I was really intrigued to learn more about what goes into dog food. My Husband is a K-9 handler and the sheriff for our county and I always wondered why he was so obessed with what the dog was eating. Now I understand.

I am so shocked and horrified and ashamed that America has no really up its standards with how and what dog food is made. It should be high quality like the food we eat.

You can clearly see the author’s mission in educating everyone in kibble making and trying to get everyone to understand what a broken system it may be.
There was a lot of repetitive information in a bunch of sections but I enjoyed the book.
This has made me look at my pets food more closing and feel bad for what I was feeding my animals before.

I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review

“Big Kibble” by Shawn Buckley is a deep dive into the world of dog food and how despite healthy labels, we may not be feeding our dogs as well as we think we are. Buckley gives real solutions (and recipes!) for you to improve your dog’s diet and ultimately give them a happier, healthier life!

This book was loaded from beginning to end with in depth research, starting with the beginning of dog’s eating habits to now where there are a million options on the shelf. With so much out there, it was kind of nice to have someone else sift through all the information and provide realistic answers.

Overall, this book was a 4 star read for me. This book was clearly a passion project and I look forward to implementing some of the suggestions with my own dog!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

With the 2007 widespread dog food recall, I became more aware of what I was feeding my dogs. You have to first understand the dietary needs of canines. It's not as simple has buying the most expensive brand as it is understanding the ingredients, the manufacturing and your dogs specific needs. You become more aware of labels and what they truly mean. Grab this one! Dave your pet!

You know how people say, you don't want to see how the sausage is made? Yeah, you don't want to hear about how the kibble is made either... but you need to.

I've been thinking a lot about the foods I feed my pets lately and have been trying to upgrade a bit more. They currently get about half and half canned (that looks like people food) and kibble, both of better quality, but I've wondered if I"m doing enough to provide them the best diet. It's disheartening, though not too surprising, to learn that veterinarians, like human doctors, get very little, if any, education on nutrition. Why not put more emphasis on disease prevention rather than treatment? We all know at least something about what goes into pet food, but we don't like to think too much about it. Sure, opening a bag of kibble is quick, easy and fairly inexpensive, but is it the best we can do?

While this book is a bit repetitive at points, it's eye-opening and encourages me to do better for the furry beings I share my life with. I''ll certainly be looking at alternatives that might provide my furballs with better health and more years.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Sure wish I had seen this book years ago. I think it could have extended my sweet Honey dog’s life. Some of the things brought to light in this book I already knew,but many I did not. This explains why there are so many dog “feed” recalls and unnecessary deaths of our beloved pets.
I did not realize that the standards for dog feed is not anything near standards for human food. It is classified as animal feed, like livestock destined for slaughter or short term uses like laying eggs. So many pets in this book had remarkable restorations and longevity of life once taken off the dried poison most of them were fed. I used to work in a grain elevator so I know what animal grain vs. people grades of grain.
There are so many people and even vets who believe grain free diets are the way to go. Nothing could be further from the truth. The problem is with grains and vegetables that do not pass human food standards but can be fed to animals. Large livestock can handle small amounts of toxins in grain, but has devastating results for small animals such as dogs and cats.
This book is very detailed about the process a handful of people made their “job” to expose. Although this group tried and tested several types of fresh foods for dogs, I liked that they also share the recipes.
One of the few books I have read cover to cover everything except the links for their proofs and research.
I received an ARC through Net-Galley and the publisher.
in return I am posting my unbiased review. I do review everything I read just wish I had finished this sooner. There is a lot to absorb and well worth your time to read it front to back as well.
Would make a great gift for any dog lover.

Thank you, Netgalley and the publisher, for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion!

I have to say that I was torn about this one. On the one hand, it felt--just as other reviewers before me said--like advertisement for the authors' products. Maybe this could have been avoided by adding other alternatives to the big kibble industry products. However, I have to say that the authors brought up some very interesting points and the facts they presented can for the most part be verified easily by doing your own research. As a pet owner, I have to admit that there were a lot of statements/facts I did already know or assumed but I did learn a lot of new things as well. The authors also included a lot of stories about people's first-hand experience with the issues. Overall, I'd give this book 3.5 stars if Goodreads had half stars (hint hint, Goodreads!!!). I rounded up to 4.

