The trend to move away from processed food in our diets and to consume more fresh, whole foods has not only been growing, it has exploded and spilled over into ideas about what we should feed our pets. And for good reason; the documented health benefits to both people and pets of eating fresh over processed are hard to ignore. Below are some easy tips to help you supercharge your pet’s food with fresh, whole goodness.

Keep it at 80:20

Unless you plan to transition your pet to a homemade, balanced raw or cooked diet, you should keep the fresh components you add to your pet’s meal to 20% of the total food consumed by your furry pals. The reason? Kibble has been formulated to meet the nutrition requirement of cats and dogs and reducing it by more than 20% may result in nutrition deficiencies. Fortunately, by replacing 20% of the kibble with fresh, whole food you will add big benefits to the health of your animal.

Treats – Not Snacks but Medicine

Most commercial pet treats are not only ultra-processed for long shelf life, but they also contain a lot of carbs and preservatives. Most treats are calorie and chemical bombs and add little, if any, beneficial nutrition. Use your 20% reduction in kibble to offer caloric space for the fresh healthy treats you provide (see list below). Or if you are buying commercial treats, make sure they are single or simple ingredients (no carbohydrate calorie-bombs), and the only processing is dehydration or freeze-dried. Very few ‘treats’ meet these two simple criteria and are tasty at the same time… but, of course, ours are. 😉

Share Your Food

Everyone has heard that feeding dogs table scraps is a no-no (this advice usually comes from veterinarians). There are three good reasons for that advice. First, if dogs are eating mostly table scraps, they may not get all the nutrients they need and they will often prefer the table scraps over their kibble and could end up with a nutrient deficiency. Also, much of what humans eat is highly processed and full of sugar, salt and carbs and is a poor diet for a pet. Finally, there is a safety issue with pets eating things that are poisonous to them (onions, grapes, chocolate) or dangerous (cooked, brittle bones). It is OK and encouraged to share your healthy food with your pet provided you are aware of the problem areas and avoid them.

Variety is the Spice of Life

Another common ‘rule’ for feeding pets is that you should always feed them the same kibble day in and day out. This idea was probably an off shoot of the ‘don’t feed table scraps’ mantra. If anyone (human or pet) is fed the same diet day in and day out, any change in diet will cause digestive issues. As we now know in human diets, the more variety of stuff we eat, the better for our gut biome and our overall health. And fresher is better. Many kibble manufacturers have even jumped on the ‘food variety’ bandwagon by creating different kibble formulations that you can rotate through for diet variety. Interestingly, research has shown that ‘picky eaters’ are often created through feeding only one type of diet especially when the animal was young. The more variety in an animal’s diet, the more likely they will try novel foods.

Foods to Avoid

Dogs and cats can eat a lot of the same things we eat. Cats, as obligate carnivores, are less keen on veggies than dogs and so your fresh food options for cats are often a bit more ‘meaty’. Below is a list of foods that you should NOT feed dogs or cats.

Never feed cooked bones (splinters cause gut impactions).
No food containing xylitol (highly toxic to pets!). Read labels, even things that were once safe to feed dogs like peanut butter may now have xylitol! Fortunately, fesh foods don’t’ contain any xylitol.
Caffeine (unlikely that Fido will drink your coffee but might eat tea bags from the garbage and in small pets that could be toxic).
Chocolate especially dark chocolates and cocoa (keep Halloween candy packages away safely!)
Onions, garlic, chives, leeks and any plant in the Allium family – onions especially, even in small amounts can cause poisoning (technically small amounts of garlic are OK but if easier to remember avoid any Allium plants).
Macadamia nuts – the only nut that is problematic for pets – causes serious gut upset.
Grapes and raisins. The fruit itself is not so much the problem but rather the pesticide residues used on grape vines are the likely culprit.
Alcohol. Most people do not give their dogs a whiskey sour or their cats a G&T but rotten, fermenting fruit or uncooked bread or pizza dough produces alcohol and can cause toxicity.

