Is giving natural food to our pets a good choice?
However, pet owners must know how to properly feed their best friend with natural food. Veterinarian Paula Cuevas partnered with her Portugal News (TPN) Some tips on how to stay on the right track when it comes to feeding your pet in this way.
TPN – What is considered normal food for animals?
Paula Cuevas – I will consider natural food to have been prepared using ingredients as close as possible to their natural state. Slightly processed and fresh.
TPN – What are the benefits of a natural diet for both cats and dogs?
Computer – As a veterinarian, I truly believe in what Hippocrates, the father of medicine said “Let your food be your medicine” in 400 BC and it is still a true statement, nutrition has a direct and powerful effect on health. Fresh dog food is prepared with fresh protein sources such as chicken, turkey, beef, eggs, and chicken liver instead of meat meals or by-product meals. Fresh pet foods have great benefits because they are rich in antioxidants. They protect cells from free radical damage.
TPN – What are the risks associated with feeding a dog or cat natural food?
Computer – The biggest concern would be getting an incomplete and balanced recipe. Each species has very specific nutritional requirements and their nutritional needs to contain their daily requirements. To achieve this, you will likely need to supplement. One of the biggest issues that we commonly see with homemade pet food is the deficiency of some nutrients and the excess of others. However, this error can be easily prevented by following reliable recipes formulated by a veterinary nutritionist. These recipes should be prepared with the right ingredients and supplemented adequately.
TPN – Is natural food better than regular animal food?
Computer – The vast majority of kibble is extremely high in starches which are cheaper ingredients and also needed to form and bind the globules. Its macronutrient composition is not what the staple diets of today’s living wild counterparts or their ancestors thrived on for thousands of years before dog food was manufactured. In simple words, they are high in carbohydrates.
In addition to a poor macronutrient composition, the over-processing of ingredients and food results in an overwhelming number of toxic by-products. Commercial kibble relies solely on meat meals as a protein source. These are created using a process called “rendering” to convert animal tissue waste into a stable material. Repeated high-temperature ultratreatment also results in the creation of more byproducts such as AGEs or advanced glycation end products, which are chemical compounds associated with diseases. Shorter lifespan, alarming rise in cancer cases, kidney disease, metabolic and liver issues, etc. are just part of the equation.