veterinary pet diet producers now have to rely on novel protein sources such as kangaroo and alligator to use as an elimination diet, while others have switched to breaking down, or hydrolyzing, the proteins to make them non-allergenic.
human fad diets affect pets
the issue here is that while pets don’t fall prey to fad diets, humans do. and because of owners’ susceptibility to well-executed marketing campaigns, there are many “copycat” commercial pet diets that mimic human dietary trends, such as feeding raw food, which mirrors the human paleo diet, and grain-free, which follows the human gluten-free trend. it’s important to note, however, that while both of these ways of eating for humans has gained in popularity over the last decade or so as strategies for disease-prevention, weight loss and overall better health, for pets, these diets can be disastrous. and with raw food, in particular, the risks extends to humans.
raw diets appear to be based not on nutritional science, but on romanticizing wild animals as beautiful and free, so therefore healthy. the truth is, wild animals are parasitized and starving… and beautiful and free. cooking food breaks down the proteins making them more easily digested, and kills harmful bacteria and parasites that may be contaminating the meat — bacteria and parasites that pose risks to your pet but also to you through cross contamination from handling the food, or by particles of spoiled food being transferred to you from your pet.
if you’d like to avoid feeding your pet commercial processed foods, follow a balanced, cooked recipe appropriate for your pet’s age and lifestyle, and supplement with a high-quality vitamin and mineral supplement such as
hillary’s blend
.