Kibbles have been bashed by nutritionists, pet parents and pet lovers alike. They still continue to be bashed by pet experts for the lack of life in them, highly processed ingredients, additives and what not! Yet, numbers show that kibbles gross the highest sales as part of the pet industry sales. There is something about kibbles that pet parents are not willing to let go off them from their pet’s bowl. The reasons could be many, such as the pet being a fussy eater, or the household being vegetarian and therefore, not being able to feed the required proteins at home. Sometimes, it is just lack of time with pet parents, especially working pet parents that feeding kibble becomes a necessity due to inability of pet patents to cook fresh meals every-time for their pet.
So, here we bring to you a kibble makeover guide, which will not only help you feed your pet with comfort of instant feeding, but will also make you less guilty of feeding just kibble as your pet’s meal. This guide will also help you with making your pet’s kibble hydrated and nutritious, while maintain the ease of instant feeding through kibbles.
DIY Kibble Reformation Guide
Kibble is dehydrated food. We can imagine how hard it will be for us to digest our food if it were completely devoid of moisture. Dry food puts more pressure on the digestive system to digest the food. Following are some ways to hydrate the kibble, while maintaining the ease of serving kibble. The kibble can be soaked in any of the following mediums. The mediums may also be switched to add variety. This will also enhance the nutritional profile your pet is exposed to. Each of the kibble soaking mediums may be batch prepared and stored for upto 3 days in the refrigerator. Be sure to store them in an air-tight jar. Usually, the fresher the better! The quantity of soaking mediums should be based on judgement, to ensure that the kibble gets soaked but not soupy. The soaking medium should be warm when the kibble is added so that the kibble can absorb the soaking medium properly. Soak the medium in warm medium, let sit for five to seven minutes and then serve it to your pet.The soaking mediums are:
- Carrot puree: Chop carrots into small pieces and blend them with a little water. Cook this on a stove for about 2 minutes.
- Carrot and spinach puree: Spinach may be added to carrots on certain days, pureed and then cooked. Cooking of vegetables is important as dogs are not adept at digesting raw vegetables.
- Applesauce: Applesauce is made by de-seeding apples, peeling them and then cooking them until they are soft. Once cooked, mash them with a spoon or just blend them. The applesauce need not be so much to soak the kibble completely. It may cover the kibble like a sauce.
- Bone broth: Bone broth is a great way to provide necessary nutrients through an easily digestible form. Bone broth is a superb anti-inflammatory and very nourishing for the body.
Note: Pureeing the vegetables reduces the cooking time and also makes them into a saucy form, which can be easily used to soak kibble instead of just plain water.
Kibble Toppers:
- Probiotic Foods: Probiotic foods can be used for topping the kibble once a day. Pro-biotics help maintain good gut bacteria. A healthy gut is the base of a healthy immune system. A better immune system will also help in delaying auto-immune diseases such as skin disease and arthritis, which are very common in dogs. Some pro-biotic foods that may be used as kibble toppers are:
- Yogurt: About 2 tablespoons of non-flavoured, unsweetened, plain yogurt at a time. It is important to note that the yogurt should be unsweetened plain yogurt. All yogurts fit for human consumption may not be fit for pet consumption.
- Probiotic spores available as OTC products: There are many probiotic tablets and sachets available with chemists and lifestyle stores. In case you are not sure about them, you can check with your vet. Human pharmacies also stock probiotic tablets. The dosage of probiotic supplements must be checked with your veterinarian before adding it for your pup.
- Roasted Seeds: Seeds offer vast nutritional benefits for dogs. They are a power house of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. They also consist of a number of amino acids. However, adding whole seeds to your dog’s food will not be helpful as your pet will not be able to digest them in their whole form. The shell of the seeds is not permeable by the digestive system of pets. Therefore, seeds are better roasted. This thins out the skin of the seeds. You can then grind these seeds and top your dog’s food with these seeds.. Flaxseeds, chia seeds, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds make a good option for seed addition to your pet’s bowl.
- Anti-oxidant Punch: Kibbles are dehydrated and stored for a long time. They are constantly exposed to air. Even though they are fortified with anti-oxidants, the anti-oxidants get oxidized every-time you open the bag of kibble to take your pet’s day’s meal. Hence, anti-oxidant rice foods like blueberries, cranberries, even strawberries or alfa-alfa sprouts make a great addition to your dog’s kibble. Not only will they give anti-oxidants to your pet, but they are also loaded with vitamins and minerals.
This kibble reformation guide is easy to adopt and is well suited for a pet parent on the go. If the kibble soaking mediums are prepared in advanced and stocked, and kibble toppers are kept handy, it will not take much time and effort on the pet parent’s part to reform the kibble into a hydrated, more nutritious meal for the pet.
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