Hungry, Hungry Furbaby
Does your dog or cat seem extra hungry come lunch time? Do they watch you eating dinner with sad puppy dog (or kitten) eyes, begging you to share some of your steak? Have you resisted their cuteness or broke and given them a bite? Honestly, a few bites at the dinner table are no big deal, but it is important to check when or if you’re overfeeding your pet, or if you’re leaving them hungry for no reason.
You may have heard conflicting reports about when to feed your pet: once in the morning, once at night. Some say to only feed them at night, and some say to feed your pet whenever they’re letting you know they’re hungry. Still, it can be hard to know for sure. The truth of the thing is, it depends on so many different factors: breed, size, level of activity, metabolism, manufacturer suggestions. The portion size might differ from kibble, to wet food, to raw food. We’ve tried to make it as easy as possible for you. Bella and Boot’s suggests following a pretty simple guide (that was passed onto us by our trusty vets over at The Natural Vet) when feeding your pet our raw food.
The most important thing, and how you will really be able to notice any concerns, is by monitoring them. We suggest monitoring your pet’s weight for the first 4-6 weeks on the new diet. Once or twice per week, you should check their ribs, their hips, etc to identify if they've been gaining or losing weight. If you notice an unwanted difference, adjust accordingly. It’s important to also know what the average weight for your pet’s breed and size and if you’re concerned about weight loss or gain, to consult a vet.
Our feeding guide suggests feeding your pet twice a day, splitting up food equivalent to 2-3% of their body weight for each day. On our website you can see a clear guide where we’ve broken down the average range of weight for dogs and cats. Keep in mind, kittens and puppies require a different amount as they grow and explore. You can check it out here and we’d be happy to answer any further questions or concerns you have either in store or online.
If you are feeding your pet twice a day according to their weight, physically examining them and they’re not suffering any of the signs of underfeeding (excessive shedding, low energy, bad smells and increasing infections) then you’re doing great. If you have a peckish pet, you can feed them some pet-friendly snacks, but consider if they start looking for food close to dinner time or after rigorous exercise and adjust accordingly. Overfeeding can be identified through physical examination, as well as lethargy, pain while moving, decrease in self-cleaning and unusual bowel movements. You may have to adjust the time, amount and type of diet to tackle this issue.
When you buy a 1kg portion of any of our food packs, they are frozen in sausages, which you can break off before defrosting. This keeps it frozen and fresh whilst being easy to serve your pet the required amount for every meal. If you’re worried about health concerns like their gut, heart, dental, coat and skin health, and/or to combat allergies or joint pain, Bella and Boots raw food is an excellent choice for you. You can read more about the benefits of our food packs in our product description or by reaching out online or in-store at Forest Glen.
We’d love to hear more about your furry friend, new or old, and anything funny, clever or unique they do. You can tag us on social media @bella_nboots or fill out our Pet of the Fortnight form here to win a 700g food pack.