Nutrition
Unlike humans, your pet doesn't have a say in what's for dinner. Maybe those cute little eyes work their magic and they get a little treat, but it is ultimately up to you to decide their proper diet. It would be so simple to say that there is one type of food for all dogs and one perfect food for cats, but the truth is that every body is different. Hopefully, the following information will give you the right tools to figure out which food is best for your little friend.
Pets are family. Would you want your family to eat nothing but fast food every night for dinner? Some of the foods out there for your pets are of an even worse quality than you can imagine, so why would you give those to your animal if you know there are healthier options out there? You need to decide what is healthy for your pet and what is simply a quicker road to big vet bills.
Pets are family. Would you want your family to eat nothing but fast food every night for dinner? Some of the foods out there for your pets are of an even worse quality than you can imagine, so why would you give those to your animal if you know there are healthier options out there? You need to decide what is healthy for your pet and what is simply a quicker road to big vet bills.
Check the Ingredients
To see your quality of pet food it is as simple as turning the bag/can over.
Some of the worst ingredients to see are "by-products." If your pet food has ANY "by-products" you are asking for health issues later down the road. By-products are the left overs that people cannot digest properly, this would include fish scales, chicken beaks, clumps of feathers, any tumors removed from the animal, etc. Guess what? Your pets cannot digest them either, and eating a tumor of another animal is very unlikely to be healthy for your pet. Cells and enzymes will try to break it down and integrate the mutated cells in your pet's own body. It doesn't seem safe at all to me. If your pet food simply states "meat by-product meal" they are not even specifying which meat. It can be cows, chicken, turkeys, horse, dog meat, or even people meat! The point is that no one knows which animal that meat is from. If it says "chicken by product meal" that is most likely beaks, feet, feathers, etc., from chicken.
Another useless ingredient in many foods is corn or any variation of corn such as "corn gluten meal." Corn is something that cats cannot digest at all, and it is hardly digestible to dogs. There is virtually no nutritional value, and it is mainly used in pet foods as a less expensive filler. Soy and wheat are being used the same way. Animals simply cannot digest them effectively to provide any nutritional value.
"Meal"s in food such as "chicken meal" is not the same as a "by-product meal". In this case it means that the chicken has been cooked more than once and now has become chicken meal. It is not bad to have a meal in your pet food (and ALMOST all dried kibble uses meal, mainly to keep the cost down); however, it does mean that it has less nutrients and active enzymes than something that was cooked only once, or is even raw. Foods with meals usually have to add vitamins and minerals that the protein would normally contain back into the food since they were all cooked out.
Some of the worst ingredients to see are "by-products." If your pet food has ANY "by-products" you are asking for health issues later down the road. By-products are the left overs that people cannot digest properly, this would include fish scales, chicken beaks, clumps of feathers, any tumors removed from the animal, etc. Guess what? Your pets cannot digest them either, and eating a tumor of another animal is very unlikely to be healthy for your pet. Cells and enzymes will try to break it down and integrate the mutated cells in your pet's own body. It doesn't seem safe at all to me. If your pet food simply states "meat by-product meal" they are not even specifying which meat. It can be cows, chicken, turkeys, horse, dog meat, or even people meat! The point is that no one knows which animal that meat is from. If it says "chicken by product meal" that is most likely beaks, feet, feathers, etc., from chicken.
Another useless ingredient in many foods is corn or any variation of corn such as "corn gluten meal." Corn is something that cats cannot digest at all, and it is hardly digestible to dogs. There is virtually no nutritional value, and it is mainly used in pet foods as a less expensive filler. Soy and wheat are being used the same way. Animals simply cannot digest them effectively to provide any nutritional value.
"Meal"s in food such as "chicken meal" is not the same as a "by-product meal". In this case it means that the chicken has been cooked more than once and now has become chicken meal. It is not bad to have a meal in your pet food (and ALMOST all dried kibble uses meal, mainly to keep the cost down); however, it does mean that it has less nutrients and active enzymes than something that was cooked only once, or is even raw. Foods with meals usually have to add vitamins and minerals that the protein would normally contain back into the food since they were all cooked out.
