Myths about Pet Diets Busted

Cats and dogs have evolved to a great extent and so has their diets. They need a balanced diet but pet parents often get confused as to which one would be the most nutritious and balanced amongst all. In this dilemma, they often overfeed their pets.

Well, a lot has been written and spoken about what you must or mustn’t feed your pets. There are also many myths associated with raw diets or several other diets that are given to pets. So, here is a list of some myths which must be busted with real facts so you can help your pet lead a healthy life.

Myths	Facts
Adding organ meats make the diet balanced	Organ meats and offals are not very different. They have the same nutrients but the only difference is they have different concentration.
Offal is good and must be included as a major portion in the diet	Some nutrients in offal are in high concentration and can cause complications. For instance, thyroid hormone in the trachea is in excess. Likewise, the liver also has vitamin A in high amounts. Thus, offal must constitute only 10% of the regular diet.
Cats must be fed raw heart muscles to fulfill taurine requirements in the body	Taurine is found abundantly in all kinds of muscles and other tissues. Raw heart muscles are nothing special.
Cooking destroys the proteins and nutrients which are intact in the raw diet	It depends on the manufacturer’s method of preparing the diet that ensures whether the nutrients will stay or will be leached away. Otherwise, cooking normal raw meat doesn’t flush out the nutrients.
Dog should be fed one type of protein	Different proteins contain different vitamins and minerals and thus limiting to one type of protein can cause nutritional deficiencies in pets.
Diets with high protein are hard on pet’s kidneys	Diets with high plant proteins are hard on the pet’s organs and not the proteins received from animal meat. Poor quality foods are usually packed with high soy or corn content that causes digestive problems in pets. However, premium quality food items from renowned brands don’t pose such threats.
Dry food is necessary for cleaning teeth	Pet teeth are designed to tear, shred and grind meat or wet food. Dry foods, on the other hand, are swallowed most of the times. Moreover, when dry foods are chewed, they produce more starch that can stick to the teeth.

Hope your facts are finally clear! Myths can do more harm than good thus, it is necessary that we spread real information. Having proper knowledge of what you can feed your to pets and what you must not overdo can help your pet lead a healthy and disease-free life.

So, make sure you are very cautious when feeding any diet or switching to a new one. Always consult your vet. Well, if you do want to buy some good brands online, we would recommend you to go with products like Hill’s science diet or Royal Canin diets. However, making a homecooked meal for your pet is never outdated! Whatever you choose, ensure you know the balance of nutrients you are feeding your furry kid.