Big Kibble: The Hidden Dangers of the Pet Food Industry and How to Do Better by Our Dogs is definitely one not to be missed for pet owners. Four stars.

If you read this and aren't afraid of what your dog is eating then you must be a cat person.
Seriously, you should be concerned with what any pet is eating. The details in Big Kibble are frightening.
I had started feeding my dog some whole foods and a premium kibble brand. This book pushed me over the edge to a whole foods diet for Fergus.

Eye opening look at what goes into the dog food we feed our pets daily.I was really surprised shocked to read some of the ingredients.Also appreciated the recipes to make safe dog food at home.#netgalley#st.martinsbooks

This is a great look into the Big Kibble corporations. We dive into the operating mechanics, how it's regulated, and the potential health problems dogs have already dealt with due to these practices.

My only concern with this was it seemed written to promote their business JustForDogs. Granted, they did give an example of a health problem they dealt with in their own clients. There were also a few recipes inn the back, allowing dog owners to create their own food at home.

Overall, a very informative read for dog owners.

This frightened me and made me glad I now longer have pets. Well researched and unbelievable. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!

I am involved in animal rescue and have many dogs of my own. I look very carefully at what they eat and some of my fur babies eat food I specifically make for them with meat I would have no problem serving my own family. With this knowledge I was very interested in reading this book, unfortunately I feel the author has an ax to grind with Big Kibble for personal reasons. Many of the stories told here are heart breaking but not 100% conclusive proof that the pet died because of the food they were fed (some yes were!) and not because of breed issues due to back yard breeding. I get it, not all dog food is created equal and many of the ingredients found in some are repulsive, but that’s why you research what you feed. Just like you would research the baby foods you feed your baby. Not all pet food companies know the ingredients they are buying from their trusted providers have been tainted or tampered with.

While the premise of the book is great, and eye opening, I think the author went overboard with “what you should do” and he tells you exactly what his option of what you should do is and making the dog food industry sound like they are trying to hide information from us. While I agree with his premise that the dog food industry needs to be more strictly regulated and that pet parents should be more involved, I also feel like this was a long advertisement for some fresh food brands. So read this with a very open mind and do your research.

Thank you NetGalley, Shawn Buckley, Dr. Oscar Chavez, Wendy Paris and St. Martin’s Press for this edition and hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partner

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for inviting me to read an ARC of this title. Dogs may be the one thing I love more than reading. As the writers disclose early on, they started a pet food company making fresh food for dogs, so as a critical thinker I was immediately searching for self-serving bias. This book is full of information on the history of pet food production, its ingredients and sourcing practices, and how its manufactured. It occasionally repeats itself or refers to future chapters, but it was more tightly written than I was expecting. I already knew a LOT about pet food (or, "pet feed", more accurately) and found the book to be both true to what I know and to add to it, although there were a few statements throughout that I'd challenge or like further clarification on. This would be an excellent primer for people wanting to know more about what's in their pet's bowl, and it makes a pretty convincing case for food that's closer to what we eat ourselves.

I was approached to see if I would have an interest in reading and reviewing this book. I didn't originally but as I am a dog mom, I thought I would give it a shot. Maybe 5 or 8 months ago, my husband started feeding our dog food that he makes her so we don't feed her kibble anymore in the first place. And boy, am I glad after reading this book. Some of the things I was reading in this book were pretty horrifying to even think about. Even though I don't feed her kibble, she does get plenty of treats from some of these companies so I am giving her things I don't want to, in the end...it was a book that really made me think about what I need to do so even her treats are homemade. The book talks about the history of kibble itself, the regulations that do or do not exist, and the fact that even the companies you THINK might be good are most likely owned by one of the mega companies that owns everything else, including the dog food you think is so much worse than the one you are paying a premium for. I learned a lot by reading this book, much more than I thought I was going to...and they even throw some recipes in at the end. All in all, a book any dog parent should look into.

