Feeding your pet used to be easy. You could grab a tin of food from the store and throw in a bit of dry mixer, and job done. These days though, getting good food for pets isn’t as easy as it used to be, with more than one cheaper big brand named pet food being found to be woefully inadequate for pets’ needs.
By and large, their ingredients and nutrition contents are found to be lacking in vital nutrients, leading to all sorts of health problems later on. This is why giving your pet the best food is so important; learn more below.
Giving Your Pet Fresh Food
Fresh pet food refers to anything that your pet can eat that hasn’t been preserved or cooked in some way to extend its shelf life. This includes meats (beef, chicken, fish, and lamb), fruits and vegetables (oranges, carrots, and broccoli), as well as grains (brown rice). It is important to note, though, that fresh foods are not necessarily healthier than tinned foods. The sun, rain, freezing, and thawing weather will all take their toll in preserving ingredients that are canned in some way or another. Feeding them meat is also the most expensive option for pet owners, but if you are going to feed them this sort of diet, make sure that you are cooking the meat before giving it to them.
While fresh foods are not necessarily better for your pets, they do have their benefits. The most obvious one is that it is more natural. This can be especially beneficial to pets that have allergies or sensitivities to canned food or grain-based kibble. Fresh food can be more easily broken down for sensitive stomachs, which is why so many dogs do well on a raw food diet.
Dry Dog Food
Fresh food may have some benefits, but you shouldn’t feed your dog on fresh foods exclusively. There are lots of benefits that they can also gain from eating dry food. Dry dog food will keep your dog’s teeth clean, generally has a longer shelf life, and can be used in recipes that enable you to create protein-rich recipes that are perfect for growing puppies and low-calorie options for older dogs.
Therefore, you should look into purchasing dry dog food from quality suppliers. You can find great quality branded food from professional pet suppliers such as Exceptionalpets.com that suits all types of dogs of all ages.
Canned Food
If your dog mainly eats an unidentifiable brand of kibble, then canned food may be better for your pets’ nutritional needs. There is often more protein in it than dry food, it has fewer carbs and preservatives, and it tastes great for them. A combination of dry and wet canned food, however, is actually the best approach as both offer great advantages. Serve these at different times during the day.
Preparing Food at Home
More and more pet owners are taking up cooking for their pets because there are many online resources that can teach you how to prepare healthy home-cooked meals for your pets. Usually, the best source of information would be your veterinarian. They should be able to recommend resources to you that will be suitable for your particular animal.
