You are most likely aware of how important a natural diet is for good health for yourself and your family but what about your pets? Many pet foods can contain nasty fillers and food that is not safe for human consumption. And while pets needs are different than ours and they also can handle foods we can’t, it’s still best to feed the high quality food with real standards.
My dog, Patience, eats a natural diet which has helped her have a nice healthy coat, good overall health and maintain a healthy weight. The vet comments every time she sees her that she looks great. This is even more amazing because she was close to death with she showed up my parents house after being dumped with her puppies. If you met her now you would never know she was so close to death.
Making the Switch
When switching your pet to a new diet it’s best to do it gradually to be sure they will tolerate it well and to not upset their digestive system. Many recommend switching over the course of 7-10 days. Start at around 25% of the new food and do that for three days or so and then 50% for three days and so on.
During the switch be sure to watch for changes in the pets stool and general health. If your pet seems constipated, has loose stool, vomits or has changes in their health, contact your vet. Remember just like people pets can have allergies to some foods so watch for signs that your pet isn’t dealing with the change in their diet, so you can adjust if needed.
My Recommendations
While a totally organic, raw diet is likely best for all pets that is not always possible. My dog gets part raw and part natural dog food. Feeding a 90 lb dog is never cheap but this combo keeps it affordable and keeps my dog healthy.
If you do choose to use some or all natural pet food, there are some good choices out there. PetSmart carries several great brands of natural pet food, here are some of them.
My dog eats Organix and has done very well on it. It’s made in the USA, which is very important to me after all of the pet food recalls a few years ago and contains a lot of great certified organic ingredients. And it doesn’t contain wheat, corn or meat by-products.
Another good and very affordable option is PetSmart’s line of dog food called Simply Nourish. While it’s not organic it does use natural ingredients. It doesn’t have all the cheap fillers and contains a lot of good fruits and veggies.
Do you feed your pet(s) a natural diet? If so, what do you use? Also if you want to learn more about why feeding your pet natural is important check out The Benefits of a Natural/Organic Diet.
Disclaimer: Pet Smart gave me free pet food coupons to aid me in this post. There are also affiliate links in this post. However, these are my honest views. For more info please read my full disclaimer.
Love this post :3 Blue Buffalo is also a great brand which is available at Walmart if specialty food stores are not in the area, and it’s quality in meat ingredients trumps even Wellness core. Raw diets are awesome. Our dog Chibi is fed half raw and kiddle called Now. It’s holistic and grain free. No one should ever listen to their vet about “specialty” foods made by Royal Canin or Scient Diet. Vets are not actually required to be trained in proper dog and cat nutrition, and the ones that suggest to you lower quality foods like R.C. or S.D. or Purina or anything like that, are actually getting paid by the manufacturer’s to push their product, regardless of the affect it has on pet health over time.
Thanks and yes a lot of vets aren’t knowledgable on pet nutrition. There is a holistic vet I follow on FB that is trained in pet nutrition and she posts a ton of good info.