The Importance of Feeding Variety
Probably the best marketing sham pet food
companies ever came up with is that it is harmful to switch your dog’s food.
“Our food is balanced and complete and has everything your dog needs. Switching
foods can make your pet sick and feeding table scraps will make them picky.”
The unfortunate truth is that it is a self fulfilling prophecy. Feed your dog
the same thing every day and you bet they will get sick if they eat something
different. Feed them real food and they will likely start refusing their
“balanced” nutrition pellets. This idea has created a loyal following that is
uncanny. Unfortunately, it is not benefitting dogs and when one thinks about it
logically, the idea of feeding any animal the exact same thing every day seems
absurd! Could you imagine going into your doctor’s office and having them shame
you for eating something other than your balanced human diet of one single food
fortified with vitamins and minerals?
Every food has a slightly different
nutrient profile. Even kibble which is designed to be relatively uniform when
it comes to vitamins and minerals is going to have varying levels of nutrients
and varying levels of bioavailability according to each individual dog. We
should be striving to achieve a balance of nutrients for our pets over time
through feeding a variety of foods that are all going to have different, varying
levels of benefits. We should also be striving to achieve resilience through
feeding a variety of foods. If you feed the exact same thing all of the time,
the body reacts very poorly to new foods. Over time, many dogs will begin to
build a sort of “immunity” to the foods that are eaten every day for an
extended period of time in the form of allergies. Your pet’s immune system is
based in their digestive system, creating a diverse, resilient system will only
benefit the overall health of your dog.
No matter what you feed your pet and what
your feeding beliefs are, your dog or cat will benefit from adding variety in
their diet. If they are eating the same thing every day, start slow and build
up to being able to introduce new foods. If you are a kibble feeder, switch
brands every time you buy a new bag. Add in some fresh foods, feed healthy
table scraps, try out some canned foods or dehydrated foods. For raw feeders,
try to feed at least 4 different protein sources (including organ meats). At
least one of your protein sources should be a red meat. Feed canned or
dehydrated once in a while, include healthy left overs from your own meals. If
you are doing home cooked, rotate your recipes, use different muscle meats as
your base, include different types of organs, mix up how you cook the food,
(pan fried, boiled, slow cooked etc).
The bottom line is that feeding variety
just makes sense. We need to shift our thinking away from the idea that feeding
just one food, is in any way beneficial. The benefits of using common sense
when feeding our animals is huge! If you are new to thinking about what your
dog is eating, take baby steps. Every small step in the right direction is of
benefit to your best friend.
For high quality, affordable, hormone and steroid free raw diet for your pet, check out our store!
(Calgary, AB and area)
