I am often asked “What is the best food for my pet?” I would love to say that there is any easy answer to this question, but my response is always “it depends on your pet”.
Like people, cats and dogs have different nutritional needs depending on their breed, activity levels and overall health. There are so many good foods on the market today and they all will provide your pet with a balanced nutritional diet.
The hottest trend in the pet food industry is a raw diet. Feeding your pet a biologically appropriate raw diet that you make yourself is the best that you can feed your pet. Unfortunately this is expensive (especially in the Mountains) as our grocery stores can be more expensive for meats and produce than those in cities. At A&A Pet supply we carry several varieties of raw foods; we carry Stella and Chewy’s, Natures Variety, Steve’s, Vital Essentials, and Primal and we can usually special order most other brands.
Just as humans thrive on fresh food, so do animals. The most natural ingredient in an animal’s diet is raw food that contains antioxidants, vitamins, enzymes, amino acids, minerals, and phytochemicals. Raw foods are the building blocks to a healthy, vital life. Because a raw meat diet is packed with the nutrients dogs and cats need, they will consume less, reduce the odor and size of their stools, and maintain an optimal weight. Raw foods can be fed as the main source of food or as a supplement to a kibble diet. Even as an addition to a kibble the pet can reap the benefits of the raw diet.
The next level of raw is a dehydrated or freeze dried form. There are several companies that are making foods in this form including Honest Kitchen and SOJOS, as well as several companies are now adding freeze dried raw bits to the kibble food. The other nice thing about feeding raw food in freeze dried or dehydrated form is that is it very lightweight and is a nice option if you are backpack camping with your dog for an extended time and want to limit the weight that you and your pet are carrying for food.
Switching to a raw diet should be done slowly and we can offer lots of suggestions and information about raw feeding at A&A Pet supply. If you are interested in learning more about raw feeding please give us a call at the store or stop by and we can go through the different forms of raw and which one is best for your pet and your lifestyle.