a nutritionally complete recipe DIY meal plan; by showing your vet the nutritional analysis of the homemade recipe you’re following, you can reduce your vet’s fears about inadvertently creating nutritional deficiencies.” Becker said, “The wonderful thing about homemade, fresh pet food is that you’re in complete control of the quality of the ingredients and it’s more nutritionally dense, as the ingredients are fresh and haven’t undergone extensive processing.” The second concern vets have is bacterial contamination from the mishandling of raw meat. “Fresh meat purchased at your local grocery store needs to be handled with care, regardless of what species it’s intended for (whether you’re cooking a BBQ lunch for your two-legged kids or preparing a scrumptious dinner for your four-legged friends,)” Becker said. “The good news is that most folks are aware that raw meat has the potential to contain bacteria that can be harmful to humans if not handled and stored correctly. If knowledgeable, well- informed pet owners can demonstrate that they are able to prepare nutritionally complete meals with safe food handling techniques, most vets will be on board with homemade diets but it’s all about how educated guardians are.” There are raw food diets available at local pet stores, but the questions remains, is it best to buy your raw food prepared or make it yourself with fresh ingredients? Or a combination of both? “Some countries (like the US) require a nutritional adequacy statement on commercially available pet foods and have a federal “zero tolerance” policy for all commercial pet foods (including
raw foods) for salmonella bacteria.” Dr Becker said, “Other countries (like Canada) do not have this requirement, so vets and pet parents aren’t able to discern whether commercially available pet foods meet minimum nutritional requirements or have undergone stringent food safety testing. This means the public must discern if the pet food they purchased is nutritionally adequate and safe by reviewing company website information and/ or talking with brands about what nutritional standards were used to formulate their food.” Dr. Becker agrees that some pet food brands will not provide a nutritional analysis compared to accepted dog and cat nutritional requirements; vets wisely advise you avoid feeding these brands consistently, as there’s no way to know if the food contains adequate nutrients for long term health. “Transparent pet food companies are proud to disclose their ingredient sourcing (where their meat comes from and if it’s human-grade quality or “feed grade”) and provide complete nutritional analyses, compared to accepted standards, on their website.” She said, “The most important thing to remember, whether you buy pet food or make pet food, is that you want to nourish your animals with high-quality foods that are biologically appropriate (for dogs and cats this means minimally processed and very low carb). Dr. Becker advises that fresh food diets, homemade or commercially produced, should contain all of the essential amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals necessary to sustain healthy growth and development, as well as contain a variety of antioxidants, polyphenols and phytonutrients to slow
the onset of degenerative diseases. “Making nutritionally complete recipes at home means you’re using all human grade ingredients, because they are coming from a grocery store. This is not the case when purchasing pet foods; the vast majority of dog and cat foods are not made with human edible ingredients. This means the consumer needs to be able to adequately research the brands they are considering feeding prior to assuming all commercial pet food is healthy and safe.” Wellness veterinarian Dr. Karen Shaw Becker believes biologically appropriate food and an animal’s immediate environment are the most important factors in determining health, vitality, and lifespan. She has spent her career as a small animal clinician, empowering animal guardians to make intentional lifestyle decisions to enhance the wellbeing of their animals. Her #1 selling dog health book, The Forever Dog, is available worldwide, wherever books are sold.
www.drkarenbecker.com
FALL 2022/WINTER 2023 www.pei-living.ca
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