The transition from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to agriculture was a pivotal shift in human and canine history, shaping societies and cultures in numerous ways. This progression occurred over thousands of years and varied across different regions globally.

Ancient humans lived a nomadic lifestyle as hunters and gathers, relying on foraging for food, hunting animals, and gathering plants and fruits from their immediate surroundings. They lived in small, mobile groups, moving frequently to follow food sources and seasonal changes. Wolves were attracted to human settlements due to food waste, creating an opportunity for a mutual relationship.

Over time, humans started domesticating plants and animals, leading to the cultivation of crops and the keeping of livestock. This change allowed humans to settle in one place, developing permanent villages and settlements. Wolves remained within the establishments, feeding off the scraps that were becoming more grain-based as humans cultivated wheat, corn, barley, and rice.

However, the agricultural revolution also brought about the raising of cows, sheep, and goats. Humans had a more constant supply of meat. The shift to a diet with a higher intake of meat and cooked food provided more energy and nutrients, which supported brain growth.

The size of the human brain increased by 300% during six million years of evolution. Some scientists believe that eating meat was vital in the evolution of our predecessors' larger brains approximately two million years ago. The direct ancestor of humans, Homo erectus, took in enough extra energy at each meal to help fuel a bigger brain by switching to calorie-dense meat and marrow instead of the low-quality plant diet of apes. 

Muscle meat provides fat and protein and contains vitamins A and K, calcium, sodium, potassium, iron, zinc, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12. 

After the agricultural revolution, human lives began to thrive in some areas with the constant food supply but deteriorated in others due to lack of rotation and increased grain consumption.

As farmers became more reliant on their crops, their meals became much less diversified. It has been discovered that early farmers developed cavities and periodontal disease presumedly from eating the same farmed grain every day, a practice that was uncommon in hunter-gatherers. 

The evolution of the human diet has caused unexpected health issues. Metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity are on the rise each year. 

As dogs became more domesticated, the constant supply of animal protein and fat would also have enhanced their brain development. Animal protein and fats significantly impact a dog's brain development due to their rich nutrient content. Essential nutrients in these foods, such as omega-3 fatty acids like DHA and EPA , are crucial for brain health and development in dogs. And yet, over the past 100 years, humans have developed a commercial food that is ultra-processed and loaded with carbohydrates. 

Initially, dog biscuits or "dog cakes" were created because of the need for convenient and portable food for dogs during long sea voyages or military campaigns. James Spratt introduced the very first commercial dog biscuit in the 1860s. He observed dogs scavenging for hardtack biscuits on a ship and decided to create a dog-specific biscuit made from wheat, vegetables, beetroot, and beef blood.

Canned dog food, consisting of meat scraps, grains, and various fillers, became popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. However, it wasn’t until the mid-20th century, around the 1950s, that the modern kibble began to take shape.

The introduction of dry, extruded kibble revolutionized the pet food industry. The process involves cooking a mixture of meat by-products, grains, vitamins, and minerals at high temperatures and pressures to create the familiar dry pellets. This technique extended the shelf life of dog food and made it more convenient for pet owners.

However, with convenience came a significant decline in the quality of nutrients that dogs consume daily. While the ancestral diet of wolves contains 49% protein, 44% fat, and 6% carbohydrates, the typical dry dog food contains 25% protein, 32% fat, and 43% carbohydrates. 

Kibble has been shown to contain slaughterhouse wastes, hazardous compounds from damaged foods, non-nutritive fillers, heavy metal pollutants, sugar, pesticides and herbicides, drug residues, artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives, as well as bacteria and fungal contaminants.

Dogs are experiencing the same metabolic diseases as humans, with diabetes, obesity, and cancer increasing at alarming rates.

The NOVA Food Classification system, which the University of Sao Paulo designed, helps people group foods according to the extent and purpose of their processing. Food processing includes the physical, biological, and chemical processes that occur after foods are separated from nature and before they are consumed.

Unprocessed or Natural:  Foods are obtained directly from plants or animals and do not undergo any alteration following their removal from nature. 

Minimally processed: Foods are natural foods that have been submitted to cleaning, removal of inedible or unwanted parts, fractioning, grinding, drying, fermentation, pasteurization, cooling, freezing, or other processes that may subtract part of the food, but do not add oils, fats, sugar, salt or other substances to the original food.

Processed foods: Products manufactured by industry with the use of salt, sugar, oil, or other substances added to natural or minimally processed foods to preserve or to make them more palatable. They are recognized as versions of the original foods. Most processed foods have two or three ingredients.

Ultra-processed: Foods that are industrial formulations made entirely or mainly from substances extracted from foods (oils, fats, sugar, starch, and proteins), derived from food constituents (hydrogenated fats and modified starch), or synthesized in laboratories from food substrates or other organic sources (flavor enhancers, colors, and several food additives used to make the product hyper-palatable). Manufacturing techniques include extrusion, molding, and preprocessing by frying. 

