Q
. Is feeding your product really expensive?
A. Feeding your pet Jake & Daisey's pet food costs less than
you might think. An adult 50lb dog eating our chicken, fruit & vegetable formulation will cost less than $75.00 a month.
Q. What are the benefits of
feeding raw food to my pet?
A. There
are many benefits associated with the raw food diet. Here is a brief
list of the most commonly observed:
- Overweight pets often lose weight and thin pets gain
muscle mass and fill out to normal weight.
- Some pets stop reacting to food and environmental
allergies and become more comfortable and symptom free.
- Hyper pets can become more calm since many behavioral
problems are related to diet and allergies.
- Lethargic pets often gain much more energy and
personality due to the nutrient dense food and enjoyment they get from
eating it.
- Pets with body odor and bad breath will often become
fresh and clean smelling since their entire body chemistry changes
with the introduction of fresh food into their diet.
- Pets with dull, dry and course coats will often become
more shiny, lustrous and soft to the touch and along with that their
skin is more supple.
- Their teeth become whiter with less tartar buildup. The
raw food causes dogs to salivate and saliva is what keeps their teeth
clean and white.
- Your pet will experience a better quality of life with a
variety of food in its bowl each day just as you and I can get joy and
comfort in our many choices of fresh foods.
Q.
What about risks such as Toxoplasmosis, E. Coli and Salmonella?
A. Risks
are almost non-existent to healthy adult animals and mainly affect a pet
which is already severely ill, severely stressed or with a compromised
immune system due to an immune disorder or taking immuno-suppressive drugs
such as steroids. We do not recommend that animals with these
characteristics be fed a raw meat diet.
Dogs
and Cats have digestive systems designed to handle and destroy many
bacteria that are harmful to humans such as Salmonella and E. Coli. They
have a short, harsh digestive tract which easily digests raw animal
protein, fat and bones. Jake & Daisey’s is a raw meat product and
should be handled as such. Always wash dishes, utensils, surfaces and
hands with hot soapy water and allow to dry thoroughly. Keep food frozen
solid until thawing to feed.
We
recommend that every pet, be given a digestive enzyme with probiotics for
at least 2 weeks prior to starting a raw food diet. This will help
friendly bacteria colonize in the intestines of your pet and help build a
stronger immune system before embarking on a raw food diet. You can
use any human grade digestive enzyme and probiotics or purchase it from a
health food store.
Q. Help! My dog is having negative reactions to this diet!
A. Very often, when dogs (or people) make a switch to a more
balanced, nutritious diet, they can sometimes display negative symptoms,
such as (in the case of dogs) runny eyes, itchy skin, rashes and pimples,
bad breath, smelly ears. This is just a part of the healing cycle, in
other words they are mobilizing toxins, which have been stored in the
cells of the body. These symptoms should pass over a period of time,
usually a few days.
Q. Can I cook your raw foods?
A. Cooking
is not recommended. Cooking destroys the enzymes and some nutrients
in raw food defeating the purpose of feeding a raw diet. The Chicken and
Chicken & Beef Varieties have finely ground bone in them which is
easily digestible in it's raw form but cooked bone is difficult to digest
and may pose health risks. Microwaving to defrost is also not recommended
due to the uneven nature of microwave heating. Some of the food gets
cooked when defrosting in the microwave. If you forget to take the food
out to thaw, our suggestion for a quick defrost is to place the container
in a dish of cool water in your sink. That will speed up the thawing
process. In general you should plan ahead to remove our food from your
freezer and allow it to defrost in your refrigerator as you would with
your own food.
Q. How Do I Feed Raw Food While Traveling?
A. Most
kennels will accommodate raw or home-prepared food if they have a
refrigerator/freezer on hand, just call and ask. If you are taking your
pet on a trip, use a cooler to keep the food at a refrigeration
temperature with dry or regular ice. If you are traveling for longer
than a few days, you may need to pack some tinned stew, canned dog food or
a dry food.
Q.
I've always heard that dogs and cats shouldn't eat human food...
A. This
is a common myth. Our grandparents and great grandparents fed their pets
with raw scraps from their own meals because, at the time, there was no
such thing as bagged kibble and canned pet food. However, pets
should NEVER eat cooked bones from leftover meals from their human
companions.
Dogs and cats are carnivores and have the jaw structure to rip tear and
swallow prey animals. They do not have flat molars like humans meant
for chewing things like grains and whole vegetables. Their digestive
tracts are short and manufacture very harsh gastric juices meant to digest
whole raw meat and bone and move it through their system very quickly. So
in reality, feeding your pet our raw food is not feeding them human food
per se, but in fact, feeding them a species appropriate diet close to what
they would get when eating a prey animal.
Q. Will raw food help my pet's allergies?
A. Its
possible. A switch to raw food may alleviate allergic symptoms your pet
may be having. Many pets are allergic to protein in grains. These
allergies can be seen in symptoms of chronic yeast infections, skin rashes
and stiff joints or arthritic conditions. Long term exposure to large
amounts of grains, for these animals, can be a precursor to more serious
and permanent illness over time. But it is never too late to switch to a
raw natural diet. Pets of any age can be given a new diet and benefit from
it very quickly.
Q. Won't eating
raw meat make my dog vicious?
A. Absolutely not. An old wives tale. If you notice any difference in the
behavior of your dog, it will likely be for the better.
Q. Can I mix raw meat with kibble?
A. No, you shouldn't mix kibble with the raw meat mixture, as
they digest at different rates. Raw food is much more digestible, taking
only 3-4 hours, while the kibble usually takes 9-12 hours. Kibble is a
cooked processed product that is harder for the dog to digest because the
molecules are bound tighter together. When raw meat and kibble are mixed
together the meat will digest, meanwhile leaving some of the kibble to
rise to body temperature and ferment. The bacteria level in the dog's
digestive system will then rise and could eventually cause unwanted
problems.
Q. How do I handle raw food safely?
- Keep dog food products cold at all times. Thaw in the refrigerator or in cold water.
- Thoroughly wash your hands and all surfaces before and after handling the raw dog food.
- Use stainless steel dishes, as they are easier to clean and do not hold any toxins within the material.
- Make sure your dogs dish is thoroughly washed after use.
- After thawing, the dog food should be used within 2-3 days and kept in the refrigerator.
- Do not refreeze thawed product.
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