KarlRix
KarlRix
Nov 5 · 5 min read

Dog food killed my dog

Yes, as the title suggests, in a bleak, foreshadowy way — I think I killed my dog. But to understand where this self-critical judgment comes into play you must understand that I loved my dog, Jordyn, from the time her young unfit human-mom placed her in my arms at 8 weeks until she died in care at the vet 9½ years down the road.

When we became family, a boy and his dog, Jordyn’s well-being jumped to the top of my priority list and basically never lost the top spot. I learned to properly care for dogs like most dog lovers do, in their youth. My parents got a white German Sheppard pup when I was barely a year old and where ever I went the pup was sure to go — or perhaps it was the other way around. At any rate, seeing the amount of effort which went into caring for my family’s dog during childhood, prepared me for taking care of Jordyn in my adulthood, or so I thought. You see, my father believed that dogs — “Puppies” as he affectionately called them no matter their age, — “need only eat once a day so make it a great feast and never forget adding variety!” This word of advice led me to sample all the lamb with rice and beef and gravy options of wet, canned food in existence — the reputable brands, of course — while adding it as a mix in with dry dog food from the same reputable source. Sans doubt, Jordyn was well on her way to the finest doggy dinners for the rest of her life, and I was in the running for World’s Greatest Doggie Dad. With all the positive intentions in place (i, e. walks twice a day, socialization with other dogs) how could any of this fail? Surely when she was placed in my arms, at that cutest puppy stage, I had not begun the planning of her demise, had I?

My young pup and I were journeying through life as a unit, an unbreakable bond between owner and dog. A bond strong enough to tip the scale over when handling her needs before my own. It’s true. She attended her first doggie birthday before she was a year old: see picture below complete with cute puppy party hats. All this love, extra care and assurance she was living her best life was proof positive, starting first with her diet, but the clandestine anomaly of predisposed conditions in dogs, Labradors specifically, waited to rear its ugly head at a most inopportune time.

You see, I had never had any health issues with Jordyn. She was a robust black lab that went to all her scheduled vet visits and received all her vaccines recommended. I was even sure to get her Doc’s approval on her potentially breeding with another purebred Lab. We got the thumbs up and Jordyn soon was the healthy mom of thirteen pups! Her diet was never once compromised, providing her with all the strong bones and joints or shiny coat and complete nutrition labeled brands I could find. Even when she had the access weight of new mommyhood and thereafter, I was offering her the healthy weight food choice. I was sure I was giving my dog the best of the best and didn’t realize until too late that indeed the hand that fed her was the one that killed her.

On the tail end of Summer 2015, before the observance of Labor Day festivities, I had to rush Jordyn to the hospital because GROSS ALERT she was vomiting a stringy black liquid in the middle of my kitchen floor. Scared speechless, I rushed her to the vet hospital and placed her in their care. Later tests discovered that she had an extreme case of diabetes which would in turn take her life over the course of a 48-hour hospital stay. Searching frantically for answers, I met harsh defeat and despair. Where were the warning signs? Vets say dogs’ pain threshold differs from their human counterpart so identifying internal pain is difficult. Could I have done something differently? Vets say some breeds have predetermined conditions like humans that are destined to manifest. How could I have saved my dog from dying? Vets say with the inevitability of her case, there was nothing they could do. Well, I didn’t buy it then and I don’t buy it now! There was an answer out thither, and my determination to find it would not die along with my sick pooch.

I went into full on scrutiny mode; going over Jordyn’s life with a fine-toothed comb. It was paramount that I solved what I did to kill the one being that loved me the same despite it all. In drawing one conclusion during my in depth analysis of her life, one variable remained constant. You guessed it — her dog food. Though a bit ballsy to make claim that the household name brands you have all come to know and love for your beloved furry family members are awful for your dogs in excess, I continue to stand by the statement. Most dog foods are comprised of a whole grain or corn-derived base, a meat protein by-product and rendered fat. In my non-health expert opinion, these poor ingredients align with bad human food choices like processed foods, naughty carbs and sugars. Imagine, eating the foods we love over and over again with no checks or balances to curb your diet and give it a much-needed break from all the grain, corn, fat and sugar intake.

Different arguments exist on why new dog food brands are being placed on the market, especially those which promise healthier dog diets by eliminating gluten and pumping the mix with protein, more closely resembling the diet they’d encounter in the wild. I let Jordyn down by believing the hype and buying into the shiny, perfectly illustrated dog food products which did nothing but place my dog in her early grave. My vow, when I decide to take over another little doggie life, will be to nourish it with the best cuts of fresh meats no matter how expensive, never offering up a taste of those little, colorful morsels of pseudo meaty goodness. My future pup can rest assure its health will truly be in my hands this time.

Baby Jordyn hanging out at her friend’s 1st birthday party

Birthday boy, Charlie in the tux with his sister, Lucy

Monty was a little camera shy

Jordyn all grown up.

KarlRix

Written by

KarlRix

I have an extreme affinity with self-expression. I believe it’s the one solid impression you can place on the world. Writing is freedom to dream uniquely.