ReWild Your Pet’s Diet: Why I’m Ditching “Complete & Balanced”

There is absolutely a reason and a need for what is known as "complete and balanced" recipes in pet food. To understand what that means and why it came about, we need to go down a bit of a rabbit hole into the rather nasty world of "feed." In the pet food industry, feed and food are considered synonymous ... they are not. 

Long story short, as more and more people began to bring dogs, and eventually cats, indoors as pets, what to feed them became more of an issue in households. When dogs and cats live primarily outdoors, especially the ways humans used to live, in small communities on land with farms, the animals ate naturally - a squirrel, a rabbit, a bird here and there. Table food scraps were common as dogs moved indoors some - but we need to remember that what we ate as humans was quite different then too. There were no such thing as ultra processed foods, we ate what we grew and raised, so the scraps were healthy additions to the dogs diet. 

Fast forward a bit to dogs and cats living primarily and sometimes exclusively indoors, they could no longer hunt for their own food and those table scraps needed to be supplemented. Not because the food itself was bad, but because we were not eating or sharing the parts of the animals that carnivores like dogs and cats thrive on - organs and bones. 

Even as pet food (feed) became more popular due to industrialization and women entering the workforce, there wasn't a standard for what pets needed for nutrients. The ugly truth behind the feed industry is that while it started out well meaning, it quickly became a dumping ground for waste in the human food chain. 

It didn't take long to realize that this new way of feeding dogs and cats was causing harm, so tests were run on individual nutrients to develop a profile that was called "complete and balanced" ...  more on that later. 

In this post, we will go over what dogs and cats actually should be eating and the ReWilding holistic mentorship package so that you can decide if you're ready to take control of your pets health and radically change how you see feeding your pets. 

Why “Complete and Balanced” Isn’t the Goal (And Might Be Holding Your Pet Back)

When dogs and cats started becoming ill due to nutrient deficiencies when pet food (feed) first became available for everyday feeding, people complained and regulators took over. To some, this may sound like the appropriate course of action. Today, many of us cringe at the idea of regulation, not because we don't need it but because there is too much room for compromise of ethics. 

At first, individual nutrients were tested on animals to find the levels at which the animals didn't die. Yes, these trials were torture and no, we don't want to have them happen again. The problem was and is that these tests were done in a vacuum, meaning that nutrients were never tested together, only individually. It's also true that not every nutrient has a minimum and many do not have maximums. We've been trying to get a copper maximum for years now and it keeps being shut down. The only requirement was that the animals not die. Even today, the standard for a feeding trial is: 
 - 6 months
 - 8 dogs start the trial, only 6 have to finish
 - 2 physical exams
 - 4 blood parameters tested (none to do with nutrients): hematocrit, hemoglobin, albumin, and alkaline phosphatase
 - the dogs can't lose any more than 15% of their weight during the 6 months and can be free fed

That's it. That's the feeding trial, which isn't even required for the food to be sold. 

After many years of learning, gaining certifications, talking to veterinarians and professionals in the space, attending AAFCO meetings (AAFCO is the group in the United States that puts together the recommendations for animal feed, including pet food, that the FDA has adopted for over 100 years), I have come to the conclusion, along with many peers, that while these nutrient values are necessary for most commercial foods due to the use of synthetics and isolates to "balance" out the recipes, they do not apply to meals made entirely of species appropriate whole foods. 

While we do need to provide a well rounded diet to our dogs and cats, the standard that applies to pet food today does not take into account co-nutrients, how foods interact, or how the body utilizes food versus synthetics and isolates. We could also get in to ingredient quality, but that runs the gambit these days, so we'll save that for the mentorship. 

When I interviewed Dr. Ian Billinghurst for The Pet Parenting Reset podcast, he said that we have the most research on nutrition for humans, dogs & cats, and that those same three species also have the absolute worst health outcomes on the planet. I've had many conversations since then that have helped me make the decision to move away from my core services offering "complete and balanced" meal plans. We simply can not do better than nature has already done for us. 

At the end of the day, your dog and your cat matter more to you than they matter to the corporation making millions. ReWilding is about taking back control of your family's health. 

