Humans benefit from a good, balanced diet full of vitamins and nutrients. The same goes for the four-pawed members of our population. Good food helps keep pets healthy, leading to happier animals and fewer trips to the vet. Your pet’s health starts with a solid understanding of what exactly they need from their diet.
Essential for a good diet is pet food containing lots of protein, vitamins E and C, fatty acids omega 3 and omega 6, and vegetables. These essential nutrients aid in cellular repair and disease prevention but not all brands deliver the goods.
Pet food companies are expert marketers. Like fast-food outlets, they use emotive advertising and showy packaging to sway the buyer. Unfortunately, these common products often lack the proper nutrients pets need to thrive. It may seem like all pet foods are created equal, but a look at the packaging reveals a different story.
Cheaper pet products, and even some products marketed as ‘premium’, may use sub-quality ingredients with fillers and nasty by-products. When buying pet food, it’s worth seeking out one that specifies meat (chicken meat, beef meat, fish meat, etc) or meat meal (chicken meal, beef meal, fish meal, etc) as the first two ingredients on the label. These make up the bulk of the product, so better primary ingredients means better food for your pet.
Knowing the difference between meat and meat meal also helps you make an informed choice about your pet’s diet. Meat is fresh product left raw until processing, while meat meal is the result of meat which has been cooked, dehydrated and then processed. Meat meal results in a more concentrated form of protein because, in its raw form, meat is made of roughly 70% water. This means kilogram for kilogram meat meal has a higher nutritional value. But it may also indicate a poorer quality product if the meat used is unspecified, so always opt for a specified meat meal, such as beef meal or chicken meal, where possible.
Quality products are important, but only part of providing your pet with a wholesome diet. Just like humans, our animal companion’s health relies on proper food hygiene, so it’s essential to avoid leaving pet food open to the air. Pet food contains preservatives (called mixed tocopherols) which prevent spoilage of animal fats and oils. They do a good job of keeping the food fresh but, once exposed to oxygen, these preservatives begin to break down, leaving fats and oils at risk of becoming rancid.
This oxidisation exposes pets to a host of health risks, including heart disease and blood clots, and may even deplete their stores of antioxidants and vitamin E in order to neutralise the rancid oils. While these conditions are serious, they’re easily avoided by ensuring fresh pet food is served and consumed immediately or stored appropriately in a sealed container.
Just as our own pets should be fed nothing but the best, we at Pets of the Homeless believe that every creature deserves a wholesome diet and a healthy life. That’s why we’re always grateful for donations of sealed quality dog and cat food. While we accept all brands of food, we believe that hungry animals deserve high quality products too. Some of our preferred brands include Hills Science Diet, Canidae, Black Hawk, Advance, Eukanuba, Meals For Mutts and Holistic Select.
Unfortunately, higher quality food often costs more. If you want to help Pets of The Homeless and can’t afford the brands mentioned here, consider donating to us instead. We’re able to buy quality pet food in bulk at a discounted price. A dollar to us goes further than it will in supermarkets and pet stores.
If you would like to donate pet food, head to petsofthehomeless.org.au/collectionpoint to find your nearest drop off point, or petsofthehomeless.org.au/donate if you’d like to make a donation.
Written by Nicholas Corbett and edited by Kara Smith
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