01Longevity
Lean dogs live longer.
The best-tested way to add years to a dog's life isn't a superfood. It's keeping them at a healthy weight, and two of the largest studies in dogs show it.
Kealy et al., JAVMA 2002; Lawler et al., British Journal of Nutrition 2008
Salt et al., Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 2019
What they did
Purina researchers paired 48 Labrador puppies from seven litters and, for life, fed one of each pair 25% less than the other. Separately, a 2019 study followed 50,787 pet dogs of 12 breeds, comparing those overweight in middle age with those at a normal weight.
What they found
The leaner Labradors lived a median of 1.8 years longer, and late-life disease, especially osteoarthritis, came later. In pet dogs, being overweight in middle age meant a shorter life in every breed, by up to 2.5 years.
What it doesn't show
These are about how much dogs eat, not fresh versus dry food. The Labrador study was one breed and run by Nestlé Purina; the 2019 study was observational, so it shows a strong link rather than proof.
What we do about it
Every RebelFood container is portioned by the calories an adult dog of your dog's weight needs. No scoops, no guessing.
- Kealy RD, Lawler DF, Ballam JM, et al. Effects of diet restriction on life span and age-related changes in dogs. JAVMA 2002;220(9):1315–1320. Paper
- Lawler DF, Larson BT, Ballam JM, et al. Diet restriction and ageing in the dog: major observations over two decades. British Journal of Nutrition 2008;99(4):793–805. Paper
- Salt C, Morris PJ, Wilson D, Lund EM, German AJ. Association between life span and body condition in neutered client-owned dogs. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 2019;33(1):89–99. Paper
02Quality of life
And they feel better, too.
When overweight dogs reached a healthy weight, their owners saw more energy and less pain, on a questionnaire built to measure a dog's quality of life.
German et al., The Veterinary Journal 2012
What they did
Fifty obese dogs of many breeds started a weight-loss programme. Before and after, their owners filled in a validated questionnaire scoring vitality, emotional disturbance, anxiety and pain.
What they found
In the 30 dogs that reached their target weight, vitality rose and pain and emotional disturbance fell. The dogs that didn't finish had started out with lower vitality.
What it doesn't show
Owners scored their own dogs, there was no comparison group, and 20 dogs didn't finish. The researchers included scientists from Royal Canin and WALTHAM, both pet food makers.
- German AJ, Holden SL, Wiseman-Orr ML, Reid J, Nolan AM, Biourge V, Morris PJ, Scott EM. Quality of life is reduced in obese dogs but improves after successful weight loss. The Veterinary Journal 2012;192(3):428–434. Paper
03The weight problem
Six in ten dogs carry extra weight.
That's from vet checkups across the US, not owner guesses. And many owners can't tell, which is why a portion set by calories beats a scoop.
59%
overweight or obese, up from 56% in 2018
Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, 2022 survey
What it doesn't show
It measures how common extra weight is. It doesn't test any food.
- Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. 2022 Pet Obesity Prevalence Survey (veterinary-assessed body condition). Survey
04Digestion
Fresh food is digested more completely.
Dogs on fresh food made from human-food ingredients needed less food to hold their weight, and left much less behind. One of those foods was chicken and white rice, much like ours.
Do et al., Journal of Animal Science 2021
What they did
University of Illinois researchers fed 12 adult dogs four commercial foods for four weeks each: a dry kibble, a refrigerated fresh food, and two fresh foods made from human-food ingredients.
What they found
On kibble, dogs needed more food by dry weight to hold their weight and made 2 to 2.9 times as much poop as on the human-food recipes (1.5 to 1.7 times as much as on the refrigerated food). Their gut bacteria differed too.
What it doesn't show
Twelve dogs over four weeks says nothing about long-term health, and it tested four specific brands, not RebelFood.
