Supplemental Raw Feeding
Written by Russell Blauert, owner of IB Pet and San Diego Pet Food Delivery
Raw is the just that, raw. Raw is what your pet has evolved to eat and would eat in the wild. Kibble was designed for our convenience and not your pet's health so it makes sense to feed them what they are designed to eat. Dogs and cats have extremely short and fast moving digestive tracts and need highly nutrient rich and digestible food. Raw meat is exactly that. See my earlier post, Raw 101, for a USDA nutrient breakdown study done on cooked food. Most kibble is extruded(cooked) at temperatures over 300 degree F. The nutrient loss can be as high as 75% of the total.
When you start supplemental feeding with raw I suggest mixing in a 1 oz thawed portion of the meat into the kibble with a spoon or a fork. You can slowly increase the amount of raw each day. You want to slowly transition any food change to keep your pet from getting an upset stomach. As you transition you need to reduce the amount of kibble that your pet receives so that they aren't getting too many calories and become overweight. A great feeding calculator can be found on Nature Variety's website: http://www.naturesvariety.com/feedguide
Since you are still feeding a complete and balanced kibble or can you can select raw products that are not "complete and balanced". These are usually referred to as "grinds". They might be 100% meat or a combination of meat, vegetables, fruits and vitamins. If you'd rather stick to complete and balanced raw that is fine also. A good general rule of raw is that if it comes in patties or nuggets then the product is complete and balanced. Just ask us on the phone, email or in the store about any specific questions.
So, go out and get started with raw today. Your vet bills will go down and you will have a healthier, happier pet!
Lori & Russell Blauert - Owners
Phone : 619-822-1610
Email : contact@ibpet.net
Web : http://www.ibpet.net
Twitter : https://twitter.com/ibpet
