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Imagine eating the same food, day after day, year after year. You’d eventually get bored and want something different, right? Yet most pet parents don’t think twice about feeding their dog or cat the same food day in and day out. Dogs and cats enjoy variety and new kinds of food just as much as we humans do, which is why so many pet parents are switching to a rotation diet. Read on for the top benefits of a rotational diet. 1. A Rotation Diet Is a Balanced and Complete Nutritional Approach Rotation feeding lets you combine specific complete diets of two or more foods that are tailored to your pet’s individual nutritional needs. Get Limited Ingredient Diet For Cats and Dogs Here :) 2. It Gives Them Something to Look Forward To Some dogs and cats can lose interest in their food once they become used to certain flavors and textures. On a rotation diet, your dog or cat will look forward to meal time because they won’t know what exciting new treat will be awaiting them. Try switching back and forth between regular proteins (such as chicken, beef, and fish) and novel proteins (such as kangaroo, guinea-fowl, and duck). 3. It May Help Reduce the Risk of Food Sensitivities and Intolerance If a rotational diet is new to you, think of this… Research has shown that consistently feeding common ingredients for extended time periods can cause some dogs and cats to develop an intolerance or sensitivity to the food. With a rotational diet, the ingredients and formulations that are served to your pet are frequently changed. They are not regularly consumed for a long enough amount of time for the pet to develop an adverse reaction. Therefore, rotating the food may reduce the risk of allergies or intolerance. 4. Flexible and Affordable Options Another benefit of a rotation diet is that it enables pet parents to feed higher quality foods for some meals which could be cost-prohibitive if fed exclusively. When your dog or cat gets used to eating more than one kind of food, this can make everything from shopping to traveling easier. Rotational diets have many benefits. If this type of diet sounds like something you’d like to start giving your dog or cat, please consult a veterinarian or a veterinary nutritionist. They can assist you in choosing which foods are best for rotational feeding and ensure that you continue to provide your dog or cat a balanced, healthy diet.

The supply of venison has been an ongoing issue due to herd shortages. For many dog and cat owners, venison has been an important part of their pet’s healthy diet with limited alternative options – even as the prices have soared this past year. In order to prepare for venison shortages, this is a good time to start trying new options. Venison is a novel protein, and for many pets with food sensitivities, a novel protein is the only answer. Novel proteins are protein sources that pets have not been exposed to as opposed to more common proteins like beef, poultry or pork. Because they have not been exposed to these proteins, they may be less likely to have a food sensitivity or intolerance to them. Some examples of novel proteins include duck, guineafowl, and kangaroo. There aren't any current shortages with these proteins, and they have many beneficial qualities. Anytime a new food is introduced, it is a good idea to make the transition gradually. Start by giving 1/4 of the new food and 3/4 of the usual food. Then, gradually increase the amount of new food and reduce the regular food each day until the transition is complete. Finding the right food is an important decision to continue to keep your pet healthy and happy. Please feel free to contact us for more information or leave a comment below.

Always read the ingredient label when deciding what kind of healthy food to feed your cat and avoid purchasing brands that include the following: Corn, corn meal, corn gluten, and anything corn-related (cats have not evolved to eat corn). Potatoes, wheat, or rice (cats have not evolved to eat potatoes, wheat, or rice). Soy: has been found to cause pet food allergies. Wheat and wheat gluten, cellulose/powdered cellulose, and any by-products: all fillers to avoid. BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole), BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene), or Ethoxyquin: chemical preservatives known to cause cancer in humans and animals. Any “natural”/artificial flavors or colorings. Carrageenan and guar gum. As a general rule, the first 5 ingredients of your cat food should always be a protein, and not include any of the ingredients listed above. Also be sure to check that no more than 10% of the food’s calories are coming from carbohydrates. Grain free cat food is best, and make sure cranberries are included on the ingredient list as they help support your cat’s urinary tract. Finding the right healthy cat food can be tricky, but with these tips, you’re well on your way to helping your favorite feline enjoy the best diet possible!