Know your Pet
Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning that they are adapted to only eat meat in their diet. They literally cannot utilize any vegetables, fruits, grains, or anything else. In the wild, a house cat would live off of a mouse/bird (which is high in protein, water, and calcium and phosphorus from the bones) and maybe some crickets (extra protein) in a day. Moisture is really important in a cat's diet. In fact, the main cause of death in older house cats is kidney failure. Giving a cat a dry food only diet is a big mistake. They do not get the moisture they need and in turn their kidneys take the toll. Cats simply do not drink enough water and expect to get their water from their meals. Many cats eat only canned food, which some vets say is bad for their teeth since they are not mechanically scraping off tartar from their teeth; however, if you ever watch a cat throw up its dry food, you would see that the kibble pieces were swallowed whole and come back up whole. I sincerely doubt the scraping of a hard kibble against plaque is significant in cats. Again, there is no ONE right food or method for all cats; these are merely my findings, opinions, or personal experiences that could be taken into consideration for your pet.
Cats are also very sensitive animals; their food has to appeal to their senses in order for them to eat. That can include the temperature of the food as well as the smell and taste. In my several years of selling pet foods, I noticed that MOST (not all) cats either like fish and hate chicken or they like chicken and hate fish. So the best thing to do is try various foods until they like one and mix it up for them, because some cats get tired of eating the same thing everyday and can be very determined to hold out for something new to taste. Try a variety of paté style canned food and gravy styles, some cats prefer different textures of their foods.
If I owned a cat, I would feed it a pre-made raw food diet, because it would get the most out of the meat, and the raw diet retains all of their moisture (if frozen) or you can add water (if freeze-dried raw). Most cats take really well to eating a raw food diet. Freeze-dried raw can be crumbled on top of a can of food as a bonus treat (that happens to be very healthy for them). I will speak more about raw foods later on. If you simply cannot afford or do not believe in a raw food diet, then definitely go grain free for your cat. They do not utilize grains at all, so they are simply fillers. The main thing to know is what your pet does best digesting. This means not only what your pet loves, but also which foods make his/her coat shinier and healthier, which foods are the stools (poops) normal, and which foods get vomited back up.
Dogs are opportunistic animals. While they are omnivores, they still need more meat than vegetables. One interesting theory about dogs is that different breeds do better with different protein sources in their food, but I see some logic in this too. An example of this theory is a big northern breed, like a Malamute or Husky, would be eating fish in their normal diet from their origin. A sheep dog, trained to protect sheep, such as a Border Collie, probably should not eat lamb since they were bred to avoid eating sheep. Knowing your dog can help you start with specific foods to try. This is just a theory and may not be accurate, but it is still something interesting to consider. Another thing to consider is the color of your dog. Color? Yes. Most little white or cream dogs develop stains under their eyes. While this can occur from dysfunctional tear ducts (which possibly requires surgery to fix), it is more commonly caused by certain fatty foods, ESPECIALLY CHICKEN. Usually, if the dog stops eating chicken (that means no chicken treats either) then the stains under their eyes can clear up in less than a month! Several dog groomers have proven this fact to me time and time again.
Like I said, every dog is different and does better with different foods. Some dogs are allergic to grains; they start scratching, losing fur, biting their paws, getting stains in the webs of their paw fur, and other symptoms. There are lots of grain free foods, and some dogs actually need grain free foods. Other dogs need the grains in their diet to have that extra fiber in order to have normal poops. Rice and oats are usually safe and bland grains for dogs (again, unless your dog is allergic to grains). Whenever you have a dog with a sensitive stomach, the vet usually says give them a bland diet of just boiled chicken and rice for a few days then slowly add back some of their kibble or canned food. This is great advice and usually gets the dog's stomach back on track (unless there was a bacteria infection or more serious stomach problem or if your pet is allergic to either chicken or rice). Canned pumpkin can be another great way to help your pet's stomach issues (either for a dog or a cat). If your pet has softer stools a little pumpkin can firm it up, and if you pet has constipation the extra fiber might be able to help move things along. A very small amount of pumpkin is key (no more than a teaspoon added to their food), because too much fiber just leads to more diarrhea.
