Frequently Asked Questions

With reference to SANS909:2018 1st Edition, Pet Food – Nutritional and Manufacturing Requirements, Complete Pet Food is a product which consists of a mixture of different ingredients, whether or not containing additives, and which contains nutrients and other ingredients in such quantities and such rations that it will supply the minimum and maximum nutrients as defined by the standard. Complementary food is simply defined as “everything else” that a cat or a dog may consume, including chews, toys, exercisers and herbal supplements. Within this framework, only food as per government specification qualifies as food, completely ignoring the real nutritional building blocks, nutrients and micro-nutrients that real whole food supplies to the body. A key differentiator to date between manufacturers have been the inclusion of vegetables and other nutritional additives to meet the Complete Pet Food standard in order to label products as such. In real terms, you will find that Complete Pet Food typically includes vegetables, and Complementary Raw Food does not. This is a philosophical debate between the supporters of a scientific nutritional approach to the diet, versus those that subscribe to the concept that any raw whole meat products suffice and provide nutrition as Mother Nature designed it, to our cats and dogs. At DoggyChef we subscribe to the notion that whole foods are complete, and variety is the spice of life!

Indeed cats and dogs can eat raw chicken meat. Raw chicken for cats and dogs is naturally rich in real bioavailable amino acids (protein), including real micro-nutrients and high in phosphorus, rich in calcium, abundant in selenium, rich in Vitamin B6, niacin, retinol, alpha and beta-carotene, lycopene and riboflaving. All raw animal protein sources is naturally rich in taurine. Checkout our catalogue of raw and real beef based food for cats and dogs.

Indeed cats and dogs can eat raw chicken meat. Raw chicken for cats and dogs is naturally rich in real bioavailable amino acids (protein), including real micro-nutrients and high in phosphorus, rich in calcium, abundant in selenium, rich in Vitamin B6, niacin, retinol, alpha and beta-carotene, lycopene and riboflaving. All raw animal protein sources is naturally rich in taurine. Checkout our catalogue of raw and real chicken based food for cats and dogs.

Indeed cats and dogs can eat raw duck meat. Raw duck for cats and dogs is naturally rich in real bioavailable amino acids (protein), and a rich source of many vitamins and minerals, including micro-nutrients such as selenium, iron, and niacin. All raw animal protein sources is naturally rich in taurine. Checkout our catalogue of raw duck food for cats and dogs.

Indeed cats and dogs can eat raw lamb meat. Raw lamb for cats and dogs is naturally rich in real bioavailable amino acids (protein), and a rich source of many vitamins and minerals, including real micro-nutrients and vitamin B12, iron, and zinc. All raw animal protein sources is naturally rich in taurine. Checkout our catalogue of products that are made from real lamb meat for cats and dogs.

Indeed cats and dogs can eat raw venison (game) meat. Raw venison (game) for cats and dogs is naturally rich in real bioavailable amino acids (protein), richer than any other red meat, and a rich source of nutrients important in supporting health, including vitamin B vitamins (B1, B12, B3, B6 , B2 and B5), thiamin, phosphorus, niacin and selenium, and a “good” source of zinc, and potassium. All raw animal protein sources is naturally rich in taurine. Checkout our catalogue of all the venison based products we have to offer.

Science, dear, science. The Russians figured out that in order to sustain their military in the Artic, one cannot simply provide them with dry or over cooked food. Imagine trying to keep these individuals fueled in temperatures that reach minus 50 deg celcius. They even teach “Get the Best from Your Food” in the school nutrition education curriculum! The key to par cooking is low temperatures, so as not to denature the nutritients, keeping the food sealed during the cooking process, to retain the liquid content, and flash freeze the food for easy reheating and consumption.

Not everyone wants to work with raw meat. For concerned pet parents, few real food options are available. Those fantastic looking products in retail contains all kinds of preservatives, colourants and non-biological ingredients (example, maize, wheat and rice). We took our tried and tested formulas, and applying the cooking contrains as discussed aboved, par cook them for your convenience. We do not add anything to formula, just a little slow and low heat.

Shopping for meat can be confusing because of all the different labels on beef, lamb, chicken and venison products. These labels refer to what the animal was fed before being market ready. “Free Range” refers to an animal that roam free and eat whatever is available. “Veld Grazed” refers to an animal that grazed for at least 33 months before they are market ready. “Pasture-raised” refers to an animal that is fed at least 120 days of the year on grass. “Grass-fed” means the animal spent their entire lives eating grasses or hay once weaned. Pastures should be supplemented when nutrients are deficient, which supplementation may not contain any grain. However, veld-grazed, grass-fed, pasture-raised, and grain-fed can all be organic. Organic means the animal ate organic feed and was not given antibiotics or hormones.

Humans could eat fast food everyday for our whole life, and we might survive, but we sure wouldn’t be very healthy! It is the same for pets when feeding a kibble or canned diet, they might survive it, but not without health problems.

We are often asked “can raw dog food cause itching?”, “can raw dog food cause liver problems?”, “can raw dog food cause pancreatitis?”, “can raw dog food cause allergies?”, “can raw dog food cause diarrhea?”, “can raw dog food cause constipation?” or “can raw dog food cause seizures?” Fact is that dogs and cats are carnivores, eaters of raw meat. Their systems are designed to extract protein and nutrients from meat in its naturally raw state. Carnivores are unable to break down complex carbohydrates. Dogs and cats have no use for corn, wheat, soy, rice or grain, which is the base ingredient used for most dry and canned foods, even the “healthiest” brands. Feeding dogs and cats carbohydrates that they cannot utilize, frequently leads to health problems. Furthermore, once meat is heated, during the canning or pelletizing process, much of the nutritional quality is lost.

Yes, you can re-freeze the meat diets, if you refreeze them shortly after they have thawed.

This is a very normal and natural response when changing from one food to another. Many times they will eat it again if their stomach rejects it the first time, which is also very normal and natural. Feeding plain yogurt or pro-zymes at least 1/2 hour – 1 hour before feeding will definitely reduce the likeliness of vomiting or loose stools. Once their body is used to the meat in it’s raw form, the stomach will create the proper acids and enzymes again on its own. You will not need to continue to feed prozymes and they will not vomit or have loose stools anymore.

Yes! Diet plays a crucial role in managing pet allergies. Certain ingredients can trigger allergic reactions, while others can help soothe and prevent symptoms. Switching to a high-quality, natural diet tailored to your pet’s needs can reduce itching, skin irritations, and other allergy symptoms. Learn more about managing pet allergies through nutrition in our full blog post here.