Walk into your local pet store, and you’ll probably see a lot of grain-free cat food. But what does that mean, and why is grain-free cat food better? In reality, the term “grain-free” does not automatically make the food better than the next product. But many foods that contain grains use them as filler, meaning that the overall nutritional content of the food can be sacrificed. And because cats are carnivores, their diet must have the proper amount of meat and protein in it. Buy Grain-Free Cat Food Here :) In addition to possibly compromising nutritional content, cat food filler can sometimes be made from a variety of ingredients, making it much harder to determine what could be causing a pet’s food sensitivities. So, if your cat is losing fur or scratching excessively, it’s certainly possible that your pet food contains one or more grains that disagree with his or her system. And, finally, some of these grain-containing foods can lead to weight gain in your pet. Extra weight often leads to extra health issues for our four-legged friends. Add all of these issues together, and you have a good reason to try to find a healthier alternative when it comes to dinnertime. However, as we said, “grain-free cat food” isn’t the only thing you need to look at when considering new food for your cat. What you really need to examine is the overall nutritional content of the food. You want a clean recipe — the fewer ingredients the better as long as they are top-quality and high in a single-source protein. People like to say “you are what you eat.” The same is true for your pet. As pet owners, our goal is to find a healthy, delicious alternative to help keep the pounds off and the food sensitivities away.

Studies have shown that food allergies overall are the third most common type of feline allergy. Symptoms include Itchy, irritated skin and up to 15 percent of affected cats also exhibit gastrointestinal signs, such as vomiting and diarrhea. Food allergy symptoms include persistent scratching, skin lesions and hair loss which develop over a period of time. The cat’s immune system gradually mounts a defense against protein and carbohydrate that are present in most cat foods. Since protein is essential for cat’s, a novel diet must contain protein, but it should be derived from a source which a cat has not been previously exposed to, such as venison, guineafowl or kangaroo. For carbohydrates, popular wheat, barley, and corn should be excluded from a novel or limited ingredient diet as chances are your cat has already been overexposed to them. No two cats are alike and as a result, one cat might do well on novel protein like kangaroo cat food and another on duck or venison limited ingredient cat food. The key to food allergies is finding a novel protein and carbohydrate and patiently testing.

There will always be the debate about dogs/cats needing or not needing grains. Like humans we all have different food tolerances and preferences, some animals do well on grain-free foods and some do well on foods with grain. Whether for energy purposes, protein factors, digestive issues, or fillers, grains are used a lot across the pet food industry. These are some things you might or might not know about grains: Dogs and Cats do not fully benefit from the nutrients of grains because their bodies do not fully absorb or extract nutrients from non-meat ingredients. Dogs and Cats have a hard time digesting grains. Dogs and cats do not have the proper enzymes in their saliva to break down plant matter and carbohydrates like an herbivore or omnivore. Grains can be harder for our pets to digest, therefore negatively affecting the efficiency of their digestive tracts and functions. Vegetable carbohydrates like potatoes and peas could be a better choice than grains like corn, wheat, barley, and rice. Grains like whole oats or whole brown rice could also be a better choice and easier on a pet’s digestive tract. Grains are used to bind meats to create different consistencies like kibble, pate, loafs, etc… Grains can also be used as proteins or “fillers”, which can make the consumer feel full faster and longer, while also bringing the cost down for the buyer. Removing grains can improve skin & coat, alleviate certain allergies and digestive problems. Grain free diets usually tend to have higher protein percentages, obviously no grains, but this doesn’t mean low carbohydrates so keep that in mind as well. Grains do have vitamins, nutrients, and minerals but it all depends on the sensitivity of your pet and the cooking process of those grains going into their food. I want to clarify that every animal has a different tolerance, just like humans have a different tolerance for certain foods and ingredients. The bullet points above are meant to summarize the idea, the newest trends, and some simple back to basics information about our pets and their digestive tracts. You might think that you choose what your animal eats, but ultimately the choice of food you continue to buy for your pet obviously revolves around the end results. The “end results” meaning how they react and feel with their diets whether it is grain free or not. Mauri believes in a complete and well balanced diet, while also offering a variety of common and uncommon alternative proteins, like kangaroo. Our formulas are grain, gluten, carrageenan gum, potato free, using pumpkin for digestive support and the cat cans also have added cranberry for urinary support. Try KOHA with your pet and see how they like it…

