Dog & cat food overview

The world of dog and cat food has changed significantly in recent years. Not only are more and more people giving fresh meat to their animals, the kibble market has also changed. Terms such as CDV, extruded or pressed chunks fly around your ears and sometimes you can no longer see the dog chunks through the bones. What is it actually like?

Dog food and cat food

Everyone knows what chunks are, after all, they are the most commonly fed food to dogs and cats. But did you know that there are many different chunks on the market? Below an overview:

Extruded or pressed chunk

Extruded or crispy chunks are baked at a high temperature (>100C), while a pressed chunk is made at a temperature of approximately 70C. Crispy chunks float and swell when you put them in a glass of water, while pressed chunks fall apart. There are proponents and opponents of both types of kibble, but this is often the case when choosing a food. For example, when choosing a kibble, you can pay attention to its composition. For example, how much meat is in it. Does the producer indicate what type of meat?

Chunk contents

Reading labels is a difficult subject, so we will leave this aside. Some simple ways to rate a chunk:

• If the first ingredient does not consist of meat, but for example rice and/or corn, there is a good chance that there is little meat in the chunk.
• If the label refers to 'meat and animal by-products', it is not clear what type of animal is in the chunk. Laws and regulations stipulate that there must only be 4% lamb in order for the chunk to be described as 'with lamb'.
• Gluten and carbohydrates (e.g. wheat and potato) is an inexpensive way to fill an animal's pellets and energy needs. How much gluten/carbohydrates are in the kibble? Is this what you want?
• How much should you feed the animal? This gives an indication of the nutritional value of the chunk.
• Chunks for sick animals often address the symptom and not the cause, so be careful with this! A kibble for a dog with diarrhea will most likely contain beet pulp, Physilium Husk and more calcium. These ingredients ensure that the stool becomes hard, but this does not address the cause of soft stools. And that while you also pay the top price for the lump.

Would you like to know more about reading labels? Download our free booklet “ Reading Ingredients ”

New 'trend': Chunks made with fresh meat

Most chunks are made with meat meal. This means that the meat is dried, then ground and then heated (again) when it is placed in the chunk. This is because the production process to make a chunk from fresh meat requires special machines.

There are more and more brands that produce chunks from fresh meat and we applaud this! However, please note that fresh meat contains a lot of moisture (75%), so if the first ingredient is meat, this does not necessarily mean that the largest ingredient is meat!

We can write plenty of books about this!

our range of chunks here

Eating along with the pot

Thousands of years ago, dogs came into our lives because we as humans dropped our food scraps on the ground and dogs ate them. They stayed nearby because it was easy to gather food. After that, people saw the usefulness of dogs (hunting or repelling vermin) and so dogs evolved into pets. Until 30-40 years ago, dogs ate from the pot. Until dog food came onto the market.

But soon there was criticism of the dog food (including by Ian Billinghurst, founder of BARF ) and a movement started that went back to the origins of the dog: bones/meat/organs (vegetables).

BARF & KVV

Some people prepare their dog's meals themselves. This amounts to approximately 50% muscle meat, 20-30% bone and organs. You can also supplement this with vegetables.

For people who want to give raw meat, but do not want to put it together themselves, there is Ready-made Fresh Meat ( KVV ). Everything is ground and packed in a sausage or container. Thaw, put in the food bowl and enjoy!

There are also differences within the KVV:

KVV without a premix

You can recognize these KVVs, in addition to the ingredients list, by the VAT percentage of 6%. This means that it is pure meat/bone/organ, without additives. Although the meal itself is complete, you need to feed 4-5 types of animals to complete the diet. This is because each animal species contains different (ratios) of vitamins and minerals.

KVV with a premix

These CDVs add a premix, so feeding one animal species should be sufficient. In practice, people still change species for variety.

Various brands KVV

Here too, there are different brands and different qualities (with the corresponding price). What can you pay attention to?   

• What is the muscle/bone/organ ratio in the diet?
• Which organs are used?
• Is the calcium source from bone or from a supplement? The first is preferable.
• Are the animal species mentioned by name or are they referred to as 'meat and animal by-products'?

Do you need help choosing? You can always call us or visit the store.

Check out our webshop for the different KVV brands that we sell

Steamed meat/canned food

Steamed meat/canned food as dog food (and cat) (hereinafter: canned) is on the rise again in the market. And this is useful, because if you feed KVV and go on holiday, it is easy to take with you. It is a good alternative to KVV if you are going on holiday or for a weekend away.

But here too, pay attention to the quality! Most canned foods that you can buy at the supermarket contain very little meat, a lot of soy and other fillers and are therefore incomplete.

• If the label says 'meat and animal by-products', we advise you not to give this.
• Canned food that says 'with Lamb' or 'with beef' means that it only needs to contain 4% lamb or beef to call it that. How much meat and which animal species is in the canned food?

Curious about our range of steamed meat? click here

What do we choose?

Basically, we are in favor of KVV as dog food and cat food. Pure, know what you give. But if it doesn't suit your lifestyle, a good chunk is also good.

However, we like to see both meals enriched with vegetables and other home garden and kitchen supplements such as coconut oil. More information? Ask for it in the store.