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A healthy lifestyle is important for your pet. A well balanced diet and regular exercise will make your pet happier and healthier, and most importantly, it will add years to the time you can spend together. For more information on the importance of a healthy diet, please check out our Pet Nutrition page.
You will find a wide variety of premium quality foods and treats for your dog or cat in our Grocer. |
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Learn more about any of our Whole Grain Dry Kibble, Grain Free Dry Kibble and Raw diets below: |
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| Artemis
California Natural
Eagle Pack Holistic Select
Fromm
Innova
EVO
Prairie
Merrick
Orijen
BARF
Northwest Naturals
Before Grain
Aunt Jeni's
Natures Variety
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What are grains? Grains are plants, specifically grasses. The edible portion is called the fruit and consists of three parts: 1) the bran 2) the germ and 3) the endosperm. After grains are harvested, they are either kept in their natural state as wholegrains orrefined byremoving the germ and the bran component. Refined grains are devoid of vitamins and minerals and loaded with carbohydrates. Carbohydrates provide energy, and when your pet does not burn that energy off, they retain it as fat.
Each ingredient in a nutrient rich, species appropriate diet should contribute to the overall health of your pet. Barley, oatmeal, and millet are examples of whole grains which are high in protein and rich in amino acids. Whole grains metabolize slower than fragmented grains and provide your pet with a steady supply of energy throughout the day.
Ground yellow corn, brewer’s rice, ground whole grain sorghum, and wheat mill run are some examples of cheap, fragmented grains that are commonly found in pet foods. They provide your pet with little to no nutritional value. Furthermore, they fragmented grains are often a cause of allergies and are difficult for your pet to digest. |
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In the wild your pet’s diet would consist primarily of meat. On occasion a dog or cat in the wild might consume some fruits and vegetables, but on the whole it is meat that wild animals seek. Typically, the only time that your pet would consume grains in the wild would be when eating the stomach, and therefore the diet, of their prey. Additionally, grains can be difficult for many pets to digest, especially for older pets.
Grain free diets are typically more palpable for dogs and cats too. Many picky pets will be much more interested in grain free food than other foods.
Some benefits of a grain free diet are shinier coat, healthy skin, weight reduction, fewer and smaller bowel movements and fewer allergies. |
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Raw diets replicate most closely what a dog or cat would eat in the wild. While holistic, premium grade dry foods are good for your dog, the proteins in dry kibble foods loose many of their vitamins and minerals during the extruding process (the process of turning meat into dry kibble).
Many people worry that their pet will get stick when eating raw food; however, cats and dogs do not have a long intestine like humans. When a cat or dog eats raw meat it passes through their digestive system quickly. This expedited digestive process allows them to absorb many of the vitamins and minerals in raw meat without the risk of getting sick.
The major benefit of raw feeding is the live enzymatic and probiotic component. Enzymes are proteins that cause chemical reactions. Enzymes brake down food into digestible parts and make it available to be absorbed into the body. Probiotics help maintain a healthy digestive tract by populating the digestive system with beneficial bacteria and yeasts that promote mineral absorption and stave off attacks by bad bacteria and viruses. |
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