Lunchtime!
We all remember when school lunches consisted of greasy pizzas and salty fries. Thankfully, school lunch menus have evolved, and today’s meals are lower in fat, calories, and sodium. Veggies have replaced pizzas and there are even vegetarian options.
Pet meals have undergone a similar evolution. Increasingly, pet foods are made with fresh ingredients, and what’s in their bowls (or puzzle toys) ranges from balanced raw foods to kibble with high-quality ingredients and no fillers.
Even more recently, the evolution includes ways to enrich meals, and spicing things up can be simple and easy.
Nancy Fedelem, owner of Salty’s Pet Supply and Fang & Feather, loves the idea of enriching daily meals. “Adding enrichment to your animal’s diet doesn’t take away from the benefits of dry kibble. I do recommend cutting back on their base food so they don’t gain weight.” Fedelem adds, “Take what you’re currently feeding and add something that complements it.” This might include pre-made foods you can re-hydrate, or
something as simple as veggies. Other great additions to the menu include canned or other pre-made moist foods, or supplements like pumpkin.
Toppers
A great way to easily add variety to your pet’s diet, consider pre-made toppers that are dehydrated or freeze dried. Honest Kitchen offers options that rehydrate fast and mix easily with food, Fedelem says. Other popular brands include Primal, Vita Essentials, and Bravo.
Supplements
Another option is supplementing with super foods like Green JuJu, bone broth, or goat’s milk. Added to kibble, raw, or home cooked meal, Green JuJu’s ingredients include celery, ginger, dandelion greens, coconut oil, kale and lemon (just to name a few!), which helps with bacterial
infections, hot spots, and stomach issues. Lunchtime finds my dogs often eating better than our human family members! Their meals routinely include kale, coconut oil, celery, dandelion greens and buffalo broth.
Fedelem encourages pet parents to consider the wide variety of options for mealtime. “I always try to give Parker, my dog, a variety in his diet, so I rotate between freeze dried and raw foods, and different supplements. We rotate bone broth, fish oils, joint supplements, and an immune
support supplement.”
Supplements include food fortifiers and vitamin mineral mixes. Digestive enzymes are easy to add to existing diets — ask your local pet merchant for recommendations suitable for your best friend.
Brown Bag it
Don’t forget left overs! Perhaps add a little broth (sans onions), steak, veggies, and anything wholesome they may enjoy.
Waiting for the lunch bell
Frozen Kongs are a great way to keep a pooch waiting for the [lunch] bell happily occupied. And they — or puzzle toys — can make mealtime more fun than a bowl. Freeze dried meat or veggies are great stuffers. Frozen edibles kick in primal instincts, turning a meal or after-school snack into a fun and interesting task!
There are many ways to enrich mealtime, and it’s a wonderful thing to challenge our lovebugs’ minds while giving them a healthy diet they love.
As a Certified Vet Tech, longtime PR veteran and content marketing expert, Christy Caplan brings her unique understanding of social and digital media to connect dog lovers to brands both on and offline. She lives with three hounds – two Doxies and a Beagle/Basset Hound
mix, who constantly teach her about life and companionship. Follow Christy at mylifewithdogspdx.com.