Meal toppers add moisture, nutrition, and tantalizing flavor to your pet’s old-fashioned kibble. Learn what kinds of toppings there are and how to balance their amounts to keep your dinner healthy.
French fries are better with ketchup. Pancakes need a little syrup. What about your pet’s food?
If your cat or dog has been eating the same grain for years, chances are they aren’t as excited as they used to be. That’s where meal toppers come in! Much like adding salsa to nachos, meal toppers add flavor, freshness, and new ingredients to plain dinners.
Here’s what you need to know about the different types of meal toppers and how to provide them responsibly so that your pet’s daily calorie count doesn’t suddenly increase significantly.
Advantages of meal toppers
These tasty add-ons are actually good Even your pet! Depending on the type of meal topper you choose, you can give your best friend some great perks.
- Add water to increase hydration
- fresh or raw ingredients
- fortification of protein
- fresh fruits and vegetables
- Added nutritional diversity
- Fortification of vitamins and minerals
- Savory flavor to entice picky eaters and picky pets
- A special treat that will make your pet and you lick it up!
Types of meal toppers
There are tons of options for toppings for your cat or dog dinner. You can choose a dedicated meal topper or mix different types of pet food to add variety to your diet. Knowing what’s available can help you find the best option for your pet.
dry meal topper
You can find air-dried, freeze-dried, and powdered toppers designed to elevate your pet’s diet. These toppers often have the advantage of being able to feed raw ingredients without the need for refrigeration, making them an easy and convenient feeding option. However, it does not add moisture to your pet’s food, so make sure the water bowl is always full and fresh.
wet meal topper
These thick, moist toppers usually come in small bags for easy serving. You can opt for a delicious bone broth that adds flavor and moisture (and is gentle on sensitive stomachs), or opt for a more nutritious formula such as: This healthy dog food topper Plenty of meat and vegetables in a watery gravy.
canned wet food
You don’t necessarily need a specially formulated meal topper to get the same effect. If you have 1 or 2 extra cans, wet dog food again wet cat food When you have it in the pantry, try scooping some over your kibble for a hearty addition of meat and extra moisture.
fresh pet food
Purchase a package of raw food from your local pet store, or Fresh, shelf-stable pet food for some people same benefits without a short shelf life. Feeding a whole raw or fresh meal can be expensive, but splitting that meal into multiple meals allows you to reap the benefits of fresh food without breaking the bank.
pet treats
that’s right. Your pet’s favorite treats do her double duty of making dinner more enjoyable.please choose healthy dog treats again cat snack I love them (because they don’t eat potato chips together) every day meals), mix some into your daily meals to encourage you to eat a few grains with tempting treats. Pro Tip: Try squeezing. wet treats Moisture is also added along with umami!
You can choose one favorite meal topper, rotate and vary several, or combine several to get all the benefits you want for your pet. However, no topper can fully compensate for low-quality kibble. Make sure you’re using a nutritionally balanced staple kibble that’s filler-free, grain-free, etc. dog food and cat food Rich in prebiotics, probiotics, science-backed vitamins and minerals.
How to serve meal toppers
Adding meal toppers to your pet’s food is easy, but you need to do a little math beforehand to avoid overfeeding your dog or cat. Each topper has its own calorie count, which should be taken into account to avoid unexpected weight gain once your pet begins consuming 1.5x more calories each meal.
Adult dogs and cats have an estimated calorie intake each day to keep their bodies healthy. You can estimate this based on your pet’s size, or you can consult your veterinarian to better assess your pet’s needs. (This is especially important if you have an overweight dog or cat. Your veterinarian can help guide you toward healthy, gradual weight loss and balance your diet.)
Once you know how many calories your pet should consume in a day, divide it into the number of meals you give each day (usually two meals). Next, you need to determine the desired ratio of kibble and meal toppers to reach the total number of calories you should consume in your meal. It looks like this:
Calories in 1 serving of Kibble + Calories in 1 Meal Topper = Total Recommended Calories per Serving
Once you’ve done the math, you’ll know exactly how much food is right for your dog or cat and how much topper to scoop on top. The best part is that this formula is suitable for pets of all sizes, as small dogs eat a lot and large dogs eat dinner.
When you feed your dog or cat a hot dinner and see what happens, your little plans can pay off big. just How excited they are! Pets, get ready to wag your tail and headbutt with pleasure.