Personal Note: We recently added a bird to our family. We had birds for years, but it has been six years since our last bird passed. In refreshing my knowledge of bird feeding, something interesting struck me. Daily fresh food with kibble is veterinarian recommended for birds, but not for cats and dogs.
In a similar circumstance to dogs and cats, there are multiple pelleted diets (kibble) for birds. These bird kibble options come in various price ranges, various flavors, and various levels of quality (such as 100% organic). Just like with cat and dog kibble, a pelleted bird diet is to provide a balanced diet (including required species specific nutrients).
But unlike for cats and dogs, veterinarians strongly encourage bird owners to add fresh food to their birdie kibble diets.
From VeterinaryPartners: “While birds can have some seeds without problems – given as a treat – their diet should be 60% formulated pellets and 40% vegetables. A diet of 100% pellets is rarely healthy either.”
North Carolina State Veterinary Hospital tells bird owners: “The majority of your bird’s diet should be a pelleted complete diet supplemented with fresh fruits and vegetables.” The veterinary school recommends feeding a parrot “20-30%” fresh food along with a kibble diet.
And it is not just birds where veterinarians encourage fresh food being added to a pelleted diet. (Mars Petcare owned) VCA Hospitals provides this advice for rabbit owners: “A pet rabbit’s diet may be supplemented with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of a variety of leafy green vegetables every day. Variety is important.”
Why is it common advice from veterinarians to recommend adding fresh food daily for other pet species, but mostly uncommon for cats and dogs?
Perhaps the answer to that question is…money. Money out of the pockets of pet food manufacturers (those who are in veterinarians ears).
If all cat and dog owners fed their pets as suggested for birds by North Carolina State Veterinary Hospital…
60-70% commercial food – 20-30% fresh food (from your refrigerator) – 5% treats
…this would result is 30-40% less sales of commercial pet food. Billions of dollars less sales each year.
Research into the health benefit of adding fresh food:
In 2005 Purdue University performed a study with Scottish Terriers and their risk of bladder cancer. They found that by adding fresh vegetables to the dogs diet several times a week reduced the cancer risk significantly. “Results suggest that consumption of certain vegetables may prevent or slow the development of TCC in Scottish Terriers.”
Ask your veterinarian about adding some fresh food to your pet’s diet. If they advise against it, ask them why!
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food
Become a member of our pet food consumer Association. Association for Truth in Pet Food is a a stakeholder organization representing the voice of pet food consumers at AAFCO and with FDA. Your membership helps representatives attend meetings and voice consumer concerns with regulatory authorities. Click Here to learn more.
What’s in Your Pet’s Food?
Is your dog or cat eating risk ingredients? Chinese imports? Petsumer Report tells the ‘rest of the story’ on over 5,000 cat foods, dog foods, and pet treats. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. Click Here to preview Petsumer Report. www.PetsumerReport.com
Find Healthy Pet Foods in Your Area Click Here
The 2025 List
Susan’s List of trusted pet foods. Click Here to learn more.
The 2025/26 Treat List
Susan’s List of trusted pet treat manufacturers. Click Here to learn more.
Christine C
August 18, 2025 at 12:31 pm
I wonder exactly what fruits and veggies would be best? And do the veggies need to be cooked? That would be valuable information. Thank you so much for this post, Susan!!
Kay Wales
August 18, 2025 at 6:53 pm
My yorkie Mack has developed dog dementia (he’s 10) and has severe arthritic problems. From puppyhood Mack has been extremely difficult to feed so I have been cooking his food myself. When I told the vet that Mack would never eat commercial dog foods, he said I should keep trying. I told him no because I knew how most dog foods were made and didn’t want to subject Mack to them. He replied “that’s never been proven”. It’s been proven to me!
Barb
September 7, 2025 at 4:26 pm
My Yorkie has been fed a homemade diet since he developed pancreatitis. He would not eat what the vet recommended. He’s been fine ever since. No more pancreatitis, and he will be turning 17 in ten days. My little guy now has dementia too.
Scott Jones
August 18, 2025 at 4:36 pm
Great article. Just like in the human world, so-called nutritional science is utterly non-nonsensical and not hard science based, but rather based on received medical dogma and strong non-supported beliefs (and yes often highly influenced by the food industry). When I went through medical school we got no education in actual nutritional biochemistry and simply parroted back industry and nutritional guidelines association’s “recommendations” that we now understand are purposely biased for a number of financial and historical reasons. Some of us are waking up to how we have been duped, but as we also were taught in medical school, for an entrenched incorrect medical dogma to change, a generation of MDs have to die for more science-based evidence to take hold. It is a very human characteristic to hold fast to beliefs rather than evidence and root-cause analysis. It’s a sad state of affairs in medicine and of course veterinary practice as well.
T Allen
August 19, 2025 at 8:57 pm
As a retired vet tech with a BS degree in Animal Science, people don’t believe me when I tell them I’ve had more nutrition classes in college than most Drs. And most of my classes were “pushing” feeding un-natural foods on all livestock and poultry. I never fell for it because my mother was a Reg. dietician. So I “kept” the nutrition parts and rejected the commercial propaganda during the rest of my life. With my own chronic health issues in the last 10 years, I’ve found more Drs every year are becoming more aware of the part nutrition plays, and vets as well. I’ve started choosing younger Drs over more “experienced” ones in the last 2 years and have been pleasantly surprised at the turn around in attitudes in response to using food and herbs as medicine. I have healed myself with just herbs and supplements a few times and my dog lived with a cancer for 6 years, that should have killed him in 3, because I had him on a ketogenic diet. Thank you for recognizing this issue and helping to spread the word to other Drs! It makes a huge difference in the lives of your patients. 🙂
T Allen
August 19, 2025 at 9:06 pm
Thanks Susan! Good info. The only good thing about pelleted bird feed is it stops people from feeding nothing but sunflower seeds. I fostered a few larger parrots, who were in rough shape, to get them off their 100% sunflower diet. It’s really not all that hard if you’re smarter than they are. 😉