Raw food for cats and dogs is the new house-hold word. It may have been at least one positive benefit of the many pet food recalls the past few years. Suppliers making raw food have been sprouting up like mushrooms. While that is a terrific thing, you will need to conduct some research of the food, especially if your pet is a cat. Many manufacturers will make the same raw food for dogs and cats with the problem that cats have very specific requirements which are different from dogs.

When you decide to buy prepared raw food for your kitty, here are some things you HAVE to look out for:

1.Calcium/Phosphorus ratio. Felines have quite a narrow range of the calcium to phosphorus content of their diet. The best range for cats is 1.2 – 1.4:1 Calcium is found in bone and phosphorous is found in muscle meat and organs. Not only will Various types of meat have various levels of phosphorous, but thigh meat will have different amounts than breast meat.It is essential that the raw food you buy follow the above mentioned ratio. If the information is not readily available on the manufacturers web site, nor on the package, (which is all too common) you will need to email or call them. Make sure you get a definitive answer with the exact numbers including how they arrived to them. An imbalance of Calcium and Phosphorous can cause a serious problems. Then we have the:

2.Amount of Vegetable matter. Adding some vegetables to a feline diet is OK as long as it is a small percentage. 3-5% is OK. The food you feed should contain max 10% veggies. The percentage may not be available and you may need to contact the manufacturer. Garlic and onions can cause anemia in cats and should never be used. Tomatoes can exacerbate arthritis and most vegetables will raise the urinary pH which can cause urinary tract issues. Herbs should never be used long term and are frequently added to raw prepared diets.

3.Organ meats. Does the food contain organ meats and at what proportion? Feline diets should contain approximately 10% organ meats. Organs provide important vitamins and other nutrients vital for the cat.

4.Taurine. Taurine is an essential amino acid. Cats are unable to synthesize Taurine, therefore it needs to be provided in the food. In the wild cats naturally consume meats and prey high in Taurine. Mice are naturally very high in Taurine. A cat eating plenty of mice would be assured of their Taurine requirement. But what cat eats fresh mice regularly? While all meats contain Taurine to some degree, handling and freezing the meat diminishes the amount. Some meats, like rabbit have a dangeroulsy low amount of Taurine while chicken hearts have a high amount. Why keep track of all that when it is so easy to add some taurine yourself? Not only is taurine inexpensive it takes a second to add some to the food at the time of feeding. We recommend about 1000 mg per pound of meat. In the early days of commercial pet food, thousands of cats died before the pet food companies discovered that they have to add taurine. Taurine deficiencies can cause blindness and heart disease which can be fatal.

Raw food is ideal for dogs and cats. They are carnivores after all…but buyer beware. Make sure what you feed is properly balanced. Ask until you get the answers, and move on if the answers aren’t coming, or don’t provide the information you seek.

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I don?t have to ask you but humor me – you love your pet right? Everybody does, why else would you own one. And I am sure you want to give him the very best that is why you scour the grocery aisles looking for the perfect pet food for your little darling. It may surprise you to know this but homemade pet food is actually a better way to give your dog the vitamins and nutrients he needs.

There is one important thing you need to know, and that is that leftover table scraps are not qualified as homemade dog food. Pieces of bone, seed, tough stems and even too much animal fat should not be fed to the canine. If you consistently have meals that are healthy and low in sodium then go ahead and hand him some of those uneaten vegetables under the table. Otherwise, it will be best to prepare a healthful diet specific to him.

Remember to keep away from fare that is harmful to them. Some examples of these are chocolates, ham, lunch meat, cheese and overly spicy food. Not only will these cause problems in your dog?s digestive system; many times adverse reactions can even cause death. Incorporate healthy grains like rice, barley and oatmeal in his meals. Add bite size pieces of chicken, beef or any organ meat so long as you don?t over feed him on this. Make certain all food are cooked thoroughly.

Fresh vegetables like carrots, broccoli, seaweed and bananas finely chopped and mashed will make for great additions to the meals you are preparing for him. The main purpose and goal with homemade pet food is to provide your dog with the right and appropriate nutrients that will make him as healthy as possible right? You can also read up on special supplements to fill in the essential vitamins he may not always get. As always, consult your vet first before proceeding with any diet changes.

The rule of thumb is that homemade and store bought food should not be served simultaneously to the pet. Oftentimes, the result of this will be indigestion and maybe food allergies. If Fido has been feeding on a certain brand of dog food and you want to start weaning him off it, do so gradually. Begin by handing him small snacks in between the regular food you serve. If there are no unfavorable physical reactions forthcoming, slowly decrease the volume of processed dog food and increase the quantity of fresh fare being given.

The great thing about this is that you do not have to prepare their food daily. In fact, take the healthy leftovers of the dinner the past week and you will have several days? worth of tasty dog meals you can supply your pet with. It is good to change it up frequently not only to keep him interested, but also to lower the risk of getting food allergy – a likelihood when the animal is given the same kinds of food too often.