This book was really eye opening to the business of dog food. I understand the importance of feeding your dog properly but I do have to say that the recipes provided, or trying to purchase human grade food online, is way too expensive for many folks.

This was an interesting read for me as I have always thought that I was feeding my dogs the better foods but truth is there is so much that is unknown to all of us purchasing. I will definitely be doing some research and changing what I do.

Ok...I knew that kibble was not a great choice for dog nutrition. I knew it contained highly questionable things, and knowing what those things were would be a gross read. I was not at all prepared for exactly how disgusting the pet industry is, and what they get away with. This is an excellent resource for any pet owner, to educate themselves on how to best care for their four-legged family members.

This book was obviously well researched. That said, there were entirely too many references to the authors' own company and with every chapter I became increasingly irritated by the use of the term 'pet parents'. We own animals, we parent children. Having had both, I know the difference.

I received an ARC from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley. I wasn't required to write a positive review & opinions expressed are my own. FTC 16 CFR, Pt 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements &Testimonials in Advertising.

Big Kibble is big business bringing in $75 billion globally and yet to this day it has been providing its consumers with less than ideal nutrition. Why aren't more people talking about this??!

I will admit I am huge animal lover and reading this book shook me to my core. I was shocked and appalled by what happens within the pet food industry. Most shocking for me was that its not just the cheap brands we need to be concerned about.

What's really going into commercial dog food? The answer is horrifying. Would you eat saw dust, poultry feces or diseased meat? My guess is that you wouldn't. I would also be led to believe you wouldn't plate it up for your pooch either. But what if I told you that you unknowingly already have?

Big Kibble: The Hidden Dangers of the Pet Food Industry and How to Do Better by Our Dogs is a hard pill to swallow. It brings to the forefront all the abuse and corruptions that have developed within one of the fastest growing industries. If you love your furry family members then I urge you to read this book and take a closer look at just what's in the bowl.

I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

As a huge dog lover, I am so happy to have read this book! I actually previously read one of the titles that this one references a few times - The Lost History of the Canine Race. A few of the historical points overlap from there to here, but it fits in well here and is well presented.

First of all, every page here makes it clear how much the authors, the founders of Just Food For Dogs, really and truly care about dogs. And the horrors of some of the conditions, processes and acceptable risks within "Big Kibble" is certainly appalling. I think the book would have been stronger with a lot less personal bias, though. In many ways, this book serves as an extended infomercial into their own company - and while they don't throw their direct competition under the bus, they don't hesitate to admonish Big Kibble - and smaller companies (apparently it's only a matter of time before they fold or are bought out by one of these conglomerations). And while I went in with a slightly superior attitude because the food we provide our dog does come from a locally sourced, family-owned company, even this brand was part of a recall of a different variety of food than what we purchase. I also appreciate the way this book encourages pet parents to really dive into these companies and really research (I probably spent more time researching our dog's food than some of the human food we consume!).

I think this book does a great job of raising awareness and making dog lovers more cautious of what they present to their dogs. And while this book focuses on meals, I think that I will be spending separate time researching cookies and treats, too! The book maintains a pretty tight focus throughout, but I do wish that they had covered more about these "extras" (though maybe their company doesn't provide these?). I also deeply appreciate their sharing of their own recipes. It is certainly the kind of trasparency not many companies provide! Another topic that I wish had been included was vitamin like supplements. We have a now senior dog, and I have definitely seen the impact that joint-specific vitamins have made.

I also really appreciated the table food myths and other frequently asked questions chapter. There is a lot of information here and I think this is something to a responsible pet owner should investigate for themselves. It's definitely dog focused though - cats are mentioned a few times. And while some readers may be put off by the self-congratulatory attitudes that creep in, I think that this aligns with their own passion for what they do and what they have created. There's a good sales pitch in here - but also a lot of compelling evidence to back it up.