COMPLETE VS COMPLEMENTARY MEAL
The premise of our approach to pet nutrition is holistic in nature, following the same principles that apply when feeding ourselves. As such, we know that balanced nutrition is attained when feeding pets a variety of good quality, raw, fresh meat (not from animals kept in batteries and feedlots) and suitable veg/fruit, over time. We do not blindly follow recommended daily dosages of any supplement, choosing instead, to follow a more individual, condition specific approach to the use of supplements.
Raw Love Pets meals have been registered as ‘complementary’ meals. We made a conscious decision to opt for complementary rather than complete meal status, because we question the value of minimum daily requirements stipulated by Act 36; and we question the notion that the same meal is ‘complete’ for each individual animal. In our opinion these criteria are subjective at best. Considering how these nutritional values fluctuate between different controlling bodies, our doubts are well founded. More importantly, these values are based on dehydrated, processed foods and therefore not relevant or applicable to real, uncooked food bursting with nutrients.
With complementary meal status, we are able/allowed to adapt our recipes to include seasonal items in the vegetable & fruit component, such as blueberries, chia and moringa (all classed as superfoods) as and when they are available. Should we have obtained complete meal status, we would not be allowed to make such changes thereby depriving our meals from offering as much variety as possible. With complementary meal status we are also not obliged to add chemical and artificial nutritional elements to reach pre-determined levels. Elements such as lime (for calcium) which is does not align with biologically appropriate feeding and optimum nutrient absorption.
RECIPE FORMULATION
Our recipes have been formulated by ourselves and are based on the BARF diet formulated by veterinarian Dr Ian Billinghurst; and knowledge obtained from nutritional courses attended by our founder. While our recipes were not formulated by a nutritionist, we continue to conduct research in advances in this area; and have also consulted extensively with a well-known veterinarian from the USA who specialises in dog and cat food nutrition.
Ironically, most kibble/pellet brands on the market are formulated by nutritionists; and claim to be complete and balanced meals. Yet when you understand how a dog or cat’s digestive tract works, it becomes evident that grains are an unnecessary and inappropriate food group for dogs and cats, and in some instances directly contributes to the diseases suffered by these animals.
The following blogs make for interesting and relevant further reading:
- Blog – you are what you eat
- Blog – fermented veg for dogs and 100% meat cat food
- Blog – balance and budget when feeding raw (importance of adding Omega 3)
- Blog – importance of including raw meaty bones in a raw diet
So our motto is to keep it REAL! and to allow the benefits offered by natural, living food to speak for itself.
The Raw Love Pets Team – October 2018