Dog Food: Freshly Cooked Food
Why is cooked food a good choice for dog nutrition?
Freshly cooked food is a popular choice for dog nutrition around the world. The reason cooked food is gaining popularity is that a balanced diet with high-quality ingredients similar to those used in human nutrition (human-grade) can have a positive effect on the animal's health. Areas where cooked food can help your dog:
- Stomach and digestive system problems
- Dermatological problems and allergies
- Reducing or maintaining the right weight
- Difficulty or refusal of dry food
Freshly cooked food contains natural sources of fatty acids, vitamins and trace elements with high bioavailability (meaning the dog's body absorbs a large amount of the food's nutrients) compared to highly processed dry food, and this is the main reason it is considered a higher quality food.
Petchef is the ideal choice of cooked food for dogs and is already preferred by hundreds of dog parents!
How can I ensure that my fresh food diet is balanced?
A balanced diet for a dog is not an easy task and various factors need to be taken into account, such as:
- The animal's daily activity level: A dog that is intensely active needs larger amounts of food.
- Its age and size: Different sizes and ages of dogs have different nutritional requirements.
- Allergies: Allergies are increasingly common due to modern animal husbandry methods, due to overexposure to a form of protein, or due to various chemical ingredients mainly found in dry foods such as preservatives, colors, or flavor enhancers.
- His health condition and history.
- Taste and smell: Dogs are often as picky as humans.
The petchef team has always created, in collaboration with a qualified veterinary team, a mechanism where, within 3 steps, it proposes a personalized plan for your dog according to the standards of the Pan-European Association for Animal Nutrition (FEDIAF).
At the same time, for the food to be considered complete and balanced, there must be the right combination of raw materials and in the appropriate quantities so that it covers the dog's caloric and nutritional needs, something that the petchef team has ensured.
What ingredients should be used in recipes for a balanced diet?
- High-protein meat such as chicken or beef
- Fish such as cod and sardines. More specifically, sardines are recommended as a hypoallergenic option.
- Vegetables such as:
Spinach
o Sweet potato
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Carrot
Peas
Pumpkin
- Brown rice, organic soybeans, red lentils
- Superfoods with high nutritional value such as:
Turmeric
Chia seeds
Cod liver oil
Kelp
Olive oil
The petchef team in collaboration with veterinarians, has designed 4 balanced recipes with chicken, beef, fish and a veggie recipe that is also a hypoallergenic option. In addition, all recipes have passed the corresponding chemical and microbiological tests by certified laboratories, in order to confirm the quality of the food in practice.
What does science say about cooked food and dogs?
Every dog is unique, has their own needs and health history. There are published scientific studies that highlight the value of cooked food. Some of them are as follows:
- A 2021 study has shown that animals have better digestion with human-grade ingredients compared to kibble.
- A 2022 study has shown that feeding a dog human-grade diet positively affects the dog's intestinal microbiome and improves bowel movements.
- A 2018 study shows that fresh, cooked food has positive effects on nutrient absorption and reduced blood triglyceride concentrations compared to dry food.
- A 2003 study has shown that feeding a dog fresh food can add up to 3 more years to its life.
Under no circumstances can cooked food be a sure cure for any disease or health problem in an animal, and veterinary advice is always recommended. However, a natural balanced diet certainly helps better the immune system and the proper functioning of a dog's body.
What Veterinarian-Surgeon Vasia Polyzoi told us about cooked dog food :
- “Cooked food can be a safe and balanced choice for dog nutrition while it can have positive effects on daily dog problems such as weight control, skin diseases, allergies and gastrointestinal problems. It is not a pharmaceutical food or guaranteed treatment but a tool that may have positive effects. The advice of a Veterinarian is essential for dealing with animal health problems. The option for cooked food that I recommend is petchef ”
Should I prefer cooked or raw - barf food for my dog?
The idea behind the raw food diet, also known as the barf diet, is that dogs have only recently started eating processed foods such as dry food and canned food. According to proponents of the barf diet, it can have positive effects on the animal's bones and joints due to its high calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus content. The high protein and fat content of barf food is also believed to be beneficial for the skin and coat, as it is considered a natural diet, just like cooked food.
On the other hand, using raw barf food can also be a particularly dangerous diet for the dog as raw meat is extremely susceptible to the growth of dangerous bacteria such as salmonella.
In addition to the bacterial risks that add great complexity to the management of raw barf food, there are other risks for the dog that come from the bones, such as choking and injuries to the mouth, throat or stomach. While the high protein content of barf food can burden the kidneys.
The Greek Veterinary Association has officially highlighted the dangers of the BARF diet: “Feeding raw frozen meat without any other treatment can transmit pathogenic bacteria such as listeria, salmonella, and yersinia. A dog infected with the above bacteria can be a source of infection for humans (e.g. salmonella, yersinia) or the animal may exhibit symptoms similar to rabies due to brain damage (e.g. listeria).”
Advantages of petchef cooked food compared to other options:
Can I cook at home for my dog?
Cooking at home for your dog is another option but it has its own difficulties:
- Without the advice of specialist veterinarians or animal nutritionists, there is a risk that the diet will not be complete and balanced for your dog. The choice of raw materials and the method of cooking require great attention.
- The amount of food and the mixture of raw materials are different depending on the age, size and activity of the dog.
- It will take a lot of time every day to prepare and cook food.
Petchef solves all of the above problems by creating a personalized plan with approved recipes that are cooked daily and delivered to your home for 1, 2 or 4 weeks. There is also a subscription package that eliminates the time required to purchase food or raw materials.
Why petchef ? is it the ideal choice for your dog's diet?
- The petchef team cooks with fresh ingredients safe for human consumption (human-grade), without preservatives or colorings.
- The sous-vide technique is used, which ensures maximum preservation of nutrients as well as the hygiene and safety of food .
- It is designed in collaboration with veterinarians and follows the FEDIAF (European Pet Food Industry Federation) standards for dog food at all stages of their life.
- It comes to your door easily and quickly with a few clicks without wasting time and effort.
Now that you've learned all the benefits of our cooked food, go ahead and create the plan for your four-legged friend here 🐾