Every pet parent will do everything possible to ensure their pets get the love, care, and food they need. Unfortunately, kibble may not be the best choice when it comes to food. Instead, raw pet food from manufacturers like Houston Raw Pet Food is powerful and safer. Understanding the pet’s nutritional needs is important to give it the right nutrition.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of misconceptions about the right type and quality of foods. Knowing the truth from the lie or myth can help. Below are some of the common myths surrounding pet food.
Carnivore Feeding
Cats are pure carnivores that depend entirely on raw meat. Unfortunately, with kibble, cats have been forced to adjust to dietary changes brought about by domestication. Unfortunately, this is not the best diet for them. On the other hand, dogs can feed on natural fruits, but their major diet is still highly carnivorous. Though omnivores, dogs still need diets that are high in meat.
Ingredients in the Food
Generally, whole moisture-dense foods are considered the healthiest for pets. However, it is the pet owner’s responsibility to understand the pet’s nutritional needs. Unfortunately, most dogs feed on kibble for years, meaning they continually ingest nutrient-deficient foods.
Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that the ingredients that go into the food are useful and not just empty calories. Below are some important and non-essential ingredients that pet food should not contain.
Useful Ingredients
- Quality Protein like beef, turkey, pork, and poultry
- Animal Fat for essential fatty acids
- Vegetables and Fruits in small amounts for fiber and antioxidants
- Trace Minerals and Vitamins such as zinc, copper, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, and vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K
- Natural Preservatives like vitamin E, citric acid, and rosemary extract
Non-Essential Ingredients
- Grains like barley, corn, oats, or rice
- Byproducts from roadkill condemned parts declared inedible for human consumption, and non-specific meat meals
- Artificial Preservatives like butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), ethoxyquin, and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)
- Fillers like bran, hulls, pulp, or starch
- Chemicals like artificial coloring, artificial flavor enhancers, and sweeteners
How to Prepare Raw Pet Food
It is important to understand how to handle raw pet food. The last thing you need is to contaminate the food as this could lead to diseases and other side effects that make it scary to shift to raw foods. There are a few things you can do to handle food properly, including:
- Wash hands with soap for at least 20 seconds before handling raw pet food to avoid any contamination
- Always use clean utensils and chopping boards every time you are handling raw pet food
- Wash utensils and tools used for the raw food with warm soapy water always
- Always clean and disinfect surfaces before handling the food.
- Meats should be stored in the freezer until they are ready for use.
- Separate raw pet food from other foods
Alternatively, invest in getting good quality raw pet food from reliable companies if handling the raw food can be a problem.
