Three Ways to Add Fresh Food to Their Bowl

There is a lot of mixed information available about the pros and cons of adding “human” food to your dog or cat's commercially prepared kibble. Kibble is balanced to provide a set amount of valuable nutrients for the overall wellbeing of your pet. However, kibble requires high temperature processing for preservation and oftentimes a lot of the naturally occurring vitamins and minerals are lost. Almost all kibble has to have synthetic vitamins added to the recipe to ensure that the final cooked product meets the needs of the animals it is being fed to. This is fairly standard practice and one of the reasons we here at Viva Pets recommend a minimally processed raw, dehydrated or canned food diet for part or all of your animals meals. 

We do understand that kibble offers some amount of convenience and can sometimes be the more affordable option for the household. That does not mean that it is forbidden for you to add value to each of your pets meals by including one or more of the following whole foods. Meal toppers act as variety, enticement for fussy eaters and are an excellent source of easily digestible, bio-available nutrients. 

1. Fruits and vegetables. At home you can add fruit and veggie trimmings that are a bit discolored or bruised that would otherwise end up in the compost bin to your dog's dish. Fruits and veggies are a source of fiber, as well as vitamins (A, C, E, K, folate and other B vitamins) and minerals (potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, copper, manganese, and phosphorus). Most cats will turn their noses up to these fibrous additions, as they are obligate carnivores and usually aren’t enticed by greens. This writer has one cat whose favorite treat is cantaloupe, he will actually bite it right off the rind, so I can’t say cats will NEVER eat their greens, they are just less likely. 

My favorite household additions: tops off of strawberries, whole blueberries, carrot ends (or whole carrots, occasionally), minced kale, romaine or spinach, a few slices of your morning banana or melon, cucumber slices, broccoli ends. 

My favorite in store addition: Green Juju Freeze Dried Blends (Bailey’s Blend, Just Greens). Shelf stable and easily sprinkled over a meal for all the benefits of fresh greens. 

What to avoid: Onions, grapes, avocado pits and skins, molding/brown bits. 

2. Omega rich fish. An easy way to increase the amount of Omega 3 Fatty Acids in your pets diet is by adding fish. This time of year especially, our pets are likely dealing with the same itchy, dry skin we are that comes from extreme temperatures and constantly running our furnaces. Fatty acids in the diet can help relieve some of these symptoms. 

My favorite household addition: Low sodium, packed in water whole sardines, gently steamed salmon or

trout. 

My favorite in store addition: Wiggly Babies Freeze Dried Rockfish. This brand sources Canadian, sustainably sourced rockfish from the west coast, the cuts of fish in each bag are quite large but easily broken down. This is one of my toothless-cat’s favorite treats, it crumbles down to fluffy flakes for her. 

What to avoid: Fish that has been prepared in oil, butter or seasonings and excess fatty trimmings. 

3. Protein dense meat. More affordable kibble brands, especially those you would find at the grocery store or at Costco, use some amount of plant based protein to account for the total percentage in a bag. Cats, being obligate carnivores, have almost zero ability to process and absorb plant based protein and it's also less digestible for dogs. More often than not, plant based protein is contributing to large poops for you to clean up! Adding in cuts of animal based protein to your pets dish, when possible, can make a huge difference in overall health. If you have an animal who is predisposed to DCM (dilated cardio myopathy), muscle and organ tissue is high in taurine, an essential amino acid that directly contributes to the health of organ (heart) function. 

My favorite household additions: boiled and drained lean ground beef or chicken breast, fresh (raw or cooked) chicken hearts or livers, fresh (raw or cooked) beef liver, kidneys or heart, dehydrated beef heart jerky. 

My favorite in store addition: SMACK dehydrated meals, available in a range of proteins from chicken, pork, lamb and fish. Fully balanced recipes, synthetic free, Canadian made and a satisfying crunchy texture. This can be fed as a topper, a fully balanced meal or used as a high value treat during training. 

What to avoid: Meats prepared in oil, butter or seasonings, charred meat, cooked bones, fatty trim.