The Importance of Cooked Dog Food

If you’ve been with us for a while, you’ll know the importance of a balanced, nutritious diet for...

If you’ve been with us for a while, you’ll know the importance of a balanced, nutritious diet for your dog. (If you’re new here, you can check this blog out for more info). What you may not know is the importance of the cooking process. We’re going to cover exactly why a cooked, plant-based dog food is better for your pooch, so they can stay happy and healthy.

Why all the fuss?

People have been feeding their dogs raw food since forever, right? That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s safe. In fact, multiple popular raw meat diets have been found to be contaminated with harmful microorganisms like Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes which can easily be removed with cooking. These germs can make dogs seriously ill and can be passed onto humans too - remember dogs eat their food, then lick their coats to groom themselves then we cuddle and pat them and voila, the germs spread to us and members of the household. Symptoms can range from vomiting and diarrhoea on the milder end, to far more serious complications if left untreated. We don’t believe it's worth the risk, especially because there amazing cooked alternatives out there, like OMNI. 

Bye-bye bacteria

In order to avoid contaminants, heat is key. Not too much heat, though, as this can reduce the nutrient content of the food. Choosing a cooked product over raw helps ensure your furry friend is fed as safely as possible.

At OMNI, our premium ingredients are gently steam-baked to 90°C. This allows us to get rid ofnasty pathogens, while maintaining the vitality of the ingredients. There’s no need to compromise on meeting all your pet’s nutritional needs, nor on great taste. 

Cooking has also been shown to increase the digestibility of certain ingredients like peas, which is great news because it makes them more bioavailable for your dog to utilise for that energy packed walk in the morning.

What’s in the bag?

Our mystery ingredients really aren’t that much of a mystery. In fact, they’re probably things you’ve eaten in the past few weeks. Things like:

  • Pumpkin - rich in vitamin A and zinc, pumpkin is great for your dog’s skin and coat. With high amounts of cucurbitacin, it may help prevent dog parasites and expel worms.

  • Brown rice - a wholegrain which contains omega-3 oils, iron and B vitamins

  • Blueberries - a superfood packed full of antioxidants and vitamins C and K for immune support

  • Peas - an easily digestible, fibre-rich form of protein for dogs which also helps promote muscle growth

These nourishing foods keep OMNI packed full of goodness, ensuring your dog  is getting complete nutritional meals  with a lower risk risk of bacterial contamination.

Healthy and safe

We want the best for your dog, and that means we try to keep it totally transparent. OMNI’s plant-based dog food provides:

  • Balanced healthy meals 

  • A high-protein recipe, backed by science

  • A convenient  dog food home delivery

  • Peace of mind that you’re keeping your dog and the planet, safe

And most importantly…

  • Happy pups (and happy hoomans, too)

Over to you

Whether you decide to switch to OMNI or another top rated healthy dog food, hopefully this blog leaves you better equipped to make a more informeddecision for your best bud. 

Subscribing to OMNI lets you have peace of mind. You get delicious, healthy dog food delivered straight to your door so you never run out. Joining the community also gives you access to free vet consultations, meaning the experts are always on hand and you get to save more ££. Let’s keep your doggo at their best!    

Subscribe now

 

 

References

  1. https://www.petfoodindustry.com/articles/11164-feds-stop-bravo-packing-raw-dog-food-in-fsma-first 

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FAQs

But aren’t dog’s carnivores?

Dogs are in fact nutritional omnivores as demonstrated by a robust scientific study published in the reputable journal Nature (1,2) in which it was shown that they have 30 copies of the AMY2B gene responsible for digesting plant-based foods.

They have also evolved relatively long intestines (21) (almost as long as humans) and relatively flat surfaces on their molars (31, 22) which they use for digesting and chewing a whole range of foods.

The common misconception that dogs are carnivores probably arises from the fact that they are classified in the order Carnivora but so are plenty of other species like bears, skunks, racoons who are omnivores and even the giant panda who thrives on a plant-based diet (20).

Is plant protein digestible to dogs?

Absolutely yes, studies which have looked at how much protein dogs can absorb from plant-based and fungi-based foods like soya and yeast demonstrated over 75% digestibility which is on par with meat-based foods (23, 24, 34, 35 & 25).

Both these protein sources also contain all 10 essential amino acids (36, 37) that dogs need to thrive.

Isn't there too much fibre in plant-based food?

The average amount of fibre in a commercial dog food diet is between 2-4%. omni’s plant-powered recipe has a fibre content of 3% which is on par with meat- based diets.

In our survey with over 200 dog owners, 100% reported that their dog’s stool consistency was either ‘normal’ or ‘perfect’ and there were no reports of any digestive upsets (data on file).

Can I mix omni with other meat-based diets?

We are proud that our recipes are nutritionally complete and so include everything your dog needs to thrive. This means omni can be fed as a sole ration. We also fully support a 'flexitarian approach' like meat free lunches or using omni as a mixer.

Every little helps to bring some of the health and environmental benefits of plant-power to meal times. Mixing omni with meat/fish will help to add variety into your dog’s diet whilst adding in healthy ingredients with a relatively low carbon footprint.

Can plant-based food provide the essential fatty acids dogs need?

All the essential fats and oils that dogs need, including omegas 3 and 6 are found in a variety of both meat and plant-based foods (31, 28).

omni’s recipe is rich in plant-based sources of these nutrients so your dog will get all the essentials they need.

I hear a lot about feeding raw meat, isn’t that better?

Feeding raw meat to dogs has become a very popular trend in recent years, but most vets will warn against this practise. This is because the cooking process is vital to help kill off dangerous bacteria like E coli, Salmonella and Campylobacter (9) that have necessitated several food recalls from the market and caused serious illness and even death in both dogs and their owners (40, 41, & 42).

There are also several worms and parasites that are only killed off when raw meat is cooked. Dogs are dogs, not wolves and thanks to their domestication over thousands of years, thankfully don’t need to hunt to get their grub nor do they need to eat raw meat, it's just not worth the risk.

References

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