Imagine setting the table for a healthy, delicious dinner made up of fresh vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains, with nary a processed food in sight. As you’re about to take your seat, you realize that it’s dinnertime for your pet, too. So you go to the cupboard and pour out a measured cup of the only food your furry family member knows: pellets of dried kibble, or perhaps a can of something that might charitably be described as brown paste.
It’s understandable why any pet parent might feel a bit of guilt at this juxtaposition. If you’re making the effort to prioritize fresh, unprocessed foods in your own diet, shouldn’t you be doing the same thing for your dog or cat?
The answer is a little more complicated than that. In the past few years, the market for pet food that has been minimally processed and contains fewer, if any, preservatives or filler ingredients has risen astronomically. Driven by greater public awareness of the many health benefits that come with incorporating more fresh foods into human diets – combined with the burgeoning trend of treating pets like family members – this market is currently projected to increase by $3.2 billion between now and 2029, representing a 21.2% compound annual growth rate.
It may well be the case that a fresh food diet is right for your pet. But if you’re thinking about making a switch, here are a few things you need to know first.
Fresh pet food takes different forms
Many pet foods that market themselves as “fresh” are made with ingredients that have been cooked using slow or low heat: high enough to kill dangerous bacteria, but low enough for those ingredients to retain maximum nutritional value. Preservatives are used sparingly, if at all, and filler ingredients are also kept to a minimum. The product is then typically refrigerated or frozen before being sent off to pet stores or directly to the homes of consumers – where it must remain refrigerated or frozen to keep it from spoiling and becoming unsafe to eat. Shelf-stable varieties are also available, but they, too, need to be refrigerated once the packaging has been opened.
The ingredients in fresh pet food vary from brand to brand, but the first one on the list is almost always a source of protein – chicken, beef or salmon are common – followed by a cornucopia of vegetables like carrots, spinach, green beans and sweet potatoes, with whole grains such as brown rice often being thrown into the mix. If the resulting mélange sounds like something that a health-conscious person might toss together for a quick meal providing nutritional diversity, well, that’s pretty much the idea.
One thing to remember, though. Those kibble pellets and that canned brown paste? While they may not seem very appetizing to most humans, the good ones are carefully formulated to provide pets with just the right amounts of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals. The same must be true for fresh foods. “All pet food – be it fresh or not – should meet or exceed the nutritional standards established by the American Association for Feed Control Officials (AAFCO),” says Dr. Jennifer Coates, Healthy Paws veterinary expert. “As long as they provide this complete and balanced nutrition, fresh pet foods can be an excellent option for some dogs and cats.”
“All pet food – be it fresh or not – should meet or exceed the nutritional standards established by the American Association for Feed Control Officials (AAFCO).”
As is always the case when making any decisions that affect the health of your cat or dog, you should consult your veterinarian before deciding to switch over to a fresh food diet. Their insight into how it might impact certain aspects of your pet’s unique health profile – including allergies, underlying conditions, and age and weight factors – is absolutely essential.
Other Considerations
Once you’ve determined that a fresh food diet can work for your pet, you’ll need to make sure that it works for you. Committing to it means understanding and accepting the ways in which it differs from the conventional pet food diet.
- Fresh food is perishable. From the moment it’s cooked, most fresh pet food must be kept refrigerated or frozen until it makes its way into your pet’s dinner bowl. If you’re having it delivered, that means you can’t let it sit on in the sun for hours until you get home. If you’re traveling with your dog or cat, you’ll need to bring a cooler with you. And if your fresh food has been frozen, you’ll have to take the extra step of thawing it before serving it.
- You may need to buy more of it. Because fresh pet food generally has a higher water content than its dry counterpart, your cat or dog may need more of it at each meal to get the same calories and nutrition. Most subscription-based fresh pet food services calculate portion sizes based on information that has been provided by the pet parent regarding weight, age, breed, size and activity level. But even in these cases, you’ll still need to monitor your pet for any noticeable changes in weight, energy or the digestive process.
- It tends to cost more. All of that extra care and attention that goes into giving your pet a fresh meal fit for a health-conscious human comes at a premium. In addition, the companies that make fresh pet food may choose to control their own costs by making their product relatively higher or lower in fat, protein or other components of their recipes. That’s yet another reason to make sure you consult with your veterinarian to ensure that your dog or cat is getting exactly what they need from a specific brand – neither more nor less of it – and that your pet is adequately monitored after switching to a nontraditional diet.
- Sourcing is key. It may not be highly processed, but fresh pet food that complies with AAFCO standards still needs to meet certain production and safety requirements that are built into the business models of the companies that make and sell it. Fresh pet food sold at a farmers’ market stand, or recipes for homemade versions given to you by a well-meaning neighbor or discovered online, are probably best avoided.
- Fresh doesn’t mean raw. It may seem counterintuitive – what could be fresher than uncooked food, after all? – but recent studies have led the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) to recommend against feeding a diet featuring raw or undercooked animal-sourced proteins because of an increased risk to human and animal health. Raw pet food has been linked to contamination by salmonella and listeria bacteria and other food-borne pathogens, which can not only make cats and dogs ill but can easily be transmitted to humans through handling.
Feeling Secure
The two most important questions to ask before switching over to a fresh food diet are Will it meet my pet’s specific nutritional requirements? and Is it safe? And the person to ask is – you guessed it – your veterinarian. “Your veterinarian is in the best position to recommend a high-quality fresh dog or cat food that will meet all your pet’s nutritional needs,” says Dr. Coates. “But pet parents still need to be extra vigilant when it comes to proper storage and handling. Closely monitor how your pet responds to the new diet and bring any concerns to your veterinarian’s attention.”
Healthy Paws wants your pet to eat well and to live well. Our pet insurance reimburses you up to 90 percent of vet bills associated with covered accidents or illnesses, with no per-incident, annual or lifetime caps on payouts. With that added level of security, you can dine alongside your pet while enjoying their companionship more – and worrying less.
The material presented herein is advisory in nature and is not intended as a substitute for legal, insurance, or other professional advice, but rather is presented for general information only. You should consult knowledgeable experts as to any technical questions you may have.