- Do S, Phungviwatnikul T, de Godoy MRC, Swanson KS. Nutrient digestibility and fecal characteristics, microbiota, and metabolites in dogs fed human-grade foods. Journal of Animal Science 2021;99(2):skab028. Paper
05Protein
Gentle cooking wastes less protein.
Kibble left nearly twice as much protein undigested as a gently cooked fresh food: 14.9% against 8.0%.
Protein
Fat
Algya et al., Journal of Animal Science 2018 · bars run from 0 to 20%
What they did
Eight adult dogs ate, in turn, an extruded kibble, two gently roasted refrigerated foods and a raw food.
What they found
Dogs digested 92.0% of the protein in the gently cooked food against 85.1% in the kibble, and 95.8% of the fat against 92.1%. Overall dry matter digestibility and stool amount were about the same.
What it doesn't show
A small, short study of digestion, not long-term health. Gently cooked food won on protein and fat, not on every measure.
- Algya KM, Cross TWL, Leuck KN, Kastner ME, Baba T, Lye L, de Godoy MRC, Swanson KS. Apparent total-tract macronutrient digestibility, serum chemistry, urinalysis, and fecal characteristics, metabolites and microbiota of adult dogs fed extruded, mildly cooked, and raw diets. Journal of Animal Science 2018;96(9):3670–3683. Paper
06Processing
Heavy processing adds up.
High-heat processing creates browning compounds. Dogs eating commercial food take in about 122 times as much of one of them (HMF) as adults do, for their size.
van Rooijen et al., Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2014
What they did
Wageningen University researchers measured Maillard reaction products, the compounds that form when food is heated, in 67 extruded, canned and pelleted dog and cat foods.
What they found
Processing forms these compounds and leaves less of the amino acid lysine available. Canned foods had the most. Average HMF intake for dogs was 122 times that of adult humans, relative to body size.
What it doesn't show
Whether these amounts harm dogs; the authors call for long-term research. All cooking makes some of these compounds, including browning the turkey for our Turkey & Lentil. We poach and steam everything else.
- van Rooijen C, Bosch G, van der Poel AFB, Wierenga PA, Alexander L, Hendriks WH. Quantitation of Maillard reaction products in commercially available pet foods. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2014;62(35):8883–8891. Paper
07Homemade, done right
Homemade isn't automatically complete.
Veterinary nutritionists checked 200 published recipes for home-cooked dog food. Only 10 met every nutrient guideline. Good intentions aren't a recipe; the numbers have to add up.
10
met every guideline. Common gaps: choline, vitamin D, zinc, vitamin E.
Stockman et al., JAVMA 2013 (UC Davis)
What it doesn't show
It analysed recipes on paper, not dogs eating them. It doesn't say fresh food is risky; it says a recipe needs the right nutrients added. Recipes by board-certified veterinary nutritionists met the guidelines.
What we do about it
It's why every gram of every recipe is published, so you and your vet can check it. If RebelFood will be your dog's only food, talk to your vet about it; we're happy to send them the full recipe.
- Stockman J, Fascetti AJ, Kass PH, Larsen JA. Evaluation of recipes of home-prepared maintenance diets for dogs. JAVMA 2013;242(11):1500–1505. Paper UC Davis summary
A claim we don't make
"Dogs on homemade food live 32 months longer."
You'll see this on a lot of fresh-food sites. It traces back to a 2003 survey of dogs' records in Belgium. It wasn't a controlled study, its numbers change from one retelling to the next, and it can't separate food from everything else that differed between those dogs. So we leave it out.
What it means for your dog's bowl
Three things the research points to.
The strongest evidence for a longer, better life. Every container we make is portioned by calories for your dog's weight.
Gently cooked whole ingredients: poached chicken, steamed rice and vegetables, never extruded, cooked the day we deliver it.
Whole-food recipes with every gram published, so you and your vet can check them. Feeding RebelFood as your dog's only food? Ask your vet first; we'll send them the recipe.
How dry food is made, step by step: Extrusion explained (All About Dog Food, a consumer guide, not a study).