Alternative Pet Diets
Some alternatives to conventional commercial pet foods are listed below|:
- Home-prepared diets,
- Natural, organic, or human food-grade diets,
- Vegetarian diets and
- Raw food diets.
Pros and Cons of Alternative Diets for Your Pets
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PROs
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CONs
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Home-Prepared Diets
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| |
Alleviates concerns about wholesomeness/nutritional
value of commercial food.
Pets may prefer the taste over commercial food.
Necessary for diagnostic or therapeutic reasons. |
Requires specialized knowledge to formulate a
complete and balanced diet.
On-line recipes may be deficient in one or more areas.
Difficulty in finding appropriate ingredients.
Greater investment of time, and likely of money. |
|
Natural, Organic or Human Food-Grade Diets
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| |
Gets away from additives, preservatives, coloring
and flavorings being in pet food.
Some regulatory oversight of labeling of these
foods exists. |
Rules for labeling pet food as organic are pending.
No government standards for defining the term
human-grade with respect to pet food.
Food needs to be used in accordance with
its shelf life. |
|
Vegetarian Diets
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| |
May fall in line with a person's own convictions.
Easier for dogs to have vegetarian diets because
their nutrient requirements are not as stringent
as cats'. |
Formulating a complete and balanced
vegetarian diet can be challenging.
Several essential nutrients for cats are found only
in animal ingredients.
Synthetic nutrients would be required, and as such,
the diet would not be natural.
Protein requirements are higher in cats and dogs
than in humans.
Many home-prepared vegetarian diets are inadequate. |
|
Raw Food Diets
|
| |
Owners can home-prepare diets or use
commercially available products.
Anecdotally have been promoted for their
health benefits. |
Risk of contamination by Salmonella and other
bacteria, which puts pets and their owners at risk.
Raw food diets have been found to have nutrient
excesses and deficiencies.
Not good for animals with increased nutrient
demands, i.e., newborns.
Must be careful about feeding bones.
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