What are we really feeding our pets?

Humans have come a long way in our understanding of nutrition. Most of us are under no illusions when we eat processed junk and have a fairly good idea of what is good and bad for us. We can make informed choices.

The same nutritional guidelines apply to animals. Pets should be eating fresh food every day just like humans. They have the same physiology as us. Our bodies are not that different.

What are we really feeding our beloved pets? Often, tinned food, bulk bags of dry kibble and processed treats. What’s in these products and are they actually good for our pets?

Kim, a vet and owner of Ringwood Vet Clinic, says most pet food is not suitable for animal consumption and talks to all her clients about the benefits of feeding cats and dogs fresh human-grade food.

Kim swoops on the opportunity to educate people about nutrition when they bring their new puppy or kitten in, so they develop good feeding habits from the beginning of their pet’s life.

Ringwood Vet Clinic no longer promotes most commercial pet food. They advocate that, where possible, fresh is best.

So where did pet food come from?

Prior to World War II, pet food did not exist as a product. People would home cook meat and vegies for the family and make an extra meal for the dog. Our canine friends evolved with us over thousands of years. They evolved to eat what we eat.

Dogs were sent to war with us. The military needed portable dog food rations that were easy to carry in bulk and had a long expiry date. This is where pet food came from. It only had to meet Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) guidelines  — the requirement was survival of the dog for six months.

These very same pet foods were marketed to the community as a suitable way to feed pets after the war. At the time, post-war, when convenience was fully embraced, pet food was enthusiastically welcomed by pet owners – portable, no prep time, cheap, keeps a long time and doesn’t smell.

And so the concept of packaged pet food as a primary source of animal nutrition was established and has stuck with us ever since. Over the decades, pet food has become a multibillion dollar industry. Nutrition has rarely been taken into consideration with its manufacture. The pet food industry is fundamentally based on profit. 

What’s in pet food?

Most pet food products have been processed to death, cooked until no nutritional value is left. Additives are put back into the ingredients to balance it out.

Kim describes dry pet food as ‘the bottom of the barrel’. It is designed to last on the shelf for 8 to 12 months without refrigeration. There is almost zero nutritional value in dry food. All the water content has been cooked out of it and the gut has to work hard to break it down. This is particularly dangerous for cats. Read on to find out why.

Pet meat is primarily made from leftover meat parts that are not fit for human consumption. Humans have strict regulations in place for food safety. There is currently no regulatory body to govern the pet food manufacturing industry.

Read the label, Kim says, just like humans do. Check the list of ingredients before feeding anything to your pet. Chances are, if there are more than 10 ingredients, it is junk food.

The foundations of good pet nutrition

As for humans, fresh is always best. Fresh food is plentiful, easy to find, affordable and simple to prepare as an extension of the family’s diet. Even if your budget is tight, you can feed your pets simple fresh food without too much fuss.

It is important to know that dogs and cats don’t have the same nutritional needs. Dogs have a similar gut system to humans, while cats have a totally different metabolism. 

Dogs thrive on meat, vegies and a few raw bones a week. Cats specifically need raw meat to maintain good health. You can also fortify your pet’s diet with a good supplement recommended by your vet. Read on for detailed advice for dogs and cats.

Weight issues with dogs and cats are rarely to do with exercise. It is usually related to portion size and diet quality. Talk to your vet regularly to check you are on the right track for your pet’s size, age and breed.

Short on time for home cooking?

It’s a busy life for many pet owners. Not everyone can afford the time to regularly cook up fresh batches of pet food. Kim is a big advocate for cooking in bulk and freezing portions in the freezer. 

If this is not always an option for you, there are low-processed brands out there that will do the job well enough. These products are locally made from human-grade ingredients. Pet foods manufactured overseas are usually highly processed. Kim is happy to advise clients about reliable brands at her clinic. Talk to your vet for recommendations.

Kim suggests keeping dry food to a minimum and, as a rule of thumb, read the nutritional panel to check for no more than 10 ingredients.

In the end, pet owners have to make informed decisions about diet that sit in line with their own circumstances. Just do the best you can and be aware of what is in the packet. 

What should I feed my dog?

Home-cooked meat and vegies plus a raw bone once or twice a week is the perfect balanced diet for a dog. You can include a vitamin and mineral supplement with guidance from your vet if you want to.