Cats are also very sensitive animals; their food has to appeal to their senses in order for them to eat. That can include the temperature of the food as well as the smell and taste. In my several years of selling pet foods, I noticed that MOST (not all) cats either like fish and hate chicken or they like chicken and hate fish. So the best thing to do is try various foods until they like one and mix it up for them, because some cats get tired of eating the same thing everyday and can be very determined to hold out for something new to taste. Try a variety of paté style canned food and gravy styles, some cats prefer different textures of their foods.
If I owned a cat, I would feed it a pre-made raw food diet, because it would get the most out of the meat, and the raw diet retains all of their moisture (if frozen) or you can add water (if freeze-dried raw). Most cats take really well to eating a raw food diet. Freeze-dried raw can be crumbled on top of a can of food as a bonus treat (that happens to be very healthy for them). I will speak more about raw foods later on. If you simply cannot afford or do not believe in a raw food diet, then definitely go grain free for your cat. They do not utilize grains at all, so they are simply fillers. The main thing to know is what your pet does best digesting. This means not only what your pet loves, but also which foods make his/her coat shinier and healthier, which foods are the stools (poops) normal, and which foods get vomited back up.
Dogs are opportunistic animals. While they are omnivores, they still need more meat than vegetables. One interesting theory about dogs is that different breeds do better with different protein sources in their food, but I see some logic in this too. An example of this theory is a big northern breed, like a Malamute or Husky, would be eating fish in their normal diet from their origin. A sheep dog, trained to protect sheep, such as a Border Collie, probably should not eat lamb since they were bred to avoid eating sheep. Knowing your dog can help you start with specific foods to try. This is just a theory and may not be accurate, but it is still something interesting to consider. Another thing to consider is the color of your dog. Color? Yes. Most little white or cream dogs develop stains under their eyes. While this can occur from dysfunctional tear ducts (which possibly requires surgery to fix), it is more commonly caused by certain fatty foods, ESPECIALLY CHICKEN. Usually, if the dog stops eating chicken (that means no chicken treats either) then the stains under their eyes can clear up in less than a month! Several dog groomers have proven this fact to me time and time again.
Like I said, every dog is different and does better with different foods. Some dogs are allergic to grains; they start scratching, losing fur, biting their paws, getting stains in the webs of their paw fur, and other symptoms. There are lots of grain free foods, and some dogs actually need grain free foods. Other dogs need the grains in their diet to have that extra fiber in order to have normal poops. Rice and oats are usually safe and bland grains for dogs (again, unless your dog is allergic to grains). Whenever you have a dog with a sensitive stomach, the vet usually says give them a bland diet of just boiled chicken and rice for a few days then slowly add back some of their kibble or canned food. This is great advice and usually gets the dog's stomach back on track (unless there was a bacteria infection or more serious stomach problem or if your pet is allergic to either chicken or rice). Canned pumpkin can be another great way to help your pet's stomach issues (either for a dog or a cat). If your pet has softer stools a little pumpkin can firm it up, and if you pet has constipation the extra fiber might be able to help move things along. A very small amount of pumpkin is key (no more than a teaspoon added to their food), because too much fiber just leads to more diarrhea.
Raw foods
Many veterinarians do not know about raw foods and feel like they can be unsafe because of the increased risk of a bacteria infection like Salmonella. This can be the case if you are trying to make your own raw food. Making your pet's specific diet from animal parts is extremely difficult. If you are insufficient in any vitamins or minerals your pet can become seriously ill. You can also have too much of something in their diet that can cause horrible effects on your pet's health as well. Another reason many people are turned off by the raw food idea is that buying pre-made raw foods can be very costly (especially for larger dogs or multiple pets in a household).
