When you’re known as a beauty blogger, it’s important to become recognized for your passions. For Amanda Jo, clean living is where her niche is. She not only believes in natural beauty products, but recently, she’s also expanded her tips to include clean living for pets.
Petside claims that many people are not aware of the chemicals and additives found in many popular pet products. While people may buy natural nutrition and health care products for themselves, they may not have thought about the effects of mass-produced food and grooming products for their pets.
Amanda Jo of Organic Bunny is looking to change this. She believes in offering pets the same safe, effective, eco-friendly, and natural products that she offers to her clean-living readers. Changing to “green” pet care products can be an important part of fostering health and happiness in our beloved animals.
The Pet Food Industry
Pet food is a $24.6 billion industry in the United States. The natural pet food market has reached $8.2 billion in annual sales, a small-but-growing subset of the market.
Many pet owners may actually be unaware that major brands can be unhealthy for their animals. These pet foods contain high amounts of fillers and by-product meats, along with preservatives that can be dangerous to dogs and cats. Even the best quality dry food can lead to serious health problems.
Feeding a fresh and clean diet can lead to a life expectancy of 13.1 years, versus only 10.4 years for a dog fed a standard industry diet. Feeding fresh food will boost a pet’s health, often eliminating problems like allergies and skin issues. Amanda Jo suggests the Netflix documentary Pet Fooled for more background on this important topic.
Alternatives to Standard Kibble
Even the best dry food brands can cause problems. As an alternative, Amanda Jo of Organic Bunny promotes fresh dog food brands in her blog. She compares two popular fresh dog food delivery services that make feeding fresh food even easier than visiting the grocery or pet supply store.
Pet Plate
Pet Plate has created a delivery service with frozen natural food for your pet. The food arrives in resealable packaging. It is made with human-grade ingredients and a special vitamin mix. Salmon oil is added to foster a healthy, shiny coat.
Pet Plate’s dog food does not contain eggs and there are gluten-free options for dogs that may be sensitive to this protein.
Their website makes it easy for pet owners to transition their dog’s diet to their fresh food. The food is free of preservatives and fillers.
Another advantage of Pet Plate is that the subscription service can be paused, skipped, or canceled at any time.
While Pet Plate produces an excellent product, there are a few drawbacks. Many pet owners may be disappointed to learn that the food is frozen in a plastic container. Pet owners should consider thawing the food in warm water rather than putting it in the microwave to prevent the leaching of dangerous chemicals.
The ingredients in Pet Plate’s food are not organic. They contain a higher percentage of carbs and potatoes than necessary. Excess carbs can lead to inflammation in dogs, possibly leading to cancer.
Pet Plate does not have options for prescription diets or food allergies. Their packaging is not sustainable.
The average cost of Pet Plate per month is $280 for a 65-pound dog.
Farmer’s Dog
Farmer’s Dog is Amanda Jo’s top choice. The food packs arrive frozen, but they are in environmentally friendly packaging. The food is made with human-grade ingredients and cooked at only 165 degrees to maintain nutrient levels while killing harmful bacteria.
Farmer’s Dog also offers their own proprietary nutrient blend, including Vitamin B-12, zinc, iron, vitamin D, and folic acid. The food also contains fish oil for a healthy coat and heart. Like Pet Plate, Farmer’s Dog also offers an egg-free product.
The food is preservative- and filler-free. Each pack comes with the dog’s name on it, meaning that different recipes for each dog can easily be separated.
Farmer’s Dog also has a few drawbacks. Like Pet Plate, Farmer’s Dog does not offer organic ingredients. They also do not sell cat food. The packaging is made of biodegradable plastic, but even so, pollutants may leach into the food when it is heated in the pack.
Farmer’s Dog also costs roughly $280 per month for a 65-pound dog eating two meals a day.
Natural Supplements
Supplements like probiotics are also necessary to keep your pet healthy. Probiotics remedy the disruption of our healthy gut bacteria. Imbalances can lead to a damaged gut lining, causing many health issues. It is best to take a probiotic each day and to give it to your pets as well.
Adored Beast’s Love Bugs contains both pre- and probiotics. It is meant to help with resistance to fungal growth, allergies, dental health, digestion, and increasing food absorption.
Holistic vets are the best professionals to visit if you believe that your dog has a leaky gut or an unbalanced system. A regular vet may not believe that your pet has these issues and may try to steer you back toward a factory-made diet.
Caring for Your Pet
Amanda Jo’s passion for clean-living pets didn’t happen overnight; it became clear when she started her dog rescue. In order for dogs to have a healthy and happy life, their diets needed to change too.
It is crucial to make sure that your pet is nourished properly. A natural, fresh diet can prevent a host of problems and give your pet a longer, happier life. Using a probiotic is another way in which you can support your animal’s well-being.
Sometimes, being a responsible pet owner requires looking outside the mainstream for the sake of their health. When you are ready to transition your pet to an all-natural diet, Amanda Jo of Organic Bunny can help.
