Choosing Dog Food Toppers

Kibble Toppers

Many people who are looking to improve the quality of their dog’s kibble bowl, turn to dog food toppers.

Marketing and varied dog mama opinions can make choosing dog food toppers feel a bit stressful too. Which one do you choose?

Freeze-Dried Raw or Dehydrated Toppers

Many companies are marketing small bags of dog food as dog food toppers. They may be made into nuggets or powders. These are typically freeze-dried or dehydrated products that may add additional protein options. flavors, crunch, or added vitamins and minerals to the bowl. That can be a benefit! But you’re often paying a premium for these well-marketed kibble toppers.

Have you ever heard the saying “you can’t supplement your way out of a bad diet”. Toppers are no different. They are just supplemental food added to processed kibble.

Yes, I tell you frequently — adding something fresh to the bowl is a good thing! But we can debate the “freshness” of most marketed toppers.

Using Canned Food As a Topper

This is NOT your best option in my opinion if your goal is increased quality, non-synthetic vitamins & Minerals, etc. Canned dog food is seldom higher in quality & nutrients. It’s really just a very wet version of processed food. It’s really just moist kibble — but added moisture is a good thing. You have better options though.

Budget-Friendly Kibble Toppers

I’d argue that you will fare better with your budget & your nutritional bonuses by adding fresh ingredients directly to the bowl.

With the commercial toppers, you’re paying a premium for dehydrated or freeze-dried meat, fancy packaging & commercial marketing, or a retailer. Unfortunately, you are probably NOT getting as much nutritional benefit as you think you are — but paying a premium for it.

Fresh Dog Food Toppers

• Priority 1. Upgrade your kibble by adding a good non-synthetic, whole-food source vitamin-mineral supplement.

  • Volhard Endurance makes that very easy and affordable.

  • Dr Ruth’s Holistic Total Body Support is another excellent option

• Top your bowls periodically with up to 20% fresh food ingredients — vegetables, fruit, eggs, sardines, etc. Shop the sales. Get a freezer. Co-op products with a friend. Read More Ways To Improve Kibble here!

• Add small amounts of fresh meat to the bowl.

  • Chicken Hearts, Ground Meats, Etc

• Add a can of sardines or anchovies once a week. Even better order fresh whole sardines, a whole Mullet, etc.

• Add fresh Liver or other organs to the bowl from time to time.

  • While “like supports like” don’t overdo liver as it’s high in copper. There should be liver in your food. I often use dehydrated liver treats. So try not to go above about 10% liver total.

• Check your local butcher for a customizable raw grind to use. These generally at least have the right ratio of muscle/fat/bone to keep your diet in balance. Adding muscle meat only every day can actually throw your diet off balance. (Adding Fresh Meat Toppers To Kibble)

• Feed a complete & balanced raw diet or homemade diet a couple of times a week. Many of you may be questioning the sensitivity of the transition between foods — if your dog’s gut is healthy, there should be no issue doing this. If you have a transition issue, you have another problem to solve first (Probiotics, Digestive Enzymes, and your base food)

• Some clients do 1 meal of kibble and 1 meal of Volhard or freshly prepare recipes each day to help increase nutrients but ease the budget a bit.

• Give your dog a raw meaty bone a couple of times a week. Good for the teeth. Good for enrichment.

• Read More on Easy Nutritional Upgrades

Variety of Fresh Food Ingredients Matters!

Anytime we can add fresh to the bowl we are making improvements (in general). But stay out of the rut. Stay out of recurring habits and make sure you are adding a variety of ingredients each week to keep the diet from becoming out of balance.

Visit My Link Tree for links to Volhard, BJs Raw, Hare Today, etc.