I believe that the benefits of a raw food diet certainly outweighs its down sides. Getting a ready made raw food is much safer (mineral and vitamin wise) for your pet's needs. Some brands even use organic (food grown without pesticides or hormones) meats or veggies in their raw foods.
Raw foods are either kept frozen or they are freeze-dried/dehydrated because they do not have any preservatives in them. Raw foods are extremely nutrient dense, and if you solely fed a raw food diet to your pet you would notice that they are using everything they can from their food. This will be seen in their poops. A pet on a raw food diet will have small, white poops, because all of the nutrients are extracted and being absorbed by your pet. Those smaller poops will make for an easier clean up in the litter box or in the back yard! The vitamins and minerals usually do not need to be added back into the food, because the food never lost them in the cooking/extraction process.
Despite the expense of a raw diet, you will actually save money at the vet's office, because your pet will be much healthier.
As for the concern with Salmonella, if you had payed any attention to recalls on pet foods lately they are almost always finding Salmonella in dry kibbles of dog and cat food. They rarely have recalls for it in the ready-made raw diets (some companies have never had a recall for anything, so do your research). It is extremely difficult for your pet to get any sickness from Salmonella (they need a lot of the bacteria in their system or have a compromised immune system already). The biggest danger of Salmonella is how it affects people handling the pet food. It is extremely dangerous to people, so it is always important to wash your hands whenever you handle any of your pet's food (raw or dry kibble). As long as you keep the space clean, you should have no problem at all. If you are ever concerned if your pet is poisoned by Salmonella pay attention to exactly when your pet gets sick. Did you just start a new bag of food? It takes 72 hours for any signs of Salmonella to show up in your pet's body, such as vomiting, and diarrhea. If either of those occur after you just started a new food then go to your vet as soon as possible (and make sure you wash your hands too). If you do have any concerns, talk to your vet. Although many people would be surprised to know that veterinarians do not get any training on pet nutrition and diet needs. The little training they do get is by certain brands of dry/canned pet food that pay to get access to vet students. This can lead to some bias in your veterinarian. Perhaps a holistic or integrative vet would be more willing to discuss any food concerns you may have about your animal.
Transitioning your pet to a raw food diet can be difficult if they have only ever eaten dry kibble. It is a bit easier to transition if your pet eats canned foods. Whenever you transition your pet to different foods, you should always notice how your pet reacts. Some pets have sensitive stomachs and require a very gradual transition (which I would always recommend to be on the safe side of things and avoid cleaning up any unwanted mess). Other pets can switch effortlessly from one food to the next. I would say that the best course of action is to allow one week of a transition period (cats seem to be okay with a little quicker than that). It is even easier for your pet if you stick with the same protein when switching from dry food to raw food. For example, if your cat was eating a dry salmon kibble then start with a raw salmon food as opposed to a raw chicken or other protein. Some raw foods do not recommend mixing their food with a kibble. This is based on a theory that your pet requires different pH levels in their stomach to digest kibble as it does with raw foods. Taking this possible theory into consideration, I would try mixing the kibble with a bland diet first. Again, the bland diet consisted of chicken and rice. You can also use a different meat protein that you were already feeding to your pet in their kibble. After a day of kibble mixed with the bland diet, I would try feeding just the bland diet for another two days. This balances your pet's stomach acid. On the fourth day, mix in a little bit of raw food with the bland diet and see how your pet does. Most likely they will love the raw food. See if their stools are normal. Each day, add in more raw meat and less bland food. Eventually, your pet will be on a raw food only diet! The best thing when transitioning a cat, is to get them on the wet canned food diet and use kibble only as a treat or light snack. Once they are enjoying their canned food, all you need to do is mix in a little of the raw food with the can. They should scarf it straight up! Sometimes, it is difficult to feed only raw to a cat, because they love that sugary gravy from the canned foods. You may have to always buy cans and raw food and mix them. Sometimes, if it is just the gravy they are after, you can buy little gravy packets and pour those on top of the raw food.
