Showing posts with label protein and dog food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label protein and dog food. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 14, 2018

How Much Protein Is In Your Cat Or Dog's Diet?


Is your pet always ravenous? Begging for treats all day long? Is your pet overweight? One reason could be that the protein percentage in your pet’s diet is too low. Pets need ample amounts of real protein from real food. Many pet foods amp up the protein percentage on the label sourcing with protein from potatoes, peas and soy. Animals (especially cats) require natural protein from meat, poultry or fish. If one of these sources isn’t the very first ingredient on your pet’s food, then the diet might be lacking. Protein builds a healthy immune system, muscoloskeletal system and regulates blood sugar. Protein is an essential building block for bones, muscles, blood and hormones. Diets low in protein are often high in carbohydrates which can cause insulin to spike leaving pets feeling hungrier just a few hours after eating. What’s a pet owner to do? Invest in a higher quality food and if possible keep dry kibble to a minimum (most dry food is high in carbs). If possible, feed your pet a raw frozen diet or include some raw frozen nuggets as a portion of your pet’s meal. Give your pet freeze dried protein treats (e.g. salmon pieces) vs biscuits or cookies made from grains. Look for grain-free foods (remember grain-free could be sourcing the protein from peas, legumes or potatoes) but more importantly look for pet food where the first ingredient is meat, poultry or fish.

Note: Pets with kidney or liver disease need a controlled protein diet and some elderly pets as well.
Sunday, October 6, 2013

3 Easy Weight-Loss Tips For Pets

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1) Add More Protein When a pet is constantly begging, it could be that they are not getting enough protein.  Think about it---when you eat too many carbohydrates--what happens?---you crave more carbs.  While dogs and cats are natural scavengers, some pets seem to be ravenous.  Check the ingredients on your pet's food label.  There may be too many carbohydrates in the form of grains, potatoes or peas. Carbohydrates are heavily used EVEN IN GRAIN-FREE DIETS to keep manufacturing costs down.  If your pet does not have a medical need for a reduced protein diet, switch to a high protein, raw or canned diet.  You will need to reduce the overall amount of food you were giving previously as pet foods with fillers often recommend much larger quantities.

2)   Carefully Measure Food Amounts— “Guesstimating” how much is in a cup can lead to obesity.  Many scoops are actually two cups not one. 


3) Feed At Least Two or Three Smaller Meals-Small meals regulate your pet's blood sugar and improve digestion.  We do not recommend FREE feeding.  This is a common practice especially in multi-cat households because some pets end up overeating while others undereat. Use a small amount of pumpkin or add some green vegetables to help your pet feel more satiated.