The importance of protein rotation in raw pet food

If you’re already feeding your pet raw, you’re on your way to a healthier and happier pet. Or perhaps you are planning to switch to raw food for your pet and are looking for more information. This article will be of great help to you, irrespective of where you are in your pet’s diet cycle.

Since you are reading this, you must surely be aware of the immediate benefits of feeding your pet a raw diet. However, what many pet parents don’t know is the importance of protein rotation in the food.

No protein rotation? Choose your meat carefully

While you have already taken steps in the right direction with your decision of considering raw food for your pet, it is important to know that all meat isn’t the same and does not have the same nutritional values.

What you pay for will inevitably have a bearing on the quality of the food, but it’s not to say that the most expensive raw food is the best. Then again, if you’re getting raw dog food that’s way cheaper than the same meat at a regular grocery store, then you may want to think twice before buying it.

Choose your protein carefully

Even if the quality of chicken meat is top class, bear in mind that the nutritional value of chicken meat differs from that of beef, lamb or fish.

Also, your specific pet breed may need more of the nutrients found in some meats than in others. It would be a good idea to know what meat – chicken, lamb, beef, pork, or fish – is ideal for the specific breed of your pet, as there could be varying levels of the pet’s ability to absorb all the nutrients depending on what breed your pet is.

Natural wild habitat and protein intake

In the wild, it is almost certain that the nature of protein intake of the animal would vary from day to day. This largely dependson what the hunt for the day has been. Just because we have domesticated our furry friends, it hasn’t changed their dietary requirements. Just as in the wild, in the case of domesticated pets too, it is a good idea to keep rotating the protein that is fed to them.

Balance protein intake over weeks and months, not days

As a pet owner, it is important to know that rather than trying to balance out the protein intake every few days, it is wiser to do so over a few weeks or maybe even a month. This would also be the case if your pet was actually living in the wild and finding its own food.

Same is boring

Can you imagine having the same meal day after day, meal after meal? No, right? Just like we would get sick of the same taste and texture, so would your pet get immensely bored of having the same meal every single day for its whole life.

It’s not just the monotony of the whole idea that is off-putting. Feeding the same protein could even lead to nagging allergies and actually make your pet sick. Rotating the kind of food you’re feeding your pet would ensure you are protecting them such unwanted situations in the future.

Conclusion

Feeding raw is a sure shot way of ensuring your pet lives a long, healthy and happy life. Naturally, you will look for the best quality raw food to buy for your pet. It is also important to look for varying proteins to keep them physically and mentally stimulated too. Ideally, stick with a single protein for a week or so, and then as they are adjusting to the diet, keep rotating protein with at least three different types of meat through the month. And then repeat the rotation.