Like I previously stated, it is not recommended to mix raw food with kibble (because of the conflicting pH levels required to digest those foods). If you wanted to add a little raw food as a supplement (just to give the cat/dog a bit of a healthy treat) you can give them one meal in the morning that is raw food, and meal at night of kibble. Some people follow the rule of feeding your pet raw food for three days. Fasting your pet on the fourth day (to give the stomach a break). Then doing kibble another three days and fasting again. That cycle seems to work well with most dogs (if you wanted to feed both kibble and raw). However, some dogs have tough stomachs and seem to do just fine if you mix kibble and raw food. It is completely up to what the owner finds is best for their furry family members.
Another interesting thing about raw foods is that they have all of the built in enzymes already in them that are needed to break down the food. This means your pancreas doesn't have to work as hard to pump out those extra enzymes to digest the food. Most pets with sensitive stomachs or allergies seem to do much better on a raw food diet (many raw foods are grain free too). It also regulates your pet's weight much better than kibble does. Cats that are fed a raw food only diet lose their belly pouch. They are lean and healthy. Dogs, are usually at a consistent thin weight too, which reduces his/her risk of diabetes (which pets certainly do get, and is becoming increasingly popular).
As you can see there are many pros and cons to a raw food diet, and it is up to you to decide what you do for your pets.
I believe that the benefits of a raw food diet certainly outweighs its down sides. Getting a ready made raw food is much safer (mineral and vitamin wise) for your pet's needs. Some brands even use organic (food grown without pesticides or hormones) meats or veggies in their raw foods.
Raw foods are either kept frozen or they are freeze-dried/dehydrated because they do not have any preservatives in them. Raw foods are extremely nutrient dense, and if you solely fed a raw food diet to your pet you would notice that they are using everything they can from their food. This will be seen in their poops. A pet on a raw food diet will have small, white poops, because all of the nutrients are extracted and being absorbed by your pet. Those smaller poops will make for an easier clean up in the litter box or in the back yard! The vitamins and minerals usually do not need to be added back into the food, because the food never lost them in the cooking/extraction process.
Despite the expense of a raw diet, you will actually save money at the vet's office, because your pet will be much healthier.
As for the concern with Salmonella, if you had payed any attention to recalls on pet foods lately they are almost always finding Salmonella in dry kibbles of dog and cat food. They rarely have recalls for it in the ready-made raw diets (some companies have never had a recall for anything, so do your research). It is extremely difficult for your pet to get any sickness from Salmonella (they need a lot of the bacteria in their system or have a compromised immune system already). The biggest danger of Salmonella is how it affects people handling the pet food. It is extremely dangerous to people, so it is always important to wash your hands whenever you handle any of your pet's food (raw or dry kibble). As long as you keep the space clean, you should have no problem at all. If you are ever concerned if your pet is poisoned by Salmonella pay attention to exactly when your pet gets sick. Did you just start a new bag of food? It takes 72 hours for any signs of Salmonella to show up in your pet's body, such as vomiting, and diarrhea. If either of those occur after you just started a new food then go to your vet as soon as possible (and make sure you wash your hands too). If you do have any concerns, talk to your vet. Although many people would be surprised to know that veterinarians do not get any training on pet nutrition and diet needs. The little training they do get is by certain brands of dry/canned pet food that pay to get access to vet students. This can lead to some bias in your veterinarian. Perhaps a holistic or integrative vet would be more willing to discuss any food concerns you may have about your animal.
