08/07/2026
🔥 DOES THE WAY YOUR PET’S FOOD IS PROCESSED MATTER?
A new peer reviewed study published in the Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition compared 41 commercial dog foods, including fresh, wet, kibble, freeze dried, and cold pressed diets, to see how processing changes food at the molecular level.
The findings were eye opening:
🥩 Fresh food contained more than twice as much lysine as kibble. Lysine is an essential amino acid that supports healthy muscles, immune function, and tissue repair. Kibble also showed 53% more heat related lysine damage than fresh food.
🥫 Wet food contained the highest levels of heat created compounds (AGEs) that have been linked to oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, and cellular damage.
💰 One surprise? More expensive didn’t always mean better. Some premium kibble and wet foods had some of the highest levels of these unwanted heat created compounds.
The researchers conclude that both ingredients and processing matter. Food should be processed enough to ensure safety, but excessive heat may reduce nutritional quality and create unwanted compounds.
That’s one reason Dr. Karen Becker recommends feeding a balanced, fresh, minimally processed diet whenever possible. If fresh feeding isn’t realistic, don’t worry. Nutrition isn’t all or nothing. Choosing higher quality foods, rotating complete and balanced diets, and adding fresh whole food toppers like sardines, berries, or appropriate vegetables can all help improve your pet’s bowl over time.
Small changes, made consistently, can add up to a healthier future.
