The meat in your pet’s food…

As a private chef, our 2 pups usually make out like bandits. Right now, there is some chicken bone broth simmering away on the stove and I will save the carrots, celery, and chicken meat for them. Add a few sweet potatoes, some peas and voila, dinner is served. (If you cook for your pets too, don’t forget to add any supplements they might need to make a balanced meal. We like to add Pet Kelp and Pet Natural’s Oral Health for their teeth)

I am certainly not an expert by any means. But as a caring pet parent, I want to know what my pups are eating. It’s always been strange to me that kibble doesn’t have to be refrigerated. After all, it has meat in it right? Well, I’ve come to learn that not all kibble is created equal.

If you look at the ingredients on your bag of kibble, it might have meat, but also meat meal, bone meal and other meat by ingredients.  The pet industry is 58 billion dollars strong, yet regulations aren’t as strong when it comes to what goes into a can or bag of pet food.

“Meat” usually isn’t the chicken breast, salmon steak or piece of tuna you see in advertised in an ad. It can be any part derived from the clean flesh around the slaughtered animal (think gristle, organs, tongue, tendons, veins, all of the parts that are leftover AFTER the good parts are sold at the market)  Bone meal is all parts is parts ground up into a paste. If that isn’t enough, because bone paste is gray and unappealing, there are a whole slew of  chemicals that can be added into to make it appealing.

I apologize in advance if you are eating breakfast, lunch or dinner while reading this. But I know you want your pet to have the best care possible and food is a huge part of their life! I also learned that “humangrade” doesn’t mean it is approved human consumption (c’mon, think bone paste) Petsnaturally.com has done an amazing job explaining all of this in detail. Hop over here to read more in detail.

And ask questions! Ask away at your neighborhood pet food store. Become informed about what you are paying for.

Meanwhile, here are some easy things you can do in 2016 to complement your pet’s current diet.
-Shred raw carrots to add some veggies into their meal
-If your pet likes chicken, bake a breast at 350 for 30 minutes. let cool and slice into chunks or strips as real treats, or top off their bowl.
-If your pet is more into fish, do the same with a piece of coho salmon.
-Roast sweet potatoes plain in the oven at 350 for 40 minutes. let cool, peel and slice into discs.

Until next time,

Claire/Team Luxepets