How Adding a Small Amount of Raw Food Can Improve Your Pet’s Health
J-B Pet Supplies Blog
How Adding a Small Amount of Raw Food Can Improve Your Pet’s Health
What is Raw Pet Food? – as the name implies, raw pet food is food that has not been cooked, steamed, baked, or extruded. No heat has been used in the manufacturing of the food.
Benefits of Raw Pet food – there are many benefits to raw pet food.
Better Digestion – raw pet food contains digestive enzymes that are not found in cooked foods. Only raw food does not kill these enzymes in the manufacturing process.
Increased Energy – the digestive enzymes help convert the sugars to increased energy.
Smaller and Firmer Stools – because raw food is better digested by your pet it will lead to smaller and firmer stools as your pet is better utilizing the food.
Improved Skin and Coat – the higher levels of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids will leave a shinier and healthier coat.
Better Oral Health – because there are no added starches, your pet’s saliva is better able to break down the food, leave less residual on their teeth.
Less Food Allergies – studies have shown that when pets are started on a raw diet at a young age that they develop less food allergies.
More meal excitement – pets love raw meat!
Drawbacks of Raw- commonly vets will cite the following reasons for not feeding raw.
Cross contamination of food – like any raw food, poor food handling could lead to food-borne illnesses.
Chance of choking on bones – raw food consists of not only meat, but also organs and bones. With poor manufacturing, larger chunks of bones could make their way into your pet’s food. Make sure to use a reputable brand.
Can create an unbalanced diet – there are many raw diets that meet the AFCO standards for pet nutrition. When choosing a 100% meat diet it is important that you supplement the diet with vitamin packs and other nutrients.
Cost – there is no question that a raw diet will cost more than a kibble-based diet. However, depending on the kibble, you may save more in the future on vet bills due to skin, ear, and oral issues.
Is Raw safe? – in our opinion with careful food handling procedures, feeding raw is safe. Many of us handle raw poultry and meat in our everyday cooking, handling raw pet food is no different. In addition, 98% of all pet food recalls have been dry kibble.
Types of Raw Pet Food – there are two basic kinds of raw food. Frozen Raw and Freeze Dried Raw.
· Frozen Raw Pet Food – this food is manufactured without any cooking and then frozen and shipped to the pet store. The food needs to thaw out and then fed to your pet. This ensures that 100% of the nutrients and enzymes are retained in the food.
· Freeze Dried Raw Pet Food – this food is also manufactured without any cooking. The main difference is that the food is quickly frozen and then the moisture content is removed. Freeze Dried pet food has the same nutritional benefits as frozen raw. It should be noted that the fat and protein levels are more highly concentrated, and it is recommended that that the food be rehydrated.
A 20% Raw Diet can improve your pet’s health – while feeding a 100% raw diet can greatly enhance your pet’s health, recent studies have shown that even a 20% raw diet can improve your pet’s overall health. Raw pet food can be added to a kibble-based diet. In fact, many dogs find the combination more appealing.
Our commitment to raw pet food – over the past several years we have made a big commitment to raw pet food. We now have six freezers in each of our stores. Many of our employees feed at least some raw pet food to their pets. While we understand raw et food is not for everyone, please stop in and talk to our staff about raw food and how it can benefit your pet.
Brands we carry – currently we carry the following brands.