplement, harness, training method, or anything else can have wonderful reviews and still not be the best choice for the individual dog standing in front of you.
I wrote more about that in Before You Buy That Thing for Your Dog, Ask These Questions.
Seeing behind the scenes changed the questions I ask
One of my favorite parts of the tour was meeting Dr. Chris Bessent and getting the chance to talk with her personally.
I also appreciated being able to see what happens behind the scenes instead of only looking at a bag of food on a shelf or reading marketing claims online.
I didn’t come home believing I had found the one perfect way to feed a dog.
I came home with a better understanding of another option… and more information to help me decide when that option might make sense.
And I think that’s ultimately what I want when I’m making choices for my dogs.
Not another rule telling me what I have to feed.
Better information so I can make a thoughtful decision for the dog in front of me.