What “Species‑Appropriate” Feeding Really Means

Dogs are facultative carnivores. They have a short, acidic digestive system that is built for animal protein and fat, some plant matter in a pre-digested form, no carbohydrate requirements, and fasting windows. 

Cats are obligate carnivores. They have very strict protein, taurine, and animo acid requirements that can only be found in prey model diets, have a very low thirst drive, and no requirements for plant matter or carbohydrates. 

Principles of a species‑appropriate diet:

High‑quality animal protein as the foundation (muscle meat, organ meats, connective tissue).

Healthy fats from species‑appropriate sources (animal fats, some omega‑3‑rich additions).

Minimal to no ultra‑processed carbs; if carbs are used, they’re functional (fiber, phytonutrients).

Water content similar to prey (raw or, if necessary, gently cooked, not bone‑dry pellets).

Micro‑nutrient density from real food: organs, shellfish, eggs, fermented foods, herbs, not just synthetic premixes.

Animal Fiber from real food that cats and dogs would normally eat, such as fur and feathers.

Plant Fiber minimal plant fiber that is either juiced or fermented for best bioavailability.

When we start incorporating a species-appropriate diet for dogs, little changes start becoming noticeable, such as improved digestion and stool quality, improved skin and coat, increased energy, improved joint comfort, and better immune responses. The same is true of incorporating a species-appropriate diet for cats, though with cats we can also see more immediate improvements in urine output, decreased kidney stress (which is a huge problem in cats), and a reduction in hairballs and vomiting.

Introducing the Rewild Your Pet’s Diet Package

The ReWild Your Pet's Diet holistic mentorship is for anyone who wants to improve their dog or cats bowl but feels overwhelmed, who is already feeding raw or home cooked but not sure if they're doing it right, or anyone who is tired of all the "quick fixes" and endless protocols. We all want the absolute best for our pets, they are part of the family after all, but what we've been taught for decades has confused us to the point of giving up. Not anymore. There is a better way, an easier way that doesn't involve spreadsheets and hours of reconfiguring meal plans. 

Here's how the ReWilding package works: 

Month 1 — Foundation: How Your Pet is Built to Thrive
Rebuild your understanding of what dogs and cats actually need at a biological level.

Month 2 — Learning to Read Your Pet
Understand what stool, coat, energy, and behavior are telling you.

Month 3 — Building the Bowl with Intention
Create and adjust meals based on your individual pet.

Month 4 — Breaking Free from Industry Noise
Stop relying on labels, trends, and marketing.

Month 5 — Staying Ahead of Your Pet’s Needs
Learn how to evolve your pet’s diet using testing and observation.

Month 6 — Integration & Confidence
Refine everything and move forward with clarity and confidence.

If you know your pet’s diet needs to change but you’re stuck between fear of “getting it wrong” and overwhelm from all the conflicting advice, Rewild Your Pet’s Diet is where we sit down, look at your actual animal, and build a species‑appropriate plan that fits your real life - and theirs.

Why I’m Moving Away From Selling “Complete & Balanced” as the Main Promise

Complete and balanced sounds amazing, right? It sounds like there is a body of knowledge on how to feed pets that only the chosen few can achieve and we just need to follow their advice and feed the food they make for our pets. It sounds like someone has all the answers .. but if that were the case, why are our pets getting sicker and sicker every single year? Just 30 -40 years ago, getting hit by a car or some other accident was at the top of the list of veterinary visits. Today, one in four dogs over the age of 10 will have cancer. ONE. IN. FOUR. 

On a more philosophical level, who are we to say that we can do better than nature? Most of the issues we and our pets deal with today are completely man made. Do adjustments need to be made for the world we live in today? Absolutely. But to say we have it all figured out and that nature couldn't possibly provide what we need is not just the ego of man, but flat out absurd. 

This is an evolution. From a girl who, 20 years ago, did everything to the letter of her veterinarians advice - including feeding multiple different kibbles from the vets office ... to the one who has done so many deep dives that the world no longer looks the same. After more than a decade of formal and informal education and hundreds of podcast interviews with the best minds around the globe, I have a better understanding of how we fit into the ecosystem and how a return to nature may be the only ting left we can do that makes sense.

