In most dog foods, you’d find common proteins such as chicken, beef, lamb, and salmon. These are great sources of protein with their own set of benefits:

• Chicken: Contains Omega-6 fatty acids, amino acids and glucosamine for healthy skin, shiny coat as well as building lean muscle mass and sustainable bone health.
• Salmon: Rich in Omega-3 fatty acids which are great to boost the immune system, decrease inflammation, and keep your pet’s coat shiny and healthy.
• Beef: A great source of iron, zinc, selenium, niacin (B3) and vitamins B6 and B12 for healthy coat, skin, joints, and muscles
• Lamb: Contains B-group vitamins (riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3, B6 and B12) which are water soluble. It’s essential for a healthy coat and proper nervous function. 

However, these common ingredients (that are also commonly found in kibble) could actually be an allergen to our furkids due to preexisting or developed intolerances towards the proteins.

Hence, it’s a good practice to rotate or switch up your pets’ meals should they exhibit symptoms of food allergies or intolerance — with the advice of your vet or a pet nutritionist of course.

Uncommon Meats That Petchef Uses

Besides the four proteins mentioned above, we believe in a good combination of meats to deliver optimal nutrients to your pets via their food bowls. Here are another 4 uncommon meats that we use and their benefits:

1. Buffalo

In comparison to all cuts of beef, buffalo meat is lower in calories and fat. It’s also a lean red meat which is higher in protein, Omega-3 fatty acids, and Omega-6 making it a great option for pets looking to reduce the ‘chonk’.

Plus, it’s highly digestible, beneficial to heart health and a great hypoallergenic option for pets with chicken and beef sensitivities.

2. Dory

This white-fleshed fish is less prone to having mercury content and is a great low-cholesterol alternative. Being rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, it contains many benefits such as decreasing inflammation as well as improving skin and coat health.

3. Tuna

A very lean protein source, with a high quantity of good minerals for your pet including selenium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and the B-group of vitamins B3, B6 and B12, with a low amount of fat. 

However, given its high mercury content, it is advisable to make it only part of your pet’s meal plan, not it’s full diet.

4. Pollock

A great source of vitamin B12, amino acids, phosphorus and selenium. Great for brain function, immune system, promoting calcium and protecting from infection while being a lean protein source low in fat, this is a great fish source to consider for your pet. Plus, pollock is also generally cheaper than salmon. 

Things To Consider When Picking New Meats

Just like how we would decide on a meal for ourselves, there are multiple factors we considered before putting changing the meats in your dog’s food. 

• Taste: Not everything tastes like chicken and some dogs prefer stronger smells as they tend to “taste test” the food with their smellers. Our free sample packs are a great way to test their receptibility towards new meats or fresh food meals!

• Expense: Feeding fresh food to our furkids should not have to cost a bomb. Regardless whether we’re cooking it ourselves or ordering from a subscription service like Petchef 😉 After all, the aim is to feed our furkids the best and healthiest meals we can afford.

• Quality: More often than not, the quality of meat tops the type of meat fed to your pet. Our human-grade pet meals use meats of higher quality which means that your furkid would be enjoying meats not containing high levels of added hormones or chemicals.
• Health and Needs: Some dogs would be better suited to some meats compared to others. For example, Dalmations would need white meats with low levels of purine but dogs with renal diseases would benefit from red meats with lower phosphorus levels. Should your furkid have any dietary requirements, our friendly Petchef Advisors will be here to assist you in selecting the suitable meal for your dog.

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There’s a huge variety of fresh foods that can be combined to create a balanced diet for your pet. However, if you’d like to leave all the shopping, preparation and cooking to us, we’ve got just the solution for you!

All you’ll have to do is tell our Petchef Advisors all about your furkid and we’ll send you a fresh human-grade pet food sample for your furkid to try.

Feature Image Credit: Gohan The Husky