The Silent Liver Killer Hiding in Modern Dog Food

Late last week, I received a great question from one of our loyal Inner Circle American Dirus™ dog owners.

Here’s what was asked,

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“Hello,  

Skoll is still the king of the dog park and doing great, people have even apologized for asking questions about him because they see how often we get stopped.  I do have a question though,  he is a very picky eater,  will only eat his kibble when he can't handle the hunger,  we tried the raw diet and he would not eat that unless we cooked it and then still wasnt excited. Currently trying farmers dog and he reluctantly eats that with somedays skipping meals. We are kind of at a loss, dawn did try making food for him and he loved that but we are not sure what to believe as far as what we should be adding in. Do you have any ideas as a food to try or home made food reciepts?  

Thanks,

Scott and dawn.”

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I just love these in depth questions.

It gives me a chance to review what I know and gain in even more knowledge.

Plus, I love supporting our wonderful families.

Here’s what I replied,

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“Hello Scott and Dawn,

This is such a good question, and I’m really glad you asked it, because what you’re seeing with Sköll is not just about pickiness. Although, that's totally something very true about our dog breed. And it’s also about how Sköll's body, his gut, and his instincts have been shaped so far.

Right now, Sköll’s palate is set to kibble, and just as important, his gut microbiome is also set to digest kibble. That means any transition (whether to fresh food, cooked, or raw) must happen slowly. You never have to jump straight into full raw all at once. In fact, I don’t recommend that for most dogs at the beginning.

Start small, with things he truly enjoys:

• A raw chicken foot
• A goat hoof
• A whole egg cracked over his food
• A few freeze-dried liver treats on top of his meal
  
  

Once you see him not just tolerating those, but anticipating them, you can slowly begin increasing the meat portion. Focus especially on organ meats, because they are the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet for a carnivore: heart, liver, gizzards, chicken liver, even small pieces of beef liver as a treat.

If he still prefers cooked meat at first, that’s completely fine. You can gently cook it and then, over weeks, cook it less and less. That way he keeps the familiar warmth and smell, but his system slowly adapts to rarer and eventually raw food. This keeps his gut from being shocked and helps prevent upset stools.

Now here’s the most important truth in all of this:

You are in charge of Sköll’s food.
Not Sköll.

A dog is like a five-year-old child. A child would happily live on chicken nuggets forever if allowed, but that does not mean it’s healthy. Our job as leaders is not to give our animals every choice. Our job is to give them the right choices.

Yes, American Dirus™ dogs are naturally picky. That’s true. There is nothing wrong with Sköll for being selective. And at the same time a palate can be changed, and often must be changed for long-term health. The way you do that is through consistency and leadership, not negotiation.

Processed foods like: whole eggs, cheese, cottage cheese, beef, pork, chicken, lamb, venison are all real carnivore foods. They digest easily and move his microbiome in the right direction. But you must stay consistent. If you switch back and forth because stools get funky for a week or two, his gut will never fully reset. Some loose or strange stools during transition are normal. That is the gut ecosystem changing over.

If you stop the transition out of fear, the microbiome never heals.

Now let me address the raw food fear that most vets repeat:

Many uneducated vets warn that raw food is dangerous because of bacteria.

But canine digestive systems are not human digestive systems. Wolves and wild canines eat animals that are days or even weeks dead. Their stomach acid and gut flora are built for that. Cooked food changes nutrient structures, which is why raw meat is the most biologically appropriate fuel for a dog.

Don't get me wrong, cooked meat is still vastly better than kibble. If someone cooked a whole chicken (meat and organs only, no cooked bones because they splinter) that is still superior to kibble. Especially if you include bones in the form of raw bones or food-grade bone meal for proper calcium balance.

Here is the honest hierarchy of food quality:

• Kibble = worst option
  • “Fresh made” foods = step up, but can still be carb-heavy, include seed oils, and very expensive
  • Freeze-dried raw = better, but must be rehydrated before consumption
  • True raw = best nutrition, hands down

There is no brand of kibble that is truly “good.” With kibble as a dog's main diet, you just have to simply pick the least bad option. Even the best grain-free kibble still relies on carbohydrates, seed oils, and starches that a true carnivore was never designed to process long-term.

I firmly believe many dogs become addicted to kibble the same way humans become addicted to ultra-processed food. Sugar, carbs, and flavor additives drive our food cravings. When you remove those suddenly, the body protests. That doesn’t mean the food was good, or that we somehow needed it because our bodies wanted it. On the contrary. It means the addiction is breaking. Once the redrawal symptoms abate, you should see a marked improvement in a willingness to eat the healthy foods for a natural carnivore.

If Sköll acts like he’s trying to bargain you back into kibble, that’s normal. Just stay calm, consistent, and steady. He will not starve himself to death. A healthy dog will always eat when real hunger arrives.

And just so you know, I say all of this with full honesty too: because of the number of dogs I manage and the lack of large freezer capacity, I personally cannot feed full raw to all of my dogs, either. (Even though I wish I could.)

But I still know what the best option is.

And whenever an owner has the ability to move in that direction, I always encourage it.

The goal isn’t perfection on day one.

The goal is steady movement toward optimal health.

You’re thinking about the right things and asking the right questions. Sköll is lucky to have humans who care enough to dig into this instead of just shrugging and accepting the status quo.

You are doing good work for him, even when it feels messy.

Give the king a quiet nod from me.”

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Dawn still had more questions regarding copper levels on a raw food diet, so I decided that this week’s MOVIE MONDAY was going to be all about how to keep a dog’s liver healthy throughout its entire life.

You can view it at the following link:

https://youtu.be/8eMNA-G3NmI

Jennifer Stoeckl is the co-founder of the Dire Wolf Project, founder of the DireWolf Guardians American Dirus Dog Training Program, and owner/operator of DireWolf Dogs of Vallecito. She lives in the beautiful inland northwest among the Ponderosa pine forests with her pack of American Dirus dogs.