What do your pets like to eat?

By: Susana Fuentes, Raw Pet Food Nutrition Specialist

Why add fresh food to your pet's diet?

Let's talk a little about carnivores, dogs, wolves, cats, ferrets, etc. What does it mean that they are carnivores? Basically that your body is prepared to absorb nutrients from other animal sources.

The closest wild reference that we have is that of wolves, whose DNA differs by only 0.2% from that of dogs1, and it has been verified that in their stomach they have the organs, muscles, bones and also the chewed and fermented vegetables of their prey. Some fruits, herbs and vegetables have also been found in the summer season. The most exciting thing is that dogs can live up to 30 years on this diet, for example Maggie who was an Australian kelpie who lived happily on the farm until she was 302 and other canines today who are 27 years old.

And how have they achieved this? Following a lifestyle with plenty of daily exercise, a fresh and balanced diet, in a natural and stress-free environment.

Now let's see what the food we feed our pets consists of and what ingredients does the concentrate contain? To have that consistency of "Biscuit" or "Croquette" suitable for humans, it must contain flour, which ranges from 20% to 70% depending on the brand. And what is the problem with this? First of all, they are stuffing a large volume of their food with carbohydrates, which is totally devoid of nutrients; secondly, the body processes flours that are carbohydrates like sugar, due to this it causes high insulin spikes every time it is eaten, and that is why there are so many pets with diabetes, obesity and with a lack of nutrients necessary for the substitute of these flours. In the same way, if you add rice, pasta or bread to your diet, it does not matter if it is whole grain, you will be raising your levels of inflammation and glucose in the body.

Another relevant point when using non-organic grains such as wheat, corn, rice, or sources of "grain-free" concentrates such as legumes or potatoes is that due to poor planting (growth) conditions and even unsterilized facilities and containers, It accumulates and forms humidity, mold and fungi, which generate powerful carcinogens such as Aflatoxins and Mycotoxins, which can cause cancer and liver or kidney failure.

Now let's look at the raw material, which should be nutritionally balanced and simulating prey: sick cattle in the food chain that do not pass the standards to be sold as fit for human consumption are sold cheaper to concentrate companies and are not they preserve it in the same way as human food, which is always frozen, but they add preservatives, which are chemicals that cause cancer3 and without freezing them, dangerous bacteria grow due to misuse, but this does not matter to them, since they cook it later at such high temperatures that nothing survives, literally not even nutrients.

Therefore, they are forced to add synthetic vitamins and minerals to reach the minimum amount established by the AAFCO, and unfortunately they are added as if it were a formula devised by man and not by nature. For example, the taurine found in the liver, which should always be included in the diet, is not included in concentrates, only that of cats. The rationale they indicate is because dogs can generate taurine, of course, only if they have adequate nutrients and health and produce only a percentage of taurine since it should always feed through the organs. A lack of taurine can affect the eyes and even the health of the heart. Another example is vitamin D, which has been found in large amounts in concentrates, which can cause high toxicity and damage the kidneys. And finally, we will always be questioning if the body can come to recognize these synthetic vitamins as real or if it takes them as invaders and instead of feeding on them, it discards them or even creates antibodies for this unknown form.

By cooking at high temperatures, it changes so chemically that it generates toxic substances such as heterocyclic amines, which are highly carcinogenic. Another unfavorable point is that since everything is cooked, preserved and not fresh, it becomes a dead food that does not contain enzymes, bacteria or probiotics beneficial to the body, something that they should eat daily since it nourishes the microbiome that is in the intestines that helps to digest food and strengthen your immune system, so it is a determining factor in maintaining your health.

Finally, I want to deal with the ingredients that are not identified, that is, if it says "meat meal" or "meat meal by products", since it is not an animal identified as beef meal or chicken meal, for example, they may include from dead animals on the roads or in zoos, or even animals put to sleep with euthanasia and as a consequence the concentrate may be poisoned. There is a documentary called “Pet Fooled”4 in which they deal with several cases of pets that were poisoned through food, so let's read the ingredients, and always verify the animal sources that the brand we buy contains.

Concluding... why give them a fresh diet?
It's what their body is set up to easily digest and absorb, without chemicals or meal that would never be in their prey and in a form that they could never feed themselves. And if we think that dogs have evolved to digest processed food that did not exist 100 years ago, created with a large amount of carbohydrates and chemicals and not fresh food simulating prey, let's take the evolution of humans who have the same genetics as a reference. from 40,000 years ago and we are still eating rice, potatoes, meat, vegetables, fresh, prepared as they were from ten thousand years ago... So by giving them an appropriate diet for the carnivores that they are, we are giving them the best opportunity to live healthily and how they should be. deserve.


Indications of use

How to transition your pet?

There are many methods and this will depend on each pet, the time it takes to get used to natural food, it is only to identify it.

Start by giving him a serving of RawFood at a separate meal time from the food you normally feed him, for example in the morning for breakfast. At the next meal time in the evening, continue with the normal serving of the old meal. Repeat this for a couple of days, until you notice that his stools are normal. After several days giving him a full meal time, he begins to give him the 2 rations of RawFood, that is, at breakfast and at night.

You should observe your pet's waste daily, as this will be your guide. If he does have any degree of diarrhea or vomiting, you should transition more slowly. Because your stomach pH is increasing its acidity, it may take some getting used to.

Generally the transition is quite fast, in cases of puppies that have been eating only commercial dry food for several years, it may take up to 21 days to get used to RawFood organic food, but it depends on each pet. Be patient and do not hesitate to ask us any questions you have about the transition.

RawFood Meal Instructions

• The containers that are delivered to you each week must be stored in the freezer, in this way the food will always remain fresh and well preserved.
• To feed, you must take the food out of the freezer approximately 8 to 10 hours before, so that the food thaws and it is fed at room temperature. DO NOT USE MICROWAVE.
• You must give your pet food in its bowl and not in transport containers.
• The containers are returnable to avoid producing garbage

It is recommended:
• Wash your pet's food dishes after each meal to avoid any residue that could contaminate the new food.
• Give them filtered water and not direct tap water, to prevent them from daily ingesting chemicals added to commonly used water.

References:
Dogs, Domestication and the development of social Bond by Darcy F Morey, Page 17
https://www.bay939.com.au/bay-lifestyle/pets/62470-world-s-oldest-possible-canine-maggie-the-victorian-kelpie
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3899519
https://www.petfooled.com/