Do you know the nutritional value of food that you are serving to your pet? Premium nutrition is essential to keep our pets healthy and thriving. While there are many options available when it comes to choosing a healthy pet food, big pet food manufacturers make it very overwhelming to choose the right option for our furry family members.
Over and above the slick marketing tactics used by big pet food manufacturers, there are countless rumors and myths surrounding what you should and should not give your pet. We pride ourselves on helping pet parents make informed decisions that would help separate facts from myths when it comes to pet food like Smack Pet Food and other brands.
After all, you want what’s best for your pet. Food and proper nutrition is essential for your pet to thrive and maintain overall good health. Human food or table scraps have gotten a bad rap for many years as something you shouldn’t feed your pet, this rumour is perpetuated by the big pet food companies who only want you serving their highly processed food. The right human food can offer amazing health benefits for our furry family and pet foods made from human grade ingredients are a fantastic step in the right direction for our pets!
- Is Human Food or Table Scraps Healthy for your Pet?
The first question every new pet owner has is whether human food or table scrapsare a healthy option for their pet. Well, the answer is simple. According to veterinarians, human food can be a very healthy addition to your pet’s bowl.
Of course we want to avoid some questionable ingredients and an easy way to know that is if you wouldn’t eat it, your pet shouldn’t either. Healthy table scraps or parts of your food you may not eat when preparing your meal are always a superior supplement for your dogs and cats. The part of the carrot, cucumber or cauliflower that you won’t eat, your pet will likely love!
As for table scraps, as long as they are healthy you can feed them, just make sure not to give too much of what you are eating. Feeding human food or table scraps can be a great way to level up your pet’s bowl along with their pet food. A good guideline is that human food can make up approximately 20% of our pet’s meals.
Some human food that is good for our pets are meat (chicken, turkey, etc.), eggs, fish (salmon), veggies (carrots, beans, etc.). However, there are some human foods that we need to avoid giving to our pets. Some food we should avoid for our pets are grapes, raw potatoes and chocolate. Controversial or harmful ingredients should never be fed to our pets.
- Can dogs eat Cat Food and vice versa?
Well, there are many brands that have pet food formulas which meet the needs of both furry species. However, the majority of brands have pet foods designed specifically for dogs and cats respectively.
Smack Pet Food have both dog and cat food ranges that have been designed taking into account the respective species nutritional requirements. As for nutritional requirements, cats typically need higher levels of protein and fat requirement compared to the canine species. Cats also do not manufacture their own taurine, like dogs do and for that reason, most cat foods are supplemented with additional taurine. So while you pup could nibble on your kitty’s food, too much taurine is something we want to avoid. The opposite is also true, though your kitty could share some of your pup’s meals, eating dog food exclusively will not provide sufficient taurine in your kitty’s diet.
- Is a high protein diet risky for pet’s health as they age?
Our cats and dogs are carnivores, which means they are designed to eat meat (protein). Dogs are facultative carnivores where cats are obligate carnivores. An obligate carnivore requires meat to live. A facultative carnivore can enjoy a far more diverse diet including some plants. Our pets require 22 amino acids to thrive! Dogs manufacture eleven of the 22 required amino acids and cats manufacture 10, they require protein to acquire the remaining amino acids.
Because the essential amino acids can only be acquired by consuming meat, plant based diets should be avoided since they can cause a variety of health issues including organ complications and diet deficiencies. Animal-based protein is a vital necessity for keeping our pets healthy and thriving.
It is unfortunate that a great number of big pet food manufacturers opt for poor quality ingredients, controversial ingredients and in some cases harmful ingredients. Low quality ingredients are cost effective for the manufacturer, but can cause serious health issues for our pets.
Looking at the nutritional information, the quality of ingredients and where they are sourced from is an essential step in keep our pets healthy.
Bottom Line
Our furry family require special care and attention when it comes to their diet. While traditionalgrocery store pet food is often marketed as healthy and extremely good for your pet, we always want to make sure to do our research before putting anything in our pet’s bowl.
Trusted 5-star Canadian made brands like Smack Pet Food is a fantastic option to include your pet’s food rotation. We are always happy to help you find the best option for your pet and put to rest any rumours you may hear about what to feed your pet!