Is a Rotational Diet Right for Your Pet?

Imagine eating the same meals every day. Even if you loved it, and knew you were getting all the nutrients you needed, it would eventually get dull.  It’s the same for your pet! A variety of ingredients and flavors is appealing, tasty and healthy—it enables your furry friend to get a wider range of nutrients, naturally.

So it’s no wonder that you should consider adding some variety into your pet’s diet, through a multi-protein or rotational approach. Let’s look at how you can do it, and the benefits below.

Giving your pet variety through a ‘rotational diet’ 

While it might be easier to stick with the one food your pet loves, it’s better for their overall health (not to mention more exciting) to switch things up. Dogs and cats produce about half of the amino acids they need—the rest come from the foods they consume.

Every protein source offers a different amino acid profile, with different benefits. Amino acids are powerful allies in your pet’s diet because they help build healthy cells, tissues and organs. They can also assist in the production of hormones, enzymes and antibodies. The more varied these amino acids are, the more likely it is for all their associated benefits to occur.

Rotational feeding involves introducing a range of different meat proteins (like chicken, lamb, or beef) into your pet’s regular diet with the intention to provide an array of nutrients that exist across these ingredients. A rotational diet, one that incorporates a range of high-quality protein sources, gives them a chance to taste something new!

The best time to start is when they’re puppies or kittens (so their gut has a chance to adjust early on), but a rotational diet can be gently introduced at any age. Before choosing a new recipe, make sure to consider if your pet has any allergies, or aversions to specific proteins or ingredients.

Rotating with high-quality proteins

To give your pet the best variety in proteins, choose a mix of good quality meats, fish, and organs. Take your meat protein choices to the next level and choose a sustainably sourced option like ZIWI Peak, whose high-meat air-dried recipes offer the convenience of dry foods while delivering nutrition comparable to raw. With a variety of recipes to select from, you could choose to rotate your pet’s protein on a weekly or monthly basis. Or you could simply switch to a recipe that includes multiple proteins.

ZIWI Peak’s new Provenance Series includes three new recipes that include multiple proteins with five meats or poultry, and fish with a high organ inclusion. With an added superfood blend of cold-washed tripe, New Zealand green mussel and organic kelp, these recipes provide an excellent option to add multiple proteins to your pet’s diet.

However you choose to rotate your pet’s proteins, as long as you’re focusing on high-quality protein sources, your furry friend will reap the benefits. Want to learn more about the new ZIWI Peak Provenance recipes? Click here.

Sources:

https://www.petmd.com/dog/nutrition/the_power_of_protein

https://perfectlyrawsome.com/raw-feeding-knowledgebase/nrc-essential-nutrients-amino-acids/

https://thebark.com/content/canine-nutrition-basics#:~:text=While%20dogs%2C%20cats%20and%20even,%2C%20threonine%2C%20tryptophan%20and%20valine.