Kim cooks a big pot of meat, vegies and rice once a week and freezes it in portions for her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Zen.

A raw chicken wing or carcass is great for keeping teeth clean. Kim doesn’t recommend smaller bones, just wings or frames, as they can get stuck in your dog’s throat. They don’t need bones more than twice a week.

If you are short on time, there are low-processed brands that sell mushed meat, including organs and bones, in a bag. It comes in a pouch and is easy to prepare. Ask at Ringwood Vet Clinic if you want guidance on reliable products.

Kim gives a copy of The Real Food Revolution for Dogs – published by Wellbeing for Dogs based in Melbourne – to all of her clients. If you don’t have one, ask next time you come into the clinic. The resource advises on what you should feed your dog, portion size, and ratio of different food groups for body weight.

Is raw or cooked meat better?

Puppies and older dogs have weaker guts for digesting raw meat, so can have gastric upsets. Kim recommends cooking the meat into a stew for easier digestion. As a puppy ages, you can cook the meat less and less as their guts are designed for eating raw meat. As the dog starts to get old, Kim advises cooking the meat again. This is not so different to humans!

Don’t cook pet meat, use human-grade meat. Pet mince is primarily made from leftover meat parts that are not fit for human consumption.

What about doggy treats?

Most ‘treats’ on the market are junk food. Kim suggests buying a low-processed, quality meat roll and slicing it up into small cubes as treats. You can freeze portions of the cubed meat for convenience. Ask at Ringwood Vet Clinic for advice on good brands. 

When training a puppy, reward treats could make up 50-60% of its diet, rather than adding treats on top of a full diet.

What should I feed my cat?

Cats are obligate carnivores – their diet requires nutrients found only in animal flesh. They have a completely different metabolism to dogs and humans. Cats can’t survive without meat. 

There is a component in meat called taurine that they can’t synthesise themselves but humans can. If we don’t feed cats raw meat, or something that is supplemented with taurine, they end up with irreversible cardiac disease.

We can still prepare fresh food for cats but it has to be raw meat. They need more than just muscle meat. Their diet must include organ meat (liver or heart) at least a few times a week.

Cats need a good vitamin and mineral supplement as well. Ask your vet for recommendations.

Why cats are drawn to running water

Cats came from Egypt which is a desert nation. Cats evolved not to drink stagnant water because still desert water is often contaminated. They learned not drink it to avoid sickness or death. Cats evolved to drink running water for survival. 

Ever noticed that they like to hang around sinks, running taps and shower cubicles? They like to drink from puddles because the water is fresh. Cats don’t really like designated water bowls because they have often been sitting around for hours or days. Not many cat owners know this!

Kim leaves a glass at every sink for her two cats to drink from. They appear when the taps are running and will drink from the glass if it is filled right then and there. Or they will drink straight from the tap. 

Cats want to be where the running water is.

Don’t feed cats dry food

Cats evolved to get most of their fluid from food. Bodies are 80% water. If a cat eats a bird or a mouse, the meal is 80% fluid.

Today, 50% of the cat food products on the market are dry food. They have zero water in them. Even if a cat is a good drinker, they can’t compensate for a dehydrated diet.

Nearly every single cat over the age of 12 that Ringwood Vet Clinic sees has some degree of renal failure as a result of a dry food-based diet. They have been chronically dehydrated for their entire lives. Eventually, the kidneys can’t compensate for that anymore. This common renal failure in cats is clearly related to diet.

Kim wants people to understand that you shouldn’t feed cats dry food. It can eventually contribute to irreversible health damage. 

Your cat will thrive on raw meat including organs, a little wet food, a good vitamin supplement, and lots of freshly run water.

Understand what you are feeding your pet

Diet plays a huge role in the wellbeing of all animals. We now understand the importance of gut health. The balance of bacteria is important and intricately linked to the immune system.

Processed food, overmedication and overtreatment all contribute to the depletion of an animal’s immune system.

Apply the same common sense to your pet’s diet as your human family’s diet. The same rules apply. Feeding your pet processed food is bound to lead to health problems, just like in humans.

Kim, as a vet who advocates for health and longevity in animals, urges people to be informed about the true nutritional needs of their pets, then make choices.

Pets rely on us for their welfare. They can’t choose their diet for themselves. We owe it the animals in our lives to do the basic research and get it right.