Benefits of “Going Natural” with Pet Food

Author

david

Published On: December 20, 2023

What is natural pet food? Legally companies can use this term when simply using natural preservatives with their otherwise conventionally produced pet food. But typically we mean more than this when we talk about implementing a natural pet diet. The biggest factor is using whole rather than ingredients that are refined or “fractionated,” i.e. broken down into component chemicals and recombined. It can also mean using organic ingredients and/or preparing food from raw meats at home.

All of these ways of providing a natural pet diet have significant benefits for your pet. Here are some of the main ones:

• A natural pet diet provides more nutrients for your pet.

• Natural pet food is typically more absorbable by your pet’s body.

• It is safer, avoiding the toxic ingredients that sometimes are included in commercial pet food.

• It is often more digestible, making meals easier on your pet’s system.

• It is often more aligned with your pet’s instinctual nutritional patterns.

• It promotes a more humane and greener agriculture in the raising of animals and plants that go into a natural pet diet.

This can make a real difference in your pet’s quality of life. You will notice more energy and vitality in your cat or dog, a shiner coat and healthier skin, your pet will heal more quickly, and s/he is likely to live longer too.

Going to a natural pet food diet will probably cost a little more and/or involve a bit of work—if you decide to prepare raw food. (Actually, my partner and I give our car raw food and it really doesn’t take much time to do.) But your pet is worth it!

Here are some further resources on this topic. (Some of the ideas above were taken from them):

https://academic.oup.com/jas/article/92/9/3781/4702209