Big Kibble

The Hidden Dangers of the Pet Food Industry and How to Do Better by Our Dogs

By: Shawn Buckley, Dr. Oscar Chavez

Narrated by: Susie Berneis

Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

What's really going into commercial dog food? The answer is horrifying.

Big Kibble is big business: $75 billion globally. A handful of multinational corporations dominate the industry and together own as many as 80 percent of all brands. This comes as a surprise to most people, but what’s even more shocking is how lax the regulations and guidelines are around these products. The guidelines - or lack thereof - for pet food allow producers to include ever-cheaper ingredients and create ever-larger earnings. For example, “legal” ingredients in kibble include poultry feces, sawdust, expired food, and diseased meat, among other horrors. Many vets still don’t know that kibble is not the best food for dogs because Big Kibble funds nutrition research. So far, these corporations have been able to cut corners and still market and promote feed-grade food as if it were healthful and beneficial - until now.

Just as you are what you eat, so is your dog. Once you stop feeding your dog the junk that’s in kibble or cans, you have taken the first steps to improve your dog’s health, behavior, and happiness.

You know the unsavory side of Big Tobacco and Big Pharma. Now Shawn Buckley, Dr. Oscar Chavez, and Wendy Paris explain all you need to know about unsavory Big Kibble - and offer a brighter path forward for you and your pet.

©2020 Shawn Buckley and Dr. Oscar Chavez (P)2020 Dreamscape Media, LLC

A must read if you love your dog!

This book is so eye opening about the Kibble and Dog Food industry. Every pet owner needs to read or listen to this book so you can make an educated decision about how to feed your pet. I guarantee you will want to make some big changes once you learn what's really going into your dogs food...even your high end expensive kibble. Is disgusting and our beloved dogs deserve better!!

Super interesting!

Loved the book, my only critique is that I wish there were accompanying PDFs with the recipes from the book, because it's hard to follow when you are listening to it on audiobook. Otherwise, it was a fascinating listen! 

I thought I knew...

I thought I knew the evils of the petfood industry, but this book tells even more. I will be buying the physical book. Well written, researched and put together. Voice is very pleasing to listen to

Good information with heavy (stated) bias

Being new to the pet world (new puppy!), this was a very helpful book to educate me on the history of pet food and why it seems like the wild west when I go to the store or ask for food recommendations. The authors sound like they have good experience and good science to back up their assertions. That said, there is a very strong bias towards their product/brand as the major answer to the kibble problem. I do appreciate that they were very transparent throughout the book that that's who they are and what they do, so it's not like it was surprising. But it was a little off-putting when you're simply in a fact finding mission.

I learned a lot about how kibble got to be the staple go to choice for so many people and I also better understand why my own vet gave me a very nonchalant answer to just "go buy from one of the big guys because they have lots of vets on staff" when I asked for nutrition recommendations. I didn't find that advice very helpful which led me to an online search to get to this book.

The reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because the authors do come off as pretentious towards the last third of the book that this fresh food approach is the only saving grace to pet nutrition. I have no doubt that there are remarkably wonderful results from feeding your dog in this way, but there are other successful approaches, too. Think of all the mountains of research available on human nutrition over the decades and how we as humans still don't have a one-size-fits all approach to diet and lifestyle. There are some overall guiding principles (e.g. don't binge on sugar and eat more veggies) and then it's custom from there. To say that this is the best approach for your dog is asking a lot from folks on a budget.

Overall, this is a worthy read if you're a pet parent/owner (however you call yourself) and I'm grateful for folks like this trying to classify what we serve our pets as "food" and not "feed." But realize the last third of this book is a heavy handed advertisement.

Terrifyingly honest

It's criminal what big kibble gets away with! They really need to be held accountable for their atrocious behavior

Listen to this & you’ll never want to buy kibble again!

This scientific background & research of pet food preparation, processing, & recalls terrified me in the early 2000s. Then the event of DCM shook me even further. I have been feeding bone broth to my girl since a pup to prevent hip problems in her older years but now I prepare more & more food for her myself. This book enlightened me as to the ACTUAL selection and preparation of kibble and the lack of regulation that governs the safety of it. Kudos to a well written, narrated book with the answers & not just the questions about Big Kibble and what YOU can do to improve your pet’s health and wellbeing.

so much for unbiased

wish I did my research before actually paying for this book....loved all the info on big kibble and problems in the industry, but this is written by a pet food company. talk about bias! and the entire time they're pointing out how hypocritical these big companies are meanwhile they are selling you on what makes them money. ugh I want my money and time back

Was hoping to learn something.

bought this book hoping to learn about the kibble industry, nutrition labels, or really anything about dog food. this is a collection of stories from the author about how nutrition and health is important.