The fallacy of complete and balanced is still necessary in the commercial pet food world, but in your kitchen, with your pet, we know better. We know that every animal on the planet has a species appropriate diet that doesn't require a spreadsheet. It only requires the ego of man to get out of the way. That's why "wild" is at the core of everything I'm doing - for my pets, for myself, and for you and your pets too. 

You may be wondering "so do we just feed anything real food and call it a day?" ... Absolutely not! We are still using complete and balanced as a guideline while honoring the way animals should be eating . . . how they would be eating if man had not interfered. Complete and balanced isn't enough, we need a return to nature for us and our pets. 

What we’re doing instead: Using “complete and balanced” as one checkpoint

But prioritizing:

• Species‑appropriate macronutrient patterns
• High‑quality ingredients and minimal processing
• Individual response (stool, skin, behavior, labs)
• Long‑term flexibility over ridgid recipes

You will still get nutrient‑aware guidance. I’m not throwing biochemistry out the window. I’m putting it back in its proper place—in service of the animal in front of us, not as a marketing slogan.

What Does Species-Appropriate Look Like?

Species-appropriate food for dogs and cats are fairly similar, but a little different. 

Both dogs and cats need:

• Species‑appropriate macronutrients: fat, protein, bone, organ
• High‑quality ingredients and minimal processing: we are what we eat, and so is the animal we're eating. How animals are raised, what they eat, and how plants are grown will inform the nutrition they provide ... or don't 
• Long term flexibility in meal planning

Dogs will also get some plant matter (cats may or may not depending on the situation) in a fermented or juiced form.

This is why I've partnered with Gussy's Gut to make feeding fermented plants easier. Gussy's Gut provides fermented, whole‑food gut support made from organic vegetables and wild‑fermented ingredients, designed to:

• Provide living probiotics,
• Add phytonutrients and fibers,
• Support digestion, immune balance, and detox pathways
  

An alternate way to add plant matter is through juicing. This is another great way to break down the plant cell walls in a way that make them bioavailable to a carnivore. While this can be done at home, the only commercially available option is through Green Juju. 

Fermentation and juicing are the main options for plant matter in the ReWilding framework and while you can do either at home, I've found the best possible commercial resources for you from companies who are doing everything the way I would do it myself, with the highest quality and transparent sourcing. 

Both are designed to be added to fresh or processed diets as an upgrade, but fits especially well into species‑appropriate fresh feeding.

What This Means for You ... How to Start ReWilding

You get to choose what's right for you and your pet at this time. No judgement because I've been there too. 

For people ready to go deep and radically change their pets health

You're invited to the Rewild Your Pet’s Diet package:
If you’re ready to stop trying to optimize kibble and instead build a species‑appropriate diet with real support, you can learn more and book your Rewild package

For people who want to start small

Start to Rewild your pets diet a little bit at a time:

Transition 20–30% of the bowl to fresh species‑appropriate food.

Add Gussy’s Gut as a daily gut support layer.

Listen to the The Pet Parenting Reset podcast to learn more on how to create small changes that add up to bigger payoffs

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FAQs: 

“Can I ReWild my pet’s diet if I can’t go fully raw?”

While a return to feeding as nature intended does mean feeding a raw diet, there are circumstances where fully raw may not be ideal. This is why I'm offering the 6 month mentorship, to go deeper into the nuances of feeding our dogs. Old age, GI distress, and chronic illnesses may put your dog into a position where a gently cooked approach would be better for them. I try to keep this as flexible as possible so that your individual dogs needs are met so that they can thrive. 

“What if my vet only trusts complete and balanced diets?”

Pretty much every veterinarian I know prefers complete and balanced. Allopathic vets will stick to their guns on this one because of the indoctrination of big food food into their veterinary programs. Integrative and holistic veterinarians are mostly concerned over the fact that many pet parents don't reach anything close to balance. They hear homemade and think either raw ground beef from the grocery store or cooked chicken and rice. Their fear is valid. Learning what the animal in your care actually needs to thrive is different and we can only prove that to them individually over time when they see how your pet thrives on a species appropriate diet. 

“Is this safe for puppies/kittens/seniors?”

Yes. Puppies and kittens do have requirements that exceed an adult dog or cat, as we will discuss that on an individual basis. Senior dogs also have varying needs, which will also be discussed on an individual basis. The 6 month mentorship has a plan but is also designed to work around your specific needs.