My Journey into the World of Holistic Pet Nutrition
I was a part of the Holistic Dog and Cat food world for about three and half years. I got my start co-managing a store for holistic dog and cat food and then became a food representative for three separate dog food companies. My world was turned completely side ways when I learned there are more than just generic dog/cat food brands. Not only was there an entire world of holistic pet foods but I was starting to learn the insidious nature of the pet food industry. It was truly information overload.
When I was first learning about Holistic Pet Food, I still had my childhood dog Maggie around. She was a Saint Bernard and was without question a fun-loving dog who would never hurt anyone. Although Maggie was a large breed and intimidating by appearance, she was nothing but a soft teddy bear.
Not All Pet Foods Are the Same
I was particularly disappointed to learn that not all pet foods are the same and not all vets have the same outlook on pet nutrition.
I had always trusted my vet, believing she knows what is deemed as acceptable food. Until I learnt that nutrition is literally an extremely small portion of their training. Vets are more susceptible to biased nutrition facts because the schools are backed by these certain companies you see on a constant basis - Royal Canine, Hills Science, Purina ID, etc. These are the big pharma of the pet health world. This might sound disappointing and defeating, but there are solutions to ensuring your dog or cat has a diet that they are deriving the most nutrients from.
The Importance of Pet Nutrition
My Dog Maggie was my prime example of how crucial pet nutrition is. She was an older dog at the time I decided to switch her food. She had clouding around her eyes and pretty stiff hips in her old age. The vet chalked up these symptoms to aging ligaments. On the surface, I am sure that the ligaments were a part of it, but changing her dog food led to drastic improvements. The cloud around her eyes went away and she had mobility in her hips as if she was 2 years old again.
My heart sank at the thought of how the dog food I’d been feeding her had negatively affected her. I finally saw once and for all how imperative nutrient rich diet is for our furry friends. I felt at the time I had poisoned her for so long because I was just ignorant to the facts that not all pet food is alike and most are made for profit not nutrition.
How to Improve Nutrition
First step is to compare all the ingredients in the bags. I used online breakdowns for nutrition labels to distinguish the brands.
Knowing exactly what we are putting into our pets’ bodies is fundamental. It’s important to understand every ingredient listed on a pet food label. Some of them might be using words we have never heard before.
I became obsessed with learning about the ingredients! Working with a holistic vet helped understand the ingredients on the pet food labels even better.
1. Use Raw Food to Drastically Improve Your Pet’s Health
If you only take one suggestion from this blog let it be this, please start introducing RAW food into your pets’ diet. I assure that you will immediately begin to see the effects.
2. Get Rid of Pet Food Fillers (Corn, wheat, soy or potatoes)
Second thing to know when looking at your pet food labels is to get the least amount of fillers possible. Meaning NO corn, wheat, or soy.
It’s also important to be cautious when you see tapioca starch, lots of white potato, or a mixture of potato with lentils and peas. White potato is the most abundantly used and is a common allergen for dogs.
3. Choose As Much Animal-Based Proteins as Possible
Try and have your dry kibble protein be as much animal-based as possible. Good rule of thumb is the first three ingredients should be meat sources.
4. Know Your Meat Source
Lastly, do your research on the source of meat or grains in your pet food. (By the way, for most household pets I recommend grain-free diet due to the high glycemic index.)
Thank you for reading I will also post on some of my favorite products that I have done extensive research on and has worked for my family and could be a good fit for yours too.