Not only will you be giving your pet a healthier lifestyle; you will also save more money when homemade dog food is prepared and planned well. Use the extra savings to buy doggie toys or other entertaining treats with. Now that?s something to wag your tail for!

Juliette Crane’s famous homemade pet food is the reason for many pet owner?s happy canine. Get these fantastic Homemade Dog Food Recipes today. Your dog will thank you.

As all cat lovers, we want go feed our feline bosses a healthy, species appropriate diet. But…finding a good food for your kitty may take a bit of detective work. Discounting advertising slogans such as “Wholesome” and “Recommended by veterinarians” along with the deceptive, yet legal, labels that allow “meat” to be the number 1 ingredient even though it is far down the list.

Many ingredients found in pet food have nu business being there. Not only do they have no value whatsoever to the animal, but can be downright detrimental. Their only reason for being in the food is that they are cheap and increases the profit for the company and it’s share holders.

While the pet food conglomerates want you to believe that grains are “wholesome” for your cat or dog, they are implicated with a long range of health problems. Not to mention grains have no part of the diet that our magnificent felines have evolved on for the past few millions of years.

One of the worst ingredients in pet food is corn. It irritates the bowel, it is highly allergy producing and it has a high glycemic index.

What that means is that after the cat eats a meal that contains corn, her blood sugar level rises. Cats have different metabolic pathways than humans do, and do not have the necessary enzymes to handle the onslaught of sugar in their blood stream. While humans get their energy from sugar,cats get their energy from animal protein.

Commercial kibble containing corn has 30-60% carbohydrates. A cat in the wild, eating what nature intended for them to eat, will eat food containing 3-5% carbohydrates.

After eating a meal of kibble your cat’s blood sugar level will spike because the body is not equipped to handle all those carbs.

Constant spikes in blood sugar levels are taxing on vital organs such as liver and kidneys and taxing on the endocrine system. The end result is not infrequently insulin dependent feline diabetes.

Corn is also a culprit in feline obesity. Cats do not register full after consuming carbs. Cats register full after having consumed the required amounts of protein. In order to satisfy the need for protein your cat has to eat more of the inferior, grain containing kibble.

Getting your pet onto a food that contains no grains should be a goal for all pet owners and can reverse illnesses such a IBD and even insulin dependent diabetes.

Start looking today for a brand of food that contains no corn, no wheat and no soy. Your furry friend will thank you.

So many of the dog foods available to us today try to lure you in by telling us about the great quality of the meat, grains, and vegetables they use. Can you believe them? To find out, you have to read the dog food ingredients list. But beware, they are tricky to navigate.

What is a healthy dog food? A healthy dog food can be broken into 2 components: the right type of food for your particular dog, and the quality of the ingredients. The first part depends upon what kind of dog you have. Is he active? Does he have a medical condition? Is she nursing pups? You first need to determine the type of dog food that best suites your dog.

Now you must figure out the quality of the ingredients used. The proteins are a very important part of a good, quality dog food. They are also a good source of confusion when looking at the ingredients list. Animal proteins can be stated in different ways. Meat, meal, and by-product are the three main categories.

Three Categories – What’s the Difference? The meat is rather simple – it is the meat from the animal. Meal is also straight-forward – it is the meat after most of the moisture has been removed and then ground up. By-products, confusing at first, are also rather straight-forward – it is most everything else from the animal after all the meat has been removed (necks, intestines, brain, etc.)

Which is Better – Meat or Meal? Now you look at your dog food ingredients list. Naturally, most people would assume seeing the meat listed as the first ingredient would mean the best food. But in actuality, you want to see the meat in the meal form.

Ingredients must be listed in order of weight. Meat still has water in it, meat meal has been dehydrated. Therefore, one pound of meat meal will have more protein and nutrients in it than one pound of meat. When actually making the dog food, the meat will be dehydrated. If they listed the meat after this dehydration, it would fall much lower down the ingredient list.

What Does An Unidentified Meat Mean? Any dog food that is worth it’s weight will have identifiable animal meats in it. For example, chicken, or lamb meal. But what if you see poultry? An animal class means that more than one type of animal in that class could be in the meat, such as geese, chicken, and/or turkey for the poultry class. The worst is when the manufacturer classifies his meat source as ‘meat’ or ‘meat meal’. This means it can be from any kind of animal.

So read your ingredient label and figure out what you are feeding your beloved pet. And remember, if your dog food cannot identify a specific animal source, not only is the meat questionable, but what else are they skimping on.

There are many more factors to take into consideration when determining what is a healthy dog food for your dog. Learn more about how to read your dog food ingredients list at the Healthy Dog Food Blog: helping you determine what makes a healthy dog food.