What’s The Best Food For My Pet?
-How to pick out your pet’s food
Picking a pet food can be confusing. With so many choices, where do you start?
Pet food comes in many forms: Dry (kibble), dehydrated, raw frozen, canned food, gently cooked frozen, air dried and freeze dried.
How to choose a dog food?
Dry food is the most economical. Packaged in shelf-stable bags, this type of food is also the most processed. Quality ingredients will be the biggest differentiator between the brands.
Label reading is important here. Just because the front of the bag might say “with chicken" or "beef is first ingredient”, the amount of high quality meat can be minimal at best.
Food ingredients are listed in order of weight. You want meat as the first and/or second ingredient (Chicken, chicken meal, salmon, rice…) or (Chicken meal, chicken, rice, salmon).
Misleading labels will often have an ingredient list that looks like this:
Salmon, rice, whole grain wheat, poultry-by-product meal, whole grain corn….etc
(taken from Purina Pro Plan Shredded Salmon & Rice Formula Dog Food)
Sure, it contains meat, however, grains are high on the ingredient list and poultry-by-product meal does not identify what exact type of poultry it has.
Many pet food manufacturers are making nutritionally complete and balanced food on paper, however, the quality of the ingredients matter.
Luckily, there are a lot of really great dry food options on the market. We are picky people when it comes to having any food on our shelves, but especially the dry foods. Our minimal requirements for all of our foods is NO by-products, NO artificial flavors, NO artificial preservatives, and NO artificial colors. This is a great starting point! Within those parameters, we have chosen to offer dry foods for every budget that meet or exceed these standards.
We’re here to help guide you through the dry food choices. We have samples to take home and we always accept returns food, including our dry foods!
Knowing kibble is the most processed, you can easily add other types of food to create more freshness in the bowl
Dehydrated, raw frozen, canned, gently cooked frozen, air dried and freeze dried foods are extremely prevalent. These are complete and balanced meals and can be added on top of, or even replace a kibble-based diet. The only disadvantage of these can be the costs. They cost more than kibble (I have these listed from least to most expensive). But the good news is you can replace as little as just 10% of a kibble diet with a less processed alternative and reap huge benefits!
Replacing just 10% or more of the kibble with a dehydrated, raw frozen, canned, gently cooked frozen, air dried or freeze dried foods, you are adding freshness to the bowl with high quality animal protein and fruits and vegetables.
We often see an incredible change in a dog’s interest in their food, along with health benefits such as less itching, shiny coats, more energy and solid poops.
Want to cut out the kibble diet altogether?
You’re not alone! Gently cooked and raw foods are prevalent and many pet owners have chosen to feed this way 100% of the time. We offer bulk purchasing options which can save on packaging and save on costs.
How to pick a cat food. Is kibble bad for cats?
The overall consensus in our industry, including veterinarians, is that cats need hydration that a kibble diet is obviously void of. Sure, a cat can drink water, but it takes 1,200 licks at the water dish to get a quarter of a cup of water. Once your cat is drinking water, they are already dehydrated, which can lead to urinary and kidney issues over time.
The most species appropriate way to feed a cat is through a food already rich in moisture: Cans, raw frozen, freeze dried raw or gently cooked frozen foods. If your cat is “hooked” on the crunchy food, decrease the volume of their kibble and offer one of these moisture-rich alternatives. Take it very slow. Even if your cat eats a small amount of the new food, it's better than none at all! Over time, most cats will convert, sometimes completely, to a non-kibble diet!
Wet food ingredients are just as important as the kibble ingredients mentioned earlier. Luckily, there are so many great options without by-products and all the fillers, but make sure you’re a diligent label reader if you’re opting to purchase from grocery big box and online stores as they offer a large variety of brands and qualities.
Raw and gently cooked manufacturers are generally using the best ingredients on the market and the prices of these foods is equivalent to the costs of feeding cans. We love it when our customers are open-minded and try some of the foods from our cat freezer, as this is where the best food resides all at the same price as cans!
Variety is the spice of life
It’s important to remember that not every food decision has to be a set in stone, forever decision. Rotate proteins within the same brand from time to time. Change brands from time to time. Go slow with it, so as to not cause digestive upset, but have fun, experiment and ask questions. We’re always here to help guide you.