Hot Topics: Kibble Contamination, Homemade Dog Food Risks, and Bloat: What the Research Really Says Artwork

The Alternative Dog Moms

Two content creators chatting about what's happening in the fresh food community and pet industry. Kimberly Gauthier of the blog Keep the Tail Wagging joins Erin Scott of the podcast Believe in Dog each week to share their thoughts on what's happening on social media and in the news. Join us each week to hear our thoughts and share your own.

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The Alternative Dog Moms

Hot Topics: Kibble Contamination, Homemade Dog Food Risks, and Bloat: What the Research Really Says

February 08, 2026 • Kimberly Gauthier (Keep the Tail Wagging) and Erin Scott (Believe in Dog) • Season 4 • Episode 172

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In this episode, we dive into Dog Mom Winter, kibble contamination concerns, and why many homemade dog food recipes online are nutritionally deficient. We also break down a fascinating study on bloat (GDV) and the markers researchers are investigating, unpack heated online debates about medicinal mushrooms for dogs, and explain how to critically examine pet nutrition studies—without fear or fluff. We wrap things up with a little TV talk to keep it fun.

Chapters:

Dog Mom Winter (0:56)
Kibble contamination and deficient homemade recipes online (8:23)
Are you concerned about bloat? What a study reveals about markers for this condition (33:43)
Online mushroom debates and how we examine studies (43:19)
TV Talk (1:03:29)

Links Discussed:

Study out of Greece showing 95% of kibble has mycotoxins and 72% showed pesticide
- Dr. Becker link: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17sPNRaQ37/
- Link to study: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/18/1/22
Study re: dogs that are prone to bloat have genetic and microbiome markers
- Dr. Becker link: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1aXwExQoqR/
- Link to study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29889838/
Mushroom debate
- Host Defense claims Lion's Mane mycelium more beneficial than fruiting body: https://nutraceuticalbusinessreview.com/new-study-lion-mane-mycelium-immune-fruiting-body
- Critique that marketing claims aren't science: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/critique-claims-regarding-lions-mane-mycelium-philip-rebensburg-wmvne/
Facebook Recipe Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/3811403639186117/
ADM Episode 12: Breaking down the 2013 study that 95% of homemade diets are deficient (https://alternativedogmoms.buzzsprout.com/1955775/episodes/10779166-alternative-dog-moms-ep-13-homemade-diets-satc-ajlt-cbd-oil-and-fireworks)

Social media:

Kimberly: Raw Feeder Life, RawFeederLife.com
Erin Scott: Believe in Dog podcast, BelieveInDogPodcast.com
Raw Feeder Life, Instagram.com/RawFeederLife
Believe in Dog Podcast, Instagram.com/Erin_The_Dog_Mom

Thanks for listening to our podcast. You can learn more about Erin Scott's first podcast at BelieveInDogPodcast.com. And you can learn more about raw feeding, raising dogs naturally, and Kimberly's dogs at KeepTheTailWagging.com. And don't forget to subscribe to The Alternative Dog Moms.