It is very important NOT to mix different brands of pet foods together or even mix the same brand name. An example of this would be mixing an adult and senior food of the same company, or mixing two brands together. Only mix foods when you are first introducing the new food. Because every type of food developed by each company is designed nutritionally on a nutrient matrix system of vitamins/minerals/amino acids, it is critical to maintain the integrity of that nutrient panel in order for the food to be balanced. When you move one element in that nutrient panel, it effects all the elements and therefore adjustments must be made in order for the food to be re-balanced.
When you mix two foods you will cause excesses and deficiencies in certain nutrients as well as disrupt the delicate balance of the food, especially the minerals composition which is critical to the body’s metabolic and skeletal systems. These deficiencies or excesses may not be evident immediately in an adult dog, but they will manifest in a slow deterioration of the animals health and reproduction capabilities. As we know from past experience, it does not take long for the body to exhibit dietary problems in a growing animal.
To prevent these imbalances, stay with one type (adult, senior, puppy, etc.) of food at a time, and more importantly, stay with one super premium brand of food. The use of whole foods; fruits, veggies, meat or canned meats, probiotics/digestive enzymes and dietary enzymes will enhance a diet without unbalancing it.
Ok, your dog or cat doesn’t want to eat his supper. What should you do?
Did you know that dogs and cats instinctively know if they need more food or not? They know when they have enough protein, fat, calcium, and other nutrients. They don’t have to eat every day and they certainly don’t in the wild. When a dog or cat is acting fine, and just turns their nose to their meal, that’s ok. They are supposed to do that. Left alone, these dogs and cats will not have weight problems later on in life. Their body says enough food and they listen.
Unfortunately, there are many parents that get concerned when their pets don’t eat. They believe that their pets have to eat at every meal. Eating is so important to a parent that they will buy dog foods based on taste rather then ingredients. When the dog or cat refuses to eat, the owner adds something to the food, just a little something. It can be water, milk, pieces of meat fish or cheese, or even some canned food. The lucky dog or cat that gets their meal adorned with other good tasting things are not always lucky at all. As a matter of fact, their well meaning owners might be creating a real nutrition problem.
A high quality dry food comes in nuggets, right? Each and every nugget has all the nutrition the dog or cat needs. A beautiful coat, healthy skin, strong muscles, healthy eyes are just examples of why our pets need a balanced diet. Fortunately for them, we have pet foods which will deliver every nutrient they need. In fact, the nugget is so full of many types of nutrients that the pet doesn’t have to eat a lot to satisfy their nutritional requirements. Did you ever think about the small amount of food you give to your pet, relatively speaking? That’s because each nugget has over 70 ingredients in it.
When you add extras to this concentrated food you could throw off the balance of one of those 70 plus nutrients. Whole food like chicken, fish, and cheese will not do much damage unless you add too much. Don’t ever let your people food exceed 25% of the meal. If you are adding a canned food then your pet is in trouble. The canned food is also 100% complete so that every teaspoonful contains over 70 nutrients. Put the two nutrients together and they will fight each other. Unfortunately, your pet loses the fight because many of the needed nutrients simply can’t be used because of this interaction between foods. This silent malnutrition is not always easy to spot. I had a poodle client, age 4, that jumped off the couch and broke a leg and shoulder. The xrays showed that the bones were too soft. A cat was brought to me because she couldn’t go up the stairs at age 8. She wasn’t fat and she didn’t have any arthritis or broken bones. Her muscles were simply too limp. She was being fed a high quality dry food combined with a few teaspoons of canned food.
If you want to add canned food to your dry food, please think twice. Is it for you or for your pet? If you decide to do so, the canned food must be the same brand as the dry food and for the same stage of life. A puppy food can’t be mixed with an adult dry food. A client of mine who caused a problem by combining two foods said to me ” but I spend 100.00 dollars a month on him. How can you tell me he is malnourished?” My answer was simple: “You can save money and help your pet by feeding only one food”.
Learn how Life’s Abundance Natural Pet Products are essential to support the health and wellness of your dog and cat.