Duck, brown rice, carrots, golden delicious apples and garden peas...for your dog.
Tuna on rice with prawns...for your cat.

The time when these meals would have seemed extravagant is long gone. Increased awareness of health issues and disease prevention, last year's pet food recall, and recent exposes of what goes into pet food* have made us all more concerned about what we feed our pets. After all, a healthier diet means a healthier pet. And what really is a piece of kibble, anyway? Didn't it start out (ideally) as whole meat, vegetables, and grains?

Last century's industrial revolution and convenience-driven consumer lead to the creation of pet food kibble. Like a magic pill, the kibble represented the best that science had to offer---in a convenient, scoopable pellet. Although dogs have been companions to humans for thousands of years, sharing scraps and meals with their human cohorts, this new way of feeding them was wildly embraced. It was easy and promised to provide a perfect, nutritionally-balanced meal at every feeding.

Over the past twenty years, much has been written and researched about what's best for our companion pets to be eating. For example, it's now widely accepted that corn, soy and wheat can cause allergies for some dogs and are best avoided on a regular basis. As a matter of fact, the leading natural food brands are going one step further by offering completely grain-free options for a more back-to-nature approach (their research findings suggest that dogs don't really need grain at all). And many holistic veterinarians are strong supporters of a properly-prepared raw food diet, composed of meat, vegetables, fruits, and other essentials, believing this to be a healthier, more natural diet for dogs and cats. While there are many differing opinions on raw vs cooked, grain vs no grain, everyone agrees that avoidance of meat "by-products" is essential for the health of your pet. "By-products" are a result of the rendering process, which can include anything from diseased carcasses to known carcinogens.