Just as people today are being more conscious about the foods we eat, it is increasingly becoming important to know exactly what your dogs are eating.
With the Xylitol scare last year, pet owners are quickly realising that not everything we eat ourselves, are necessarily good or healthy for their dogs. Xylitol as many pet owners will now know due to the coverage it has gotten on the news, is a sugar substitute that is being added to many common products like bubble-gum and peanut butter to name a few. Many dog owners would not feed bubble-gum to their dogs but, peanut butter is commonly fed to our beloved four-legged friends as they find it irresistible. With Xylitol being added to certain products, pet owners will now have to be more aware of the ingredients list to ensure that it doesn’t contain this potentially fatal ingredient.
This brings us back to the point, why feed your dog natural products? Wolves, a dog’s closest relative in the wild, feed on animal carcasses which contain everything from organs to bones. They lived long healthy lives, were always active and very rarely died of common issues affected by dogs today like heart disease and weight-related issues.
Treats today are very processed and contain ingredients that are not always good for dogs and certainly not in large quantities.
If eating naturally were good enough for wolves, then why not feed it to your dog as well? Most people complain that a raw food diet, although healthy for their pet is way too messy to prepare, has to be defrosted and attracts flies and insects. It not so many words, it’s too much of a hassle to feed a raw diet as it is much easier to throw a couple of dog biscuits in a bowl instead. Now don’t get me wrong there is nothing wrong with feeding your dog a super-premium dog food.
There is a lot of research that goes in to designing the perfect well-balanced dry food but any dog will quickly let you know that they would much rather chew a bone or chow down on some raw ox liver (our dogs happen to love them). The issue is they don’t smell the best when preparing, if bought in bulk will have to be frozen and defrosted at a later stage, and can attract insects and flies if not eaten immediately. For this reason, dehydrated organs like liver, heart, tripe etc. are great. They can be given as a treat to your dog and because they are all-natural, you don’t have to worry that they will negatively affect your dog.
Please note however that if your dog has a certain food allergy, follow your vet’s advice regarding food choices. It is also important that you don’t over-indulge your dog on too many variety and feed them in excess as this could cause them to have a loose stool. If your dog trying a natural treat for the first time, give him one to try and wait to see what effect it has on his stomach. If there are no issues, you can feed your pawed friend the recommended daily amount. Dehydrated tripe is great for settling a dog stomach problems if your dog is going through a food change too. It has all the nutrients and probiotics to assist in maintaining healthy digestion.
Organs are an important part of a dog’s diet. Liver and kidney in particular are nutrient-dense and provide a great deal of nutritional value. These foods should make up about 5 percent of the total diet.
* Note that they may cause loose stools if too much is fed at one time. It is better to feed smaller amounts daily or every other day than to feed larger amounts once or twice a week.
Heart is nutritionally more like muscle meat than organ meat, but it is rich in taurine and other nutrients. If possible, make hearts another 5 to 10 percent of the diet. More can be fed; just remember that too much can lead to loose stools in some dogs. Other organs, such as spleen, eyeballs, sweetbreads (pancreas and thymus glands), brain, etc. are nutritious and can be added to the diet in small amounts.
Although we don’t offer these organs in the raw form, we do have a variety of dehydrated organs that can be fed to your dog as a treat in the recommended daily amounts. Our range of New Zealand sourced natural dog treats are a great supplement to any dog’s diet and we have everything from soft reward treats to chew treats. There is something for all breeds from small to large. All our natural treats contain no added salt or sugar, are grain and gluten-free and have absolutely NO artificial preservatives, colours or flavours. Why not have a look at our range and try some on your dog today!