The global move to processed foods for humans and dogs is linked to obesity, diabetes, and many other metabolic diseases. Commercial dog food, both kibble and canned food, is in the ultra-processed category. Veterinary medicine is ts the only branch of medicine that encourages the consumption of ultra-processed food! All human medical practitioners encourage their human patients to forego ultra-processed foods and return to eating fresh real food. Where is the disconnect between human and veterinary medicine? 

Kibble does not provide enough critical elements for a healthy, growing brain or general health. A dog's digestive system is designed to process fresh, raw meat, raw meaty bones,  and other animal-based proteins, like eggs and goat milk, allowing them to thrive on a biologically appropriate diet. Low-glycemic fruits and vegetables  can add value to your dog's meals.

Human advancements are not always advantageous. The development of processed and ultra-processed foods is an example of harmful advancements to humans and dogs. To thrive, dogs require a species-appropriate diet  that provides all required nutrients, balanced over time.

The diet of domesticated dogs has evolved over the past 200 years, especially since the introduction of kibble in the 1950s.

Kibble and canned dog food fall into the ultra-processed category of the NOVA food classification system. 

All medical professionals, except veterinary professionals, encourage their patients to avoid ultra-processed food. 

Brady, C. (2020). In Feeding dogs: dry or raw? The science behind the debate. Farrow Road Publishing. 

Excess protein enabled dog domestication during severe Ice Age winters | Scientific Reports 

Significant Neuroanatomical Variation Among Domestic Dog Breeds | Journal of Neuroscience 

Eating meat led to smaller stomachs, bigger brains — Harvard Gazette 

(PDF) Phylogeny and origin of the domestic dog 

Isotopic evidence for the diets of European Neanderthals and early modern humans | PNAS 

Macronutrient intake of dogs, self‐selecting diets varying in composition offered ad libitum 

(PDF) Diet and Brain Evolution: Nutritional Implications of Large Human Brain Size 

Over time, humans started domesticating plants and animals, leading to the cultivation of crops and the keeping of livestock. This change allowed humans to settle in one place, developing permanent villages and settlements. Wolves remained within the establishments, feeding off the scraps that were becoming more grain-based as humans cultivated wheat, <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/corn">corn</a>, barley, and rice.

However, the agricultural revolution also brought about the raising of cows, sheep, and goats. Humans had a more constant supply of meat. The shift to a diet with a higher intake of meat and cooked food provided more <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/adenosine-triphosphate">energy</a> and nutrients, which supported brain growth.

Muscle meat provides fat and protein and contains vitamins A and K, <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/calcium">calcium</a>, sodium, potassium, iron, <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/zinc">zinc</a>, <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/vitamin-b6">vitamin B6</a>, and <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/vitamin-b12">vitamin B12</a>. 

As farmers became more reliant on their crops, their meals became much less diversified. It has been discovered that early farmers developed cavities and <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/periodontal-disease">periodontal disease</a> presumedly from eating the same farmed grain every day, a practice that was uncommon in hunter-gatherers. 

The evolution of the human diet has caused unexpected health issues. Metabolic diseases such as <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/diabetic-ketoacidosis">diabetes</a> and <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/obesity">obesity</a> are on the rise each year. 

As dogs became more <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/domesticated">domesticated</a>, the constant supply of animal protein and fat would also have enhanced their brain development. Animal protein and fats significantly impact a dog's brain development due to their rich nutrient content. Essential nutrients in these foods, such as <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/omega3">omega-3</a> <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/fatty-acids">fatty acids</a> like DHA and <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/epa">EPA</a> , are crucial for brain health and development in dogs. And yet, over the past 100 years, humans have developed a commercial food that is ultra-processed and loaded with <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/carbohydrates">carbohydrates</a>. 

Canned dog food, consisting of meat scraps, grains, and various fillers, became popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. However, it wasn’t until the mid-20th century, around the 1950s, that the modern <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/kibble">kibble</a> began to take shape.

The introduction of dry, extruded kibble revolutionized the pet food industry. The process involves cooking a mixture of meat <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/byproduct">by-products</a>, grains, vitamins, and minerals at high temperatures and pressures to create the familiar dry pellets. This technique extended the shelf life of dog food and made it more convenient for pet owners.

Kibble has been shown to contain slaughterhouse wastes, hazardous compounds from damaged foods, non-nutritive fillers, heavy metal pollutants, sugar, pesticides and herbicides, drug residues, artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives, as well as <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/bacteria">bacteria</a> and fungal contaminants.

Kibble does not provide enough critical elements for a healthy, growing brain or general health. A dog's digestive system is designed to process fresh, raw meat, raw meaty bones,  and other animal-based proteins, like <a href="https://feedreal.com/glossary/eggs">eggs</a> and goat milk, allowing them to thrive on a biologically appropriate diet. Low-glycemic <a href="https://feedreal.com/articles/fruits-and-veggies-can-be-beneficial">fruits and vegetables</a>  can add value to your dog's meals.

Human advancements are not always advantageous. The development of processed and ultra-processed foods is an example of harmful advancements to humans and dogs. To thrive, dogs require a <a href="https://feedreal.com/articles/introduction-to-real-ancestral-6x">species-appropriate diet</a>  that provides all required nutrients, balanced over time.

The History Of The Dog's Diet and How It Evolved With Human Diets

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