Raising your pets in a healthy way should include rotation and variety.
Rotate, rotate, rotate. I know I probably sound like a broken record, but I firmly believe rotation is the key to raising a healthy and happy pet. It should also be the key to our care as well, but I’ll keep this article focused on pet care, specifically Dexter the Dog’s healthy lifestyle.
The Best Raw Pet Food Diets, Dog DIY Raw Recipes
What’s the best raw pet food brand to feed your dog or cat? One brand? There are none! You heard me right. I personally feel that there is never a one size fits all, nor do I feel that we as an educated pet community should put all of our pet’s nutrition or health care into one brand and one brand alone.
Think about it. Mistakes happen, pet nutritional education changes, and I would rather Dexter receive his fresh food from a variety of the top raw dog food brands and, for me, mostly my own DIY dog food blends.
When I am choosing a healthy raw pet food brand or pet mix, I do have a few golden rules. Rule #1 the raw meat must be at least antibiotic and hormone-free or even better yet, also organic. Rule #2 the meat portion of the raw pet food must be at least 75% meat, ideally around 85-90. If it’s 100% meat and bones, I will supplement with organic fruits, vegetables, and oils.
How this would look if I were to feed Dexter only a prepared raw pet food diet, is that I would rotate Dexter’s raw pet food brands along with the proteins and mixes. Rotation for me is typically a new “meal set” every few days. For some raw pet food feeders, it’s a new meal each day. That’s wonderful!
By doing this, you are ensuring your dog or cat receives a variety of vitamins, fats, and nutrition. It also helps to ensure your pet does not receive too much of one thing. For example, certain foods such as spinach, celery, almonds, beets, and cranberries can cause high urine acidity creating calcium-oxalate crystals. These foods have some amazing nutritional values; you just wouldn’t want to feed them to your pet in high quantities every day.
The same holds true for ingredients such as animal necks, trachea, gullets, and heads. These parts of the animal, such as duck necks, can contain residual thyroid gland or thyroid active tissue and can create hyperthyroidism in dogs and even thyroid tumors. The same holds true for kelp and seaweed, which contain higher amounts of iodine, which also can cause thyroid issues.
Rotation, rotation, rotation.
Making Dexter the Dog’s DIY Raw Dog Food
You guessed it, I rotate every ingredient and even the source of those ingredients. The same philosophy I mentioned above holds true in my kitchen. I purchase Dexter’s meats from a variety of online sources, local health food stores that purchase from a variety of farmers, and even at my local grocery store. Dexter’s fruits and vegetables are all organic and purchased from the same sources, minus my online meat sources.
The Best Supplements for Pets
I’m sure by now you know what I’m going to write. But, I feel it’s so important not to put all your pet’s needs in one brand’s basket. There’s another point to this topic—not every supplement hits all of Dexter’s needs.
Let’s take prebiotics and probiotics. I’m a firm believer that for the most part, all dogs and cats need to include prebiotics and probiotics in their diet. Good gut health rules the entire pet. You can read more about that in this article I wrote a few years back.
There are natural foods that contain healthy pet probiotics, including goat’s milk, kefir, and fermented foods. Some health prebiotics include apples, asparagus, bananas, flaxseeds and seaweed. Many foods and supplements contain a wide variety of pre and probiotics from different sources, so there is value in rotation.
Probiotics is just one example. This is how I feel about all pet supplements.
Broken Record Conclusion
In conclusion, raising your pets in a healthy way should include rotation and variety. If a recall ever happens with a brand or product, I at least know that Dexter has had limited exposure vs. having used that brand or product for years at a time. Your pet will thank you for adding variety to their life.
Do you rotate your pet’s food and supplements? Tell me in the comments.
Are you looking for even more ways to stay up to date with Raising Your Pets Naturally? Sign up for the newsletter for more tips and promotions. Don’t forget to be social and Like, Follow and Subscribe. Comments below are always welcome.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Instagram YouTube
|
|
|
Google Adsense—>