Our dogs are sick because of something their grandparents ate.

It’s not hyperbole — it’s biology.

Kibble entered the pet food market in 1926, launching nearly a century of ultra-processed feeding. That’s 50 generations of dogs consuming foods far removed from what their bodies evolved to thrive on. Over time, this shift has set the stage for epigenetic transgenerational inheritance — the passing down of health risks such as poor muscle-to-fat ratio, metabolic dysfunction, and chronic disease through generations.

Today, nearly 60% of dogs and cats are “deconditioned” — carrying excess fat, lacking sufficient lean mass, and at heightened risk of illness. Muscle is the biggest metabolic organ in the body. Not having enough of it, predisposes dogs to become sick.  And while the ancestral diet provides a valuable benchmark, modern dogs face unique challenges that demand nutritional strategies tailored to their physiology, life stage, and lived environment.

The Ancestral and Prey Model Diets - Gold Standards and Their Gaps

Many respected formulators consider the Ancestral Diet Model the gold standard for the general canine population. As outlined by Steve Brown in Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet, wild canids consumed roughly:

• 49% of calories from protein
• 44% from fat
• 6% from carbohydrates

The Prey Model Diet offers an even higher protein baseline. A freshly caught rabbit, for example, delivers about 4 g of protein for every gram of fat according to Dr. Conor Brady (Feeding Raw).  That's roughly 60% protein and 34% fat by calories.

Many premium dog food manufacturers claim to make ancestral diets but very few are achieving that 49% protein standard. 

In our analysis of 243 complete and balanced diets from 46 leading brands — spanning raw, gently cooked, freeze-dried, canned, and kibble — only 26 recipes met or exceeded the 49% protein benchmark.  Goodness Gracious produces eight of those 26.

Protein - the Cornerstone of Modern Canine Health. 

Why modern dogs need more protein than their wild ancestors. 

Several factors drive higher protein needs in domestic dogs. Two big ones are these:

1. Hormonal changes from spay/neuter – Estrogen and testosterone promote muscle mass, strength, and metabolic function. Removal of these hormones increases the importance of dietary protein to maintain lean body mass.

Estrogen and testosterone play a role in IGF-1 signaling and concentration in muscle. IGF-1 is a hormone that makes nutrients available to muscle and bone and tells muscle and bone to turn those nutrients into proteins. This makes stronger muscles and denser bones.  Without sufficient sex hormones, IGF-1 action is compromised.

Testosterone also can decrease cortisol-related protein breakdown.  And estrogen also plays a role in exercise endurance and contractile properties.

2. Aging physiology – Older dogs digest and assimilate protein less efficiently, making higher intake essential to preserve muscle, bone, and cognitive health. Muscle health directly impacts brain health, mobility, and metabolic resilience.

What kinds of changes happen in older bodies?  Reduction in gastric acid secretion to break down proteins in the stomach, and degradation of intestinal muscles to absorb small peptides and amino acids are two common ones.

Light Cooking Improves Protein Digestibility

Protein bioavailability is as important as protein quantity.  In older bodies and after exercise, fast proteins stimulate the building of muscle better than slowly digested proteins.  So how do we feed our dogs quickly digestible proteins?

Protein molecules unfold in light cooking or via enzymatic activity (like with fermentation or dry aging).  It’s a process called denaturation. When the bonds between peptide molecules in proteins unfold, they expose cleavage sites in those molecules to digestive enzymes.  This makes meat, fish or poultry that is lightly cooked or fermented easier to digest.  

A study comparing the digestibility of meat cooked to 140° F, 167°F, and 194°F internal temperature found the fastest digestibility was at 167°F. The slowest was at 194°F.

HPP is a high-pressure pasteurization process used on many commercial raw and freeze-dried pet food recipes. It alters protein and fat molecules affecting their digestibility too.

With HPP, high temperature cooking or prolonged fermentation, protein molecules oxidize. This makes the protein molecules aggregate – hiding the cleavage sites from digestive enzymes – thereby causing the proteins to be less digestible and bioavailable.

Read here to learn how HPP inactivates enzymes, destroys microflora, and disrupts protein and fat molecules.

Fats - Essential but Needing Balance   

Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFAs)

AAFCO sets no requirement for beneficial omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) EPA and DHA — yet dogs require direct sources, as their conversion from plant-based ALA is inefficient. Small oily fish such as sardine, mackerel, herring, and anchovy are ideal sources.

EPA and DHA, especially when paired with vitamin D and vitamin E in whole food form, support muscle formation, reduce inflammation, and enhance nitric oxide production — improving circulation to muscle, brain, and bone tissue. 

Blood and lymph are the body's nutrient delivery and waste disposal systems.  With good circulation the brain, muscle, bone and other tissues get nutrients so they can function optimally and do work – like assemble proteins – which results in stronger muscles and denser bones.

At Goodness Gracious, we add our Icelandic fish oil last, to cold recipes, preserving its integrity.  This is a major advantage over sous-vide or HPP recipes which damage PUFAs through heat or intense pressure in plastics.

Preventing Rancidity

There are many types of PUFAs.  Poultry, pork, and fish are good sources.  PUFAs are very fragile and prone to oxidation from heat, pressure (HPP), and prolonged storage.

When fats oxidize there are primary, secondary and tertiary reactions that cause rancidity.  Many manufacturers use synthetic vitamin E as a preventative measure, but studies show factory-made vitamin E is ineffective in preventing the primary autoxidation reactions that set off this chain.