Healthy Fresh Food Choices

Veggies and Fruit

Any fresh veggie or fruit not listed above is great to add to your pet’s diet. Because dogs and cats have short digestive systems, they can’t really process veggies and fruits like we do, so add them sautéed, puréed, blended or finely chopped are the best options. It’s always best to serve only homegrown or organic veggies to avoid any residual pesticide/herbicide issues. Some great veggie and fruit choices for pets include kale, broccoli, apples, cauliflower, sprouts of any kind, green beans, avacados (no pits), carrots and carrot tops, zucchini, cucumber, blueberries, haskap, asparagus, saskatoons, pumpkin, spinach, brussels sprouts, parsley, celery and chard.

Nuts and Seeds

Most nuts and seeds are not toxic to pets but the problems with feeding them are three-fold. Some nuts are large, the animals don’t chew them, and they are hard to break down in a carnivore’s gut so there is the chance of intestinal blockages. Second, most nuts sold in stores are not fresh, are partially rancid (because they contain lots of fats) and often have mold. And finally, a lot of nuts are coated with salt or sugar or other chemicals to help preserve them and we don’t want to add that to our pet’s guts. So, better to err on the side of caution… it’s simply safer NOT to feed nuts to your pets. One exception is ground chia seeds because they are small and have loads of plant-based omega 3 fats. Sprinkle along with your other toppers.

Raw or Cooked Meats

You can add raw or cooked meats to your pet’s food. Add meat that is not covered in sauces, spices or marinade (most of which have onion, sugar or high salt). Also, it’s best not to feed meats like luncheon meats or any other processed meats with preservatives like bacon. Fresh meats lightly cooked in olive oil is a great choice for most pets.

Raw or Cooked Eggs

Eggs are a phenomenal source of proteins and nutrients. Eggs are nature’s nutrition bombs! After all, they have everything in them to grow a bird! Pastured organic (true free-range) eggs have been shown in numerous studies to be far more nutritious than eggs from “concentrated animal feeding operations’ or CAFO for short. These latter types of eggs have a higher risk of being contaminated with Salmonella. But both dog and cats guts are well adapted to dealing with pathogens. We feed our pastured farm eggs to our pets raw with no problems but would not do this with supermarket, industrial eggs. For these eggs we make sure to cook the eggs to 160 F which kills any potential Salmonella. According to several reports lightly cooking eggs (pastured eggs only) makes the B vitamin, biotin, easier to absorb. The best cooking method to release the biotin is to soft boil the egg.

Raw or Cooked Organs

Organs such as liver, kidney, spleen and heart from beef, bison, poultry and pork are considered super foods because they are so nutrient dense. Not only should we give our pets fresh organs, but we should also eat organs regularly as well! The best organs come from animals raised free of hormones and antibiotics and free from corn, soy and grain feed (most of which has Glyphosate residue). Grass-fed and grass-finished beef and bison and pastured chicken and pork are the best choices. Organic grocery stores and farmers markets will often carry these items, or you can source directly from local producers if there are some in your area. Here at Affables’ Snacks we sell organ Super Cubes from human-grade grass-fed and finished beef to add as a meal topper for dogs and cats. However, you access organs, adding them regularly to your pet’s diet will boost their health and nutrition.

Bone Broth

Bone broth is an amazing food full of minerals and nutrients that are super healthy for both humans and pets. If you make an onion free bone broth you can use it for nourishment for the whole family including your pets. You can also make bone broth specifically for your pet or you can buy commercial bone broth from pet stores or buy home-made pet broth from us. Again, it’s best to use pastured animals raised without chemical inputs where possible.

Seeing is Believing

Adding these items to your pet’s kibble will show results surprisingly fast. You’ll often see improvements in coat quality (softer, less dry, or greasy), better energy, and increased appetite. You’ll know your pets are getting nourishing toppers because they will be crazy about mealtimes!

To see our full line of treats and meal toppers visit our store page.

Easy Fresh Whole-Food Toppers for Pets