Each pet is unique and the best food for yours depends on factors such as previous foods used, allergies, dietary restrictions and vet recommendations.  This article provides some general information.

We have all heard of the expression “don’t judge a book by its cover”. In the pet food world the expression could be “don’t judge a pet food by its packaging or advertising”. Some foods that are beautifully promoted are quite badly rated.

 What you should look for. To understand what a good food should contain we need to know what foods dogs and cats evolved to eat.  They are carnivores (just look at their teeth!), so foods that have a higher meat content and less carbs are more aligned with their natural diet and are more highly rated. The benefits of feeding your pet an appropriate diet can be significant. Some or all of the following are often observed: increased alertness, improved lean muscle mass, reduced shedding, improved contentment and fewer medical issues.  The ingredient list of many poor quality foods are often “rigged” to have a meat ingredient listed first. It is important to understand how ingredient lists can be manipulated to make foods appear better than they are.

Dr Karen Becker (a well known vet who practices preventive medicine) ranks types of dog and cat food as follows: 

Raw:  A well balanced raw food is considered the healthiest food as it is most closely aligned with dog and cats natural diet.

Quality canned foods: These are the next best food although they can be pricey. They will contain human grade ingredients, plenty of meat and low carbs.

Quality kibble: This follows the above 2 in the rankings. Like the quality canned food this kibble contains human grade ingredients, plenty of meat and low carbs.

These are followed by several categories of canned and kibble foods of lesser quality. (reduced quality of ingredients, less meat, more carbs). Foods that rank lower on the scale are often called “survival diets”. Your pet can get by on them, but will not thrive and may face increased medical issues.

The worst food is a poorly formulated raw food (often homemade) which can have significant dietary shortcomings.

Hydration is important. Raw and canned foods contain high levels of moisture. Why is this important?…. In nature dogs and cats obtain much of their moisture from their prey and often have a low thirst drive. Feeding dry food to a pet with a low thirst drive can lead to chronic dehydration which can effect organs and cause significant health issues.

Enjoy your pets and keep them healthy!  Having them enriches our lives.

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We are on St-Charles road in Kirkland.

November 10, from 11:30 to 14:30. Kiko Dog Rescue and Adoption will be at Mon Ami.