Carotenoids – like beta carotene found in green and orange veggies are effective at preventing primary autoxidation in the bowl and in the body. Carotenoids work synergistically with whole food forms of vitamin E and nitric oxide to protect our cells from the secondary and tertiary reactions that cause damage.  

Good whole food forms of vitamin E are organic wheat germ oil, organic sprouted sunflower seeds, and organic sprouted almonds.  We use these foods with a broad array of other plants to protect the fats in our foods and the tissues of the dogs who consume them.  

The Skinny on Saturated Fats and Monounsaturated Fats (MUFAs).  

MUFAs can help with vitamin D absorption, insulin sensitivity, glucose and cholesterol regulation and decrease inflammation.  They’re found richly in nuts, seeds and some organ meats, which is why we incorporate these ingredients into our 100% whole food formulations.

While saturated fats support hormone balance, cellular membrane integrity, and fat-soluble vitamin absorption, excessive long-term intake — particularly of palmitic and stearic acids from animal fats — can impair insulin signaling, biosynthesis, secretion and sensitivity leading to deconditioning, obesity, inflammation, kidney and cardiovascular disease.

Over time, high saturated fat diets also could contribute to cognitive impairments like mood, learning and memory problems, and dementia.  Studies show bodies consuming high saturated fat diets long term can pass addictive type behaviors like over-eating to multiple generations of offspring (via dopamine dysregulation).  

Many Marketing Claims Mislead Consumers

Meat is comprised mostly of fat, protein and water.  Pet food brands may make label claims like “90% meat and bone." Consumers often assume this means the food is high protein, but it usually means high fat.

A good example of this can be seen in ground beef.  93% lean ground beef has about equal parts protein and fat calories.  But 80% lean ground beef has three times more fat than protein.  

Carbohydrates – Rethinking the Role of Plants

Wolves vs. Domestic Dogs

Wolves can live 20+ years in captivity.  The larger they are, the longer they live.  Domestic dogs live 10.6 years on average and the larger the dog, the shorter the lifespan.

One reason for the difference: wolves possess extraordinary antioxidant-generating capacity that increases with age. Domestic dogs do not. Instead, dogs accumulate lipid damage over time, accelerating metabolic disease and aging symptoms.  

Over time, excessive storage of fat in cells contributes to insulin dysregulation, oxidative stress, inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction leading to permanent damage to tissues throughout the body. This results in "old dog" symptoms like memory, motivation, and mobility problems, poor bladder control and chronic disease.

Phytonutrients Are Essential Allies

Colorful cruciferous veggies, dark leafy greens, mushrooms, sprouts, seeds, nuts, fruits and orange roots are loaded with antioxidants and bioactive compounds that mitigate oxidative stress, inflammation and defend against chronic disease. 

To deliver a meaningful dose, these foods should make up 25–30% of meal weight. Due to their high water and fiber content, this can equate to only ~7% of calories, aligning with ancestral carbohydrate levels.

A good way to achieve this balance is by utilizing 15% - 20% dark leafy, cruciferous greens, 3%  6% orange root vegetables or mushrooms, 2% - 4% fruits and sprouts and 1% - 2% seeds and nuts.  This is how Goodness Gracious formulates all its complete and balanced 100% whole food recipes. 

Feeding the Gut Microbiome Strengthens the Body and Brain

The gut is the immune system.  It's also responsible for 90% of the traffic on the main neurologic highway of the gut brain axis.  Like our dogs, gut microbes have species appropriate nutrition. Their ideal food comes from plants and mushrooms.

Gut microbes digest fiber and beneficial bioactive compounds like sulforaphane, I3C, quercetin, and ergothioneine in plants and mushrooms. The bioactive metabolites are then transported throughout the body to aid many neurologic, metabolic, immune and detox processes, and to epigenetically eliminate cancer as a life-threatening disease. 

Studies also show that a principal determinant of whether an old body is frail or strong is the level of short-chain fatty acid producing gut microbes like lactobacillus and Bacteroidetes.  These gut microbes thrive on plant matter.

Goodness Gracious’ Nutritional Philosophy

We formulate for the realities of modern canine physiology, not just historical benchmarks:

• High protein – 49–59% kcal
• Moderate fat – 35–44% kcal, with saturated fats at 7–12%
• Phytonutrient-rich plants – for antioxidant support and microbiome diversity
• Raw + lightly cooked approach – to balance enzymatic activity, digestibility, and food safety

For optimal digestibility and food safety, we individually steam certain ingredients each to their unique ideal internal temperatures.  These ingredients include our vegetables, mushrooms, fish, poultry and meats.  We combine them cold with raw ingredients for maximum enzyme and microflora preservation, and nutritional integrity.  These raw ingredients include healthy fats, sprouts, seeds, nuts, and fruits.

Conclusion – Feeding for Health Span, Not Just Survival

A century of processed feeding has reshaped canine health — not only in our dogs, but in the generations before them. To reverse these trends, we must feed with an awareness of both ancestral wisdom and modern understanding, emphasizing high-quality protein, balanced fats, and plant-derived phytonutrients that protect against oxidative and metabolic decline.

For parents and professionals seeking diets that embody these principles in practice, Goodness Gracious offers formulations that reflect both the gold standard of ancestral feeding and the heightened needs of today’s domestic dogs.

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