| Even though it's only in the 20s here today the sun is shining and it's noticeably warmer. Spring is just around the bend and I'm perfectly content with that thought! This week, I wanted to detour into our pet food side. I hope you learn something that gives you more context or confidence in your buying decisions or maybe I pique your curiosity and have a question. I'd be perfectly satisfied with either! I hope you can find a nugget or two in here... To start laying the foundation, "As Nature Intended" is our best short way of saying, "How it was created to be, before man came along with "better" ideas to "improve" on nature's design." This "north star" guides our every thought and decision and our line of pet foods, treats, and chews are no exception. Each raw blend we "formulate" is simply a reflection of a whole animal kill. We believe nature, independent of man's influence, to be flawlessly & masterfully designed; the weak link being man's comprehension, rather than the natural order. Man couldn't possibly design a more nourishing, more balanced diet than what can be found in wild, highly functioning ecosystems. Which is why, instead of engineering some "scientific" blends or diet trends, we simply look at nature and say, how can we just do that? Prey Model Raw (PMR) is a widely accepted raw feeding school of thought. Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods (BARF) is also. PMR is heavily animal protein based where BARF is more diverse, supporting the idea that there are berries, roots, seeds, greens and such found in the wild that canines and felines would consume. While it is true that these could be found and consumed in natural settings, the seasons and amounts these foods can be found is very, very small, if at all, where the majority of (sometimes exclusive) diet that can be relied upon year round would be animals of prey. Interestingly, most larger pet food companies are the ones heavily supporting more of a BARF style feeding concept as it is much cheaper to produce than a purely animal based pet food. Now, there are certainly varying degrees of BARF and berries, roots, seeds, and greens can be a valuable addition but only in relatively small amounts (it's been a really long time since I've seen a coyote stalking carrots and broccoli in the garden though...). BARF can be a healthy option in appropriate proportions but many have been led astray and are over feeding non-animal based foods of which dogs and cats are not designed to digest and utilize in high volumes. As pet lovers, we sometimes humanize our pets in our minds as we think of "good food". Your pet is not human and should not eat like one. Feeding our pets "as nature intended" makes for happy, healthy pets. And knowing we're deeply nourishing our pets gives us all those warm fuzzies inside!
If you're interested in really geeking out on the raw feeding topic, visit our Ronny and friends over at perfectlyrawsome.com to learn so much more! |