Pet owners often face the challenges of dealing with a pet that is either experiencing food intolerance or a food allergy. Just like humans, some of our pets have a hard time digesting certain proteins and ingredients, this is known as food intolerance. Food intolerance's may cause vomiting or diarrhea. Food allergies are different than intolerances, they include symptoms like dry-itchy skin, rashes, or even excessive shedding. Finding the solution to these two challenges can be one of the hardest tasks for a pet owner. The journey begins with an unhappy, irritated pet, to unwanted vet visits, or google searches for pet food advice, or maybe even a list of never ending questions for the knowledgeable pet store employee. Either way, pet owners will find that, the typical solution for these issues will be to adjust the pets diet. "But my pet has been eating the same food for years?!" Just like humans, our pets can develop allergies over time. "Woof, woof! I love my chicken!" says my pug, Zulu. "Well I hate to break it to you Zulu, but chicken is not the best option for you anymore." When you are ready to alter your pets diet, you might want to keep these proteins and ingredients on your "Try to avoid" list....Chicken, Beef, Corn, Wheat, Soy, and Dairy Products. Again, just like humans, we are all different and we can all tolerate different proteins and ingredients, but the ingredients listed above are very common allergens in pet foods. "Chicken, corn and wheat? I see those ingredients in a lot of pet foods" In certain occurrences, allergic reactions can be blamed on the constant use of these ingredients. "What types of proteins and ingredients should I be looking for then?" This is when pet owners begin the "elimination diet" or "trial and error diet", which involves getting rid of the foods that include the offending ingredients and introducing the new foods with alternative proteins and ingredients. These alternatives can come in many different forms like: raw, freeze-dried, dehydrated, fresh, homemade, dry food, or canned wet food (like our KOHA SUPER PREMIUM PET FOOD). For example, potatoes and peas are popular alternatives to grains, but KOHA goes even further than that alternative. KOHA is made with pumpkin which for some is considered a healthier alternative than potatoes and peas. Protein makes up most of the ingredient panel in pet foods, so finding an alternative to the typical chicken and beef is going to be the most important factor towards a healthy pet. Alternative proteins like lamb, salmon, venison, rabbit and duck have been very popular in recent years. KOHA decided to go one step further again and introduced even more exotic, novel alternative proteins like KANGAROO, venison and guineafowl. These proteins, just like all others, have different characteristics and benefits. Try the KOHA "WILD KANGAROO with Fresh Blueberries" for your dog or the "WILD Kangaroo" for your cat and see for yourself if the alternative proteins and ingredients help with food intolerance's and allergies. I'm sure everyone will agree that they do not like seeing their pet sick or uncomfortable, so if you are dealing with either food intolerance's or food allergies, try ALTERNATIVE PROTEINS, try ALTERNATIVE INGREDIENTS, or better yet try KOHA SUPER PREMIUM PET FOOD. Please email me any questions alex@nootie.com By Alex Cortes aka "The Hound Dog"

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a disorder in which one or more sections of the gastrointestinal tract have become invaded with inflammatory cells. Over time, this inflammation causes the intestine to become less efficient at absorbing nutrients from digested food and weight loss, vomiting or diarrhea often result. KOHA Pet Food would be a great diet for dogs and cats who may suffer from IBD. KOHA Pet Food is free of Potatoes and Peas, which was replaced with pumpkin. Pumpkin is loaded with fiber and beta-carotene to help resolve issues like diarrhea and even constipation. Many people add pumpkin to their pets food bowls already, but by supplementing it yourself you may run the risk of over using the pumpkin. Pumpkin is converted into Vitamin A, which can be toxic if over supplemented. KOHA Pet Food contains enough pumpkin to keep your loving dogs and purring cats "regular", without having to worry about overdoing it. Try the KANGAROO with FRESH BLUEBERRIES, LAMB with FRESH APPLES, or VENISON with FRESH KIWI, these options have a little less pumpkin and an added fruit for antioxidant benefits. New Zealand Green Lipped Mussel is also an ingredient you will find in every MAURI Pet Food Formula. This special ingredient is an anti-inflammatory agent which will help aid digestive issues and also keep joints healthy.