How to choose the best fresh pet food for dogs and cats
Choosing the best food for our pet is increasingly difficult, given the growing number of brands of dog and cat food that floods our supermarkets every day
Do not forget that the health and well-being of your pet depends mainly on the quality of his food
Feeding a dog or a cat is never easy, here are some tips to choose the best food for your pet, according to his breed, his age, his state of health and his weight and other criteria
Since I live with my two adorable cats “Pitchie and Keto” their mother “Precious” and my dog ”Rock”, I really sought to find the best food for my pets, a food that they like, that will not make them sick or obese, and especially a healthy fresh recipes
The right food for dogs and cats should not disrupt their digestive system, it must ensure their daily energy without causing allergies and other problems es and above all it is necessary to take into account that the pets get used quickly to their type of food and, do not like at all that you change the recipe
We have to make the right choice of pets food for our dog and cat the first day we bring them home , and all most , just few days after we pick our pet
Here are the steps to follow when selecting the ideal food for your pet, in this case, dogs and cats, lets dive in
1- Selecting pets food according to the characteristics of your animal
You must deal with the age and growth, daily activity and sex of your pet before choosing his food
The overall health of your pet , habits, physical characteristics and behavior in everyday life are also to be considered in determining the food that suits him
Aged pet does not need a lot of calories a day, the ideal for him would be healthy food, fresh and balanced, which contains vegetables of course, easy to chew and digest since it does not move too much during the day
On the other hand, if you have a puppy or a kitten in full growth or a pet in expecting and breastfeeding his little ones, you must choose him a very energetic food, rich in calorie, balanced of course and especially in quantity and sufficient daily portion
You must also consider the breed and habits of your pet when you want him to choose his food
If your pet loves to stay the big part of the day on the sofa, opt instead for a balanced diet, in small portions and especially less caloric
However, if your pet is of a very active breed and jumping all over the house and going out several times a day, provide him with a high calorie , fresh and balanced food
Some brands really make recipes and formulas based on the breed and size of pets, I brought you one today, my favorite to give healthy, fresh, good food and delivered on time , and especially recipes developed with a veterinarian and specialist in nutrition and animal welfare
By cons other brands, some are well known, do not even make the effort to calibrate the size of kibbles, or ingredients that are part of the recipes … etc
2-Beware of misleading advertisements on pets food
Pet food brands often display labels to deceive buyers, at least to encourage you to buy their products, you will therefore meet labels like, Natural, Premium, … etc but the FDA does not endorse all these marks and you must read carefully the ingredients and ingredients that go into the composition of each pet food before you buy it for your dog or cat, especially if it is sick or pregnant
You can also read the recommendations of other owners, as you are doing it on my blog and judge for yourself or try the pet food they claim to have tested and judge it yourself after.
3- You have to estimate the nutritional and caloric needs of your pet before picking their food
For a dog in perfect health and in full growth, his food must have between 20% and 25% of proteins, which come of course from several nutrients
You can take a look at the ideal weight range of popular US dog and cat breeds or judge the weight of your animal and its muscle mass by holding it , and if you feel its ribs with the palm of your hands, know that it is in good physical condition
But if you estimate that your pet seems heavier than usual or much lighter, just increase or decrease depending on the case, the protein intake from 15 to 25%
Continue adjusting the protein intake until the ideal percentage that will stabilize the weight of your pet, and in general, a month of testing would be enough to complete your tests and determine the ideal protein percentage that will contain the food of your pet
What you need to do e attention is the percentage of fat in your pet’s food, some recipes can show up to 18% fat which is not advisable for a pet when it has reached its ideal weight, especially if it does not go out often and does not burn these extra calories, it could therefore develop a pancreatitis, because of an excess in calorie intake
If your dog shows signs of obesity, put the to the diet with a dry food which contains only 8% at the beginning of the diet then 6% of fat after one week and follow its weight daily
My own farts, I give them fresh food and they show no signs of obesity, you just have to find the right servings for your pet.
4-Choosing fresh or dry food for your pet?
To pick the best kind of food for your dog or cat, you will need to seek the advice of a specialist or do tests with your pet, give him fresh food for a week and see how it behaves:
- Is it dynamic or not?
- Does he like his food or not?
- Does he have diarrhea?
- Does he finish his plate? … etc.
Your pet will let you know if the food you give him is the good or not, just be careful at what your pet tries to tell you
For example , when your dog swings his tail to the right, it is a sign that he is happy and loves his food
my opinion is that the fresh pet food is the best, you just have to choose the right brand, adapted to your pet, what better than good vegetables cooked with a good piece of meat or chicken for your adorable dog ?
You may also have some dry food like kibble in case you want to reward your pet or if it shows signs of diarrhea
You just have to read carefully the percentage of protein and fat if they are suitable for the diet and the weight of your pet, and you can also check if the product is approved by the AAFCO, but this label , is not essential either it’s just a speed way of making sure that the food you choose for your adorable pet contains the essential nutrients indispensables to the growth and well-being of your pet.
Let’s Wrap this Up
Let me finish this post with a list of tips when choosing the best pets food:
Avoid the pets food that contains these Preservatives on the ingredient list:
- Ethoxyquin
- BHA
- BHT
You often need to check that the pet food that you buy contains at least one of the following words at the beginning of the ingredient list: Beef, chicken, turkey, lamb; you will thus avoid buying a food made with byproducts
If the pet food you buy contains grains, make sure they are whole and organic if possible
You should also pay attention to the by-products, as White flours and Brasserie rice … etc.
You could also give some fresh cooked meat, to your pet, but not too much if it has reached its ideal weight.
