We are celebrating the PIG this month to encourage Moms and Dads to think differently about adding pork to their pet’s diet. Pork is perfectly safe for both cats and dogs and is slightly higher in protein than chicken. Pork really is the other white meat and is now gaining an excellent reputation in the pet food industry. Over the years I’ve watched leaders of the pet food manufacturers add lean pork to their recipes with great response.
Lean pork is highly digestible meat and is often a protein your pet has never experienced in other pet foods. This is often what we call a novel protein, meaning it is new and has never been introduced before. I often suggest adding pork foods and treats to pets with sensitive bellies. Pets love the taste. Our cat Primal raw and freeze-dried is our best seller. So it is fair to say that cats love pork, too!
The pork added to any high-quality pet foods is not fatty and only the lean cuts of the pig are used. Therefore it is perfect for dogs suffering from pancreatitis and a good protein option for weight management. Pork blends are often the lowest fat products within a product line. However, bacon and other fatty parts of the pig are never used for pet foods, as the fat content would be too high. Think of when you cook a pork loin, you do have to add bacon or fats to make the meat less dry because lean pork is simply not heavy in fats.
According to ancient Chinese medicine, pork is a neutral/cool food. What this means is it does not cause inflammation and does not irritate any allergic response in the body. This may seem a bit ‘far out” but this is a tried and true way to think about pet foods for optimum health.
There are some pork products your dog may come into contact with this summer that you may wish to avoid. Cooked pork rib bones are dangerously fragile, can break and cause choking so please avoid these bones. They are also very high in fat. So please avoid tossing Fido the leftover rib bones this summer.
