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Rethinking Fresh Feeding: A Practical Approach to Rising Food Costs

Jody

With the rising cost of food and the increasing overall cost of living, many dog parents are facing challenges in maintaining a healthy diet for their pets. Some are considering switching back to kibble due to financial strain, while others are finding that buying fresh ingredients in bulk is more economical than dry food. We may see this to a greater degree in Canada now with the new tariffs that will impact US made pet food.


However, if you've been considering a full shift from fresh food to processed food, one option to consider is 𝐚𝐝𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡 𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐭 by incorporating starchy vegetables or grains. Increasing the carbohydrate content—yes, even in a raw diet—can be a practical and balanced way to stretch your budget without compromising overall nutrition. In many cases, this approach is preferable to sourcing low-quality meat, feeding unbalanced diets, or returning to fully processed food.


 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫: 𝐃𝐨𝐠𝐬 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐢𝐧.


When a dog eats protein, enzymes in the stomach and small intestine break it down into 𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐬. These amino acids are essential for muscle repair, enzyme production, immune function, and more. If carbohydrates or fats are unavailable, amino acids can be used for energy. However, 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝—it is metabolized in the liver, and the nitrogen is excreted through the kidneys.


We can still feed plenty of high quality protein but adding 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐨, 𝐨𝐚𝐭𝐬, 𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞, 𝐨𝐫 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐚 can provide meaningful cost savings, especially for 𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞-𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝, 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐠𝐬 and 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢-𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬. There’s often a misconception that introducing carbohydrates means drastically shifting the diet, but even small adjustments can make a difference. 𝐊𝐢𝐛𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐡𝐲𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐭, 𝐬𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝.


𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭:

 • A 𝟕𝟓𝐥𝐛 𝐝𝐨𝐠 typically requires ~𝟏𝟓𝟎𝟎–𝟏𝟕𝟎𝟎 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐲

 • 𝟏 𝐜𝐮𝐩 (𝟑𝟐𝟖𝐠) 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐨 = 𝟐𝟓𝟎 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬

 • 𝟏 𝐜𝐮𝐩 (𝟏𝟖𝟓𝐠) 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐚 = 𝟐𝟐𝟐 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬

 • 𝟏/𝟒 𝐥𝐛 (𝟏𝟏𝟑𝐠) 𝐫𝐚𝐰 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐟 (𝟏𝟓% 𝐟𝐚𝐭) = 𝟐𝟒𝟒 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬

Replacing 𝟐𝟐𝟓–𝟐𝟓𝟎 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 with sweet potato, for example, makes up only ~𝟏𝟓% of a 𝟏𝟓𝟎𝟎-𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐭. Dogs can benefit from the 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐞.


If you need to increase carbohydrates further, 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 can help ensure the diet remains balanced and nutrient-dense. If you’re unsure how to adjust your dog’s diet while keeping it balanced, feel free to reach out!


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