Everyone is crazy about home nutrition for cats and dogs. A recent Report service brought the theme of food that we can choose for our animals into the spotlight, including industrial products and preparations made by us
All crazy about ithome nutrition for dogs and cats. A recent Report service has brought to the spotlight the theme of food that we can choose for our animals, between industrial products and preparations made by us.
The topic is complex and finding your way around the various possible choices is not easy. But it is equally essential for the well-being of our dogs and cats. To clarify the subject, which in recent days has given rise to very heated debates, we interviewed katya cervio, dog educator expert in feeding for pets, with particular reference to homemade food, but without neglecting the advantages that industrial food chosen in the right way can still offer.
Pet owners often do not have sufficient information available regarding the proper nutrition of their four-legged friends. Yet it is a very important aspect for their health.
The debate on industrial products for pets and their nutrition is also very heated abroad. The Cornucopia institute just released the report “Decoding pet foods”, which highlights the 'inconvenient' ingredients used by the pet products industry. THU you can consult the complete document.
For further information, we recommend reading the following interview, in order to better understand how to start orienting yourself on the subject of home nutrition for pets, with particular reference to dogs and cats.
Index
What are the benefits of home nutrition for our pets?
The advantages are innumerable both in terms of physical and behavioral well-being, and we do not yet know as much as we who are studying this field. Surely start eating natural food again with adequate water content present is a return to ethological needs. Just think that everything that surrounds us, starting from our planet up to ourselves and our furry ones, contains about 70% of water while the most used industrial food is dry.
Have we ever thought about how much extra work the dog's body does to rehydrate the industrial feed it swallows? Without mentioning the food quality used in home cooking and the "unknown" one of industrial feed: the home diet uses products for human use, while industries use C3, waste.
We owners can choose the raw materials that will contribute to creating a balanced bowl and the choice based on the needs of our dog and ours will depend only on us. Those who make a countercurrent choice towards the home diet, BARF, PALEO or mixed, realize already after a few days the positive physical change of their dog, but already at the first bowl they touch the happiness and satisfaction of their four-legged friend. . Physically the dog changes its muscular structure, appearance, the coat improves considerably, the teeth are cleaner, urine and feces decrease noticeably and change odor and from the behavioral point of view we are witnessing surprising changes.
Are all packaged pet foods to be avoided? How can we recognize the best?
I industrial foods must be taken into account why they are useful and comfortable in emergencies and in some cases in which there is no possibility to cook: however, we must learn to understand which food is the most suitable for our dog. Each dog is an individual and therefore there is no absolute best industrial food but a high quality industrial food that is adequate for that dog, as is the case for home food: every dog has BAI, Individual Food Needs.
As owners we are responsible for feeding our dogs so we must be able to read the labels even if I admit it is not easy at all, maybe we can rely on companies that produce directly with high quality products and we do not let ourselves be led into temptation by overly attractive packaging. I also remember that dogs need animal proteins, therefore vegetarian and vegan industrial feeds are banned.
Lately then new companies are born that are revolutionizing the idea of industrial food bringing to the market cold dehydrated food for human use in individual formulations studied directly on the specific needs of a particular dog, complementary formulations always with C1 products to complete a protein source (meat, fish, eggs or dairy products), complete natural meals preserved in vases - cooking or vacuum cooking, easy to use even when traveling. I also have news of the opening of typical workshops in various cities delicatessens for dogs and this will change the landscape of large industrial firms. Fortunately, we are traveling against the trend, small businesses that work on the quality and ethological adequacy of food.
There are foods suitable for human consumption that cats and dogs cannot eat ...
Surely we must know foods that can be harmful to our dogs, carefully evaluating that those foods that are edible for us are not edible for them.
- The raw potatoes they are toxic while cooked they are an excellent source of carbohydrates, do not use the cooking water for the meal.
- I green peppers they are fruits that are not ripe enough for the four legs and are toxic.
- Theavocado it is not tolerated in any of its forms: plant, fruit and seed.
– Grape and raisin they are toxic with a dose of 11,6 g per kg of dog and 14 g per kg of dog respectively.
- The Quince it is indigestible due to the high presence of tannins.
- The cacao contains theobromine which is toxic to dogs. The lethal dose is 10 mg of theobromine per kg of the dog. If we calculate it on a milk chocolate bar about 60 g per kg of dog, 8 g of dark chocolate.
- The macadamia nuts are indicated as toxic to dogs and also beware of molds on nuts (Penicillium crustosum).
- The onions raw and cooked lead to anemia, the toxic dose is 5-10 g per kg of dog.
- The cooked bones they are very dangerous for the dog as long as they can chip easily. While raw they can be given.
- what Xylitol, sweetener of our sugar-free foods, is dangerous for dogs so be careful to leave candies and foods that contain it unattended.
- The pork meat it must always be well done to eliminate the possibility of the existence of the Aujesky virus, which causes pseudorabies in the dog.
- The fish it must be frozen at a temperature below -18 ° C for at least 96 hours before being eaten raw, to prevent anisakiasis, a disease caused by the parasitic worm of various fish.
- Theegg it is best served complete both cooked and raw. If you want to give only the yolk it can be given raw while the egg white is best served cooked. Do not give large quantities of raw egg white as it contains avidin which inhibits biotin (vitamin H).
- I mushrooms are not digested by the dog, pay attention during autumn walks to poisonous mushrooms.
- Tea, coffee, tobacco and alcohol are to be avoided by the dog. Attention also to the city puddles that contain cigarette butts, which, especially in summer, are a source of water to quench their thirst for our dogs.
Read also:
- 10 FOODS NEVER GIVE TO OUR DOGS
- CATS: 10 FOODS TO AVOID OR LIMIT
Can “do-it-yourself” home feeding harm our animals?
Do-it-yourself nutrition it does not have to coincide with the cooking of the leftovers because we have seen that not all the foods we use in the kitchen are suitable for dogs, not to mention that now we over-salt all foods and use refined sugar a lot.
The advice, especially if the dog is not in perfect health, is to be accompanied in the food change by an expert who must see and visit the dog, so avoid online diets. Homemade diets not suitable for the dog they can create problems like poor quality industrial food. Rely on a veterinary expert in nutrition.
stay in touch with Katya Cervio, dog educator, and for more information follow the Facebook page Home cooking for dogs.
Will find tips and recipes for dogs and cats in “Put your hand to it”, our new book dedicated to do-it-yourself projects for cats and dogs. You can take advantage of a discount by purchasing the book online at the La Feltrinelli website.
Marta Albè
Read also:
- WHAT IS INSIDE THE CROQUETTES FOR DOGS AND CATS? LET'S CLEAR ABOUT THE SHOCK REPORTING SERVICE
- FOOD FOR PETS: 4 DANGEROUS INGREDIENTS HIDDEN IN PET FOOD
- PET FOOD: DO YOU REALLY KNOW WHAT IS IN YOUR DOG OR CAT'S FOOD?
