Four legs or two - is there a difference?

Four legs or two, is there really a difference? Do our four legged companions have different nutritional needs? All beings rely on nutrition for their well-being, health and longevity.

The essential components for nutrition include vitamins and minerals, protein, enzymes, omegas, amino acids and anti-oxidants. In preparing any healthy meal, there are two important considerations, the impact of which can be beneficial to your health or disastrous. Your cooking process or method of preparation and the ingredients you use.

The highest quality of nourishment comes from whole natural and enzyme-active, organic foods that are not refined, processed, cooked or laden with preservatives. Yet most commercial pet food, ‘premium’ or other is processed at extremely high temperatures (between 130 - 200 degrees) laden with preservatives and then saturated with colorants, additives and inferior palatable fats.

The effects of heat processing in relationship to nutrition have been investigated and the results are documented as scientific and factual. There is a loss in vitamins and minerals and your protein and enzymes become denatured.

Decent nutrition not always guaranteed

While the manufacturers claim that our pets can thrive on a diet consisting of nothing but commercial pet food, research and an increasing number of veterinarians implicate processed pet food as a source of disease or as an exacerbating agent for a number of degenerative diseases. The second important consideration is the quality of ingredients that we use. You may argue that you are only buying `the best`, `the most expensive`, only `premium brands` But are you really getting value for money?

Most of these are imported so once you have deducted all the costs like value-added tax (VAT), import duty, courier fees and then discount the mark ups that each party makes, you are left with very little. In fact, a bag that you thought was worth R340 is now worth only R43. Whilst you were happy feeding your Labrador or Collier for R13 per day, you are now only getting R1,65 worth of ingredients. With such a restricting budget there is only one place to shop and that is in China. They have wheat and corn gluten and soya meal in abundance. These are all inferior and cheap forms of protein and yet they are commonly listed on your packet for pet food.

Brewers rice is a filler that is commonly used in processed food and this is nothing more than the left-overs from the breweries. There is a world wide trend towards natural, organic and whole foods. Yet in the last 50 years the whole nutritional base of our animals has shifted to highly processed and chemically-laden foods, an abrupt change from a natural diet that lasted thousands of years.

Vondi’s Holistic Pet Care creates nutritional pet food that is nature, wholesome, contains real meat, veggies, olive oil and fresh herbs.