About Kibble Shelf

Banjo's bloodwork came back in early 2022 with early kidney markers. He's my nine-year-old shepherd mix, and the vet recommended transitioning away from the kibble he'd been eating for years. That kicked off eighteen months of rotating through fresh food subscription services with a Google Sheet tracking his weight, energy, and stool quality across every switch. Five services. A lot of transitions. More data than I expected to have, and more useful than anything I found in the standard dog food review ecosystem.

Then the research kept expanding. Banjo's sleep got rough around month seven of the food transition, which led me into supplements. Last spring the local clinic went to a waitlist for non-emergency appointments, which pushed me into pet telehealth. None of it was a plan. It's what happens when one health issue turns into three and you're used to keeping records.

Freelance UX researcher, Asheville. Two dogs: Banjo (9, shepherd mix) and Pickle (4, beagle rescue, arrived 2021, has opinions about every food transition I've run). No vet credential, no pet nutrition certification. What started this was a $400 emergency vet visit (a blockage from his old food) that made clear how much I'd been assuming. I've been tracking closely since.

Full background is on the author page.

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