Food Upgrade

It is often in our nature as " pet parents" to recognize human characteristics in our pets. The marketing of human food has made us aware of the variation in quality and sourcing. The pet food industry has also caught on, for better or worse, and is heavily marketing the terms that catch our eye and make us feel like we are making healthier choices, such as "natural", "organic", and "gluten free". It would be great if these words had more meaning than getting you to pick one product over another but, sadly, these are terms often not regulated. Here's an article to add to my June 2015 post that further brings awareness to what you feed your pet. The most important message being that our animal's dietary requirements are not the same as ours. As much as you may think your TomCat, with his missing tooth, battle scars and constant need to show off his silly acrobatics resembles your scrappy and hilarious Uncle Ben, it's important to remember that our cats and dogs (and of course or scaled and feathered friends too) are physiologically very different than we are. Just because we may share the characteristic of having fur on the outside, or similar mannerisms, as our pets, it doesn't mean our insides work the same- animals need a diet that works with their physiology, not one that meets any personal cultural perceptions of what seems palatable: Organ meets aren't very popular in American diets, so often those are labeled as by products. That delectable liver mousse paté you had at the French Restaurant last week would fall under that category, as would the Spanish delicacy known as butifarra negra, and don't forget the Scottish/English haggis! Oh, and head cheese! Don't be deceived by perception, be convinced by nutrition!