Transitioning your pet to a raw food diet can be difficult if they have only ever eaten dry kibble. It is a bit easier to transition if your pet eats canned foods. Whenever you transition your pet to different foods, you should always notice how your pet reacts. Some pets have sensitive stomachs and require a very gradual transition (which I would always recommend to be on the safe side of things and avoid cleaning up any unwanted mess). Other pets can switch effortlessly from one food to the next. I would say that the best course of action is to allow one week of a transition period (cats seem to be okay with a little quicker than that). It is even easier for your pet if you stick with the same protein when switching from dry food to raw food. For example, if your cat was eating a dry salmon kibble then start with a raw salmon food as opposed to a raw chicken or other protein. Some raw foods do not recommend mixing their food with a kibble. This is based on a theory that your pet requires different pH levels in their stomach to digest kibble as it does with raw foods. Taking this possible theory into consideration, I would try mixing the kibble with a bland diet first. Again, the bland diet consisted of chicken and rice. You can also use a different meat protein that you were already feeding to your pet in their kibble. After a day of kibble mixed with the bland diet, I would try feeding just the bland diet for another two days. This balances your pet's stomach acid. On the fourth day, mix in a little bit of raw food with the bland diet and see how your pet does. Most likely they will love the raw food. See if their stools are normal. Each day, add in more raw meat and less bland food. Eventually, your pet will be on a raw food only diet! The best thing when transitioning a cat, is to get them on the wet canned food diet and use kibble only as a treat or light snack. Once they are enjoying their canned food, all you need to do is mix in a little of the raw food with the can. They should scarf it straight up! Sometimes, it is difficult to feed only raw to a cat, because they love that sugary gravy from the canned foods. You may have to always buy cans and raw food and mix them. Sometimes, if it is just the gravy they are after, you can buy little gravy packets and pour those on top of the raw food.
Like I previously stated, it is not recommended to mix raw food with kibble (because of the conflicting pH levels required to digest those foods). If you wanted to add a little raw food as a supplement (just to give the cat/dog a bit of a healthy treat) you can give them one meal in the morning that is raw food, and meal at night of kibble. Some people follow the rule of feeding your pet raw food for three days. Fasting your pet on the fourth day (to give the stomach a break). Then doing kibble another three days and fasting again. That cycle seems to work well with most dogs (if you wanted to feed both kibble and raw). However, some dogs have tough stomachs and seem to do just fine if you mix kibble and raw food. It is completely up to what the owner finds is best for their furry family members.
Another interesting thing about raw foods is that they have all of the built in enzymes already in them that are needed to break down the food. This means your pancreas doesn't have to work as hard to pump out those extra enzymes to digest the food. Most pets with sensitive stomachs or allergies seem to do much better on a raw food diet (many raw foods are grain free too). It also regulates your pet's weight much better than kibble does. Cats that are fed a raw food only diet lose their belly pouch. They are lean and healthy. Dogs, are usually at a consistent thin weight too, which reduces his/her risk of diabetes (which pets certainly do get, and is becoming increasingly popular).
As you can see there are many pros and cons to a raw food diet, and it is up to you to decide what you do for your pets.
Variety
It is recommended that you should switch up the protein of your pet's food every 6 months or so. This helps keep their metabolism working well. If all you ever ate was chicken and rice every day for six months, your metabolism would not get the challenge of breaking down new foods. It is healthy for your body to process a variety of foods. Switching proteins also decreases the likelihood of getting allergies from constantly eating the same thing. If you have too much of one thing in your body, your immune system starts attacking the excess amounts, which can result in an allergic reaction. Also, if you never ate a specific food, you can still get an allergy because you never learn how to break it down effectively. These are all theories that are well supported by many pet owners, and what we were trained to tell pet owners at our pet food store. You do not need to switch brands of food, especially if it is the only brand your pet likes or does well on. I like to switch brands of my pet's food every few months anyway though, because I feel if one brand was deficient in something the switch can make up for it. It is also why there are so many options of pet food out there in the market now. No two pets are the same, and they should have a variety of options to suit their variety of needs. For example, if you notice that Fluffy is scratching a lot more lately on his chicken diet, maybe you should try a fish diet instead. The extra omegas from the fish oil might help improve Fluffy's dry skin and coat problem.