If you have decided—after consulting with your veterinarian—that you are going to feed your dog or cat naturally, it is time for doubts. What amount should I give you? How much is it going to cost me? To clear up these doubts, veterinary nutritionist Raquel Pavo clears up our doubts.
How much food?
As for the amount of food, it is evident that not everyone should eat the same since it will obviously depend on the size of the dog and the amount of physical exercise the animal performs daily. «I calculate it depending on the energy requirement. From there we can calculate that a 10 kilo dog with average physical exercise should eat 300 grams of cooked natural food per day,” explains Raquel Pavo, who remembers that cats are different from dogs and that for that reason, “a With the exception of some larger breeds, they tend to be more or less the same size and we should give them around 120 grams of natural food daily.
Of course, in cats the amount of physical exercise they perform also comes into play and it would be necessary to increase them a few grams per day if they are cats with greater daily activity.
How much is it going to cost me?
When faced with this question, the veterinary nutritionist asks if it is more expensive or cheaper compared to the budget allocated to feeding our pet. She recommends two specific weekly menus for dogs and cats. To do this, he took into account as an example a 10-kilogram dog and a normal-sized cat, both without any type of digestive problems and with average exercise activity.
If in the end you decide on a natural diet for your dog or cat. It should not be done lightly or, in other words, changing their feed from one day to the next with this type of diet. We recommend that before changing his food, consult with your veterinarian and make the change gradually. for a period of 5 to 7 days.
You can start by mixing a third of the new food with his usual food, then increase by half until he completely incorporates it into his bowl. And from there, you have to observe the changes.
–In the case of cats It is recommended that the menu be changed every week, alternating a week based on meat and another based on fish. Thus, natural cooked food would cost about 15 euros per month.
–In the case of 10 kilo dogswe would have to, as with cats, the ideal is to provide them with alternating two weeks of a menu based on fish and two weeks of meat and which would mean a monthly cost of 63 euros.
This would be approximately what it costs to feed a dog or cat naturally, without additives or ultra-processed foods. Finally, Raquel Pavo advises that “the ideal is that the first processes of changing to a natural diet are carried out with the help of a qualified and specialized professional, to ensure that the animal is assimilating the change properly.”
Menu Suggestions
The ideal is change menu every weekone based on fish and another based on meat. Obviously you have to give it in doses. You don’t have to change your diet all at once, but little by little. If you have time and want to prepare it yourself, these are some of the menus that the veterinary nutritionist recommends.
Natural food for cats and dogs can be tailored to your specific needs. In the case of cats, during the first week it is recommended to offer them 120 grams of whole cooked sardines, including the intestines. For the second week, a protein combination is suggested that includes 60 grams of chicken breast, 25 grams of gizzards, 20 grams of chicken hearts and 15 grams of chicken liver, thus guaranteeing a varied diet rich in essential nutrients.
For dogs weighing approximately 10 kilos, the recommended daily ration of natural food is 300 grams. An example of a menu could include, as a first option, 250 grams of sardines accompanied by 25 grams of broccoli and 25 grams of cucumber. A second alternative could consist of 175 grams of chicken meat, 50 grams of pork kidneys, 50 grams of chicken liver and an accompaniment of vegetables such as 20 grams of arugula or lamb’s lettuce and 20 grams of carrots. These menus ensure an adequate balance between proteins, vitamins and minerals.
The BARF diet and natural feed
The BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) diet, known in Spanish as ACBA (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food), is a natural feeding approach for dogs and cats where totally raw foods.
This diet is mainly made up of raw meat, organs and vegetables. Finally, there are currently a large number of natural feeding packages on the market (Natuka, Natsbi, Altudog (dehydrated beef food), Barkyn… among others. A more comfortable way to feed your pet naturally. .
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