Pick of the Month-July 2009

This month's top pick for pets: Green Earth Pet Food.

I'm a big fan of raw food for pets. I feed my dog prey model raw food (80% raw meat, 10% raw bone and 10%organ) and I make raw food for my cat, following and modifying various recipes. Sometimes, though, I get lazy and I don't want to deal with grinding up eggshell powder for calcium or poking holes in dozens of Fish Oil capsules. Or I simply don't want to be messing with raw meat first thing when I wake up in the morning. For moments like this, I generally keep a three pound bag of commercial raw medallions in the freezer. I used to buy Nature's Variety, which is a premium food that I still recommend, but it is by no means a local product and the organic option is a bit pricey. Plus, I have to drive to either South Asheville (Pet Supplies Plus) or North Asheville (Asheville Pet Supply) to get it.

So, imagine my delight when fellow pet sitter Jane Mitchell mentioned a local, organic raw pet food she had read about and then found at Greenlife. The product I am referring to is Green Earth Pet Food. It is a local, human-grade raw pet food that is slightly more affordable than the Nature's Variety I'd been buying. The Green Earth Pet Food comes in 2 ounce patties: the exact amount of food my cat needs per meal. (I feed him 2 ounces of raw food, twice a day.)
Not only is Green Earth Pet Food human-grade, it is made with ethically sourced ingredients: it contains cage-free chicken, organic vegetables, and free-range eggs. And it's made in Candler, of all places! Who could ask for anything more?

If you're interested in trying a raw diet for your pets, but you're nervous about preparing the food yourself, Green Earth Pet Food would be a great way to transition!

Green Earth Pet Food is available at Greenlife, EarthFare in West Asheville, and Pet Harmony in South Asheville. Hopefully, it will be available at the South Asheville Earth Fare this summer.