Your Dog’s Food Matters
Blog 1 of a 5 Blog Series
At Riverview Kennels, we spend our days caring for the dogs in our care like our own. We see them at their best—joyful, playful, relaxed—and sometimes when they’re struggling with things like itchy skin, inconsistent digestion, low energy, or frequent tummy troubles.
As a kid, I always wondered, “Do dogs get bored eating the same dry food?”
Over time, one thing has become very clear to us:
What’s in the bowl matters. A lot.
That doesn’t mean we think anyone is a “bad dog parent” for feeding kibble. In fact, for many years, we walked that same road.
Most of Us Start With Kibble (And That’s Okay)
Kibble is convenient, affordable, and widely available. For many families, it’s the easiest place to start—and for a long time, it feels like the only realistic option.
We didn’t realize some of the trouble we were contributing to our dog’s issues.
But here’s what we’ve learned after caring for hundreds of dogs over the years:
Many of the issues dog parents assume are “normal”
– itchy skin
– excessive shedding
– chronic ear issues
– inconsistent stools
– gassiness
– low-grade inflammation
…are often connected to food quality.
Not always. But often enough that it’s worth paying attention.
Our Own Food Journey (Learning as We Went)
Our dogs were delighted to be food testers.
When we first decided to upgrade our dogs’ food, we didn’t jump straight to where we are now.
Like many thoughtful pet parents, we looked into many options.
We tried premium bags of kibble and felt the sting of the higher price.
We tried the top-shelf bags of kibble, noticing that the dogs liked the food more, but we felt the sting even more in the pocket book. (Why do the bags get smaller and the price still goes up?)
We tried raw food. They gobbled the food down. Their stool shrank in size. They drank much less water. We were already in pretty deep with the higher price so there wasn’t much difference there.
Then we bit the bullet and tried The Farmer’s Dog.
And to be clear—it worked well for a season.
We saw better digestion
Improved energy
Greater enthusiasm at mealtime
But over time, we ran into challenges:
The cost added up quickly
Freezer space became a real issue
Travel, boarding, and schedule changes made feeding harder
Subscription logistics added stress
We didn’t regret the decision—but we did realize something important:
The best food is the one you can feed consistently.
Discovering Whole Food Without the Barriers
Like this TikTok user, we found our freezer stuffed with dog food.
That’s when we found The Simple Food Project.
What stood out immediately:
It’s made from real, whole food ingredients
It doesn’t rely on synthetic vitamin packs
It’s freeze-dried, not frozen
It stores easily—no freezer required
It’s significantly less expensive long-term
It works just as well for daily feeding, travel, and boarding
For us, it solved the problems we didn’t even realize we’d created by jumping into an all-or-nothing solution.
This Isn’t About Perfection—It’s About Progress
We’re not here to tell anyone to throw out their kibble tomorrow.
We are utterly impressed with Simple Food Project— and best of all, our dogs are HUGE fans.
What we are here to say is this:
Upgrading your dog’s food—even a little—can make a meaningful difference.
That might look like:
Adding a scoop of whole food to your dog’s kibble
Replacing one meal a day
Slowly transitioning over time
Real food doesn’t have to be overwhelming, expensive, or all-or-nothing.
We learned that the hard way—and we want to help you learn it the easier way.
Why We’re Sharing This Series
This blog series isn’t about selling you on a trend. It’s about sharing what we’ve learned by:
Caring for dogs every day
Making our own food mistakes
Watching what actually works long-term
Our hope is simple:
To help you make confident, informed choices that support your dog’s health—without guilt, pressure, or unrealistic expectations.
If you ever want to talk through options for your dog, we’re always happy to help. No judgment. Just honest conversation.
Because better food builds better days—and better days build better dogs.
