Performatrin Culinaryᵀᴹ/ᴹᶜ: Frozen raw and gently cooked dog meals

Frozen raw food … But make it easy

Raw food diets for dogs began as a feeding method in which pet parents would typically serve their pups meat and vegetables that hadn’t been processed to the degree that kibble is.

The challenge with a DIY raw diet is that it doesn’t always provide dogs with a nutritionally complete meal that consists of the right amount of vitamins, minerals, and protein they need to be healthy.

There’s a reason nutritionists design diets that are optimal for our pets’ health and wellness — a lot of science goes into creating healthy dog food, whether it’s kibble, canned food, or raw food.

Commercial raw food options have become increasingly available, but not all of them are nutritionally complete.

Performatrin Culinary^TM/MC frozen raw food takes the guesswork out of healthy raw food feeding by ensuring that each meal includes all the added vitamins and minerals your dog needs for a complete diet.

The line offers a variety of protein options including lamb, chicken, beef, and turkey so pet parents can pick the meat that best suits their dog’s needs or choose to feed different proteins in rotation. (Rotational feeding not only provides your pup with a wider range of nutrition, but can help prevent them from developing intolerances or allergies to specific meat proteins).

Perhaps best of all, Performatrin Culinary^TM/MC’s raw frozen foods make feeding your dog a raw food diet simple, safe, and easy. Packaged in 8 oz. patties, there’s no need to handle, weigh, or portion the food. Performatrin®’s feeding guide advises pet parents on how many patties their dog needs per day.

“You just take that out of the freezer the night before and overnight it thaws in the refrigerator,” says Brian Plantinga, Pet Valu’s Director, Merchandising - Private Brand Development. “The pouches have easy-peel tops. You peel it, drop it in the bowl, mash it up a little bit. You don't have to touch it or handle it. You don't have to scoop it or weigh it or mess around with things like that.”

The packaging and portioning, says Plantinga, helps to address the “ick factor” some pet parents may have about handling raw meat.

The patties, which are made up of 90% ground meat and 10% fruits and vegetables, include ingredients like carrots, zucchini, spinach, broccoli, blueberries, and kelp along with added salmon oil and the vitamins and minerals to ensure all necessary nutrients are provided.

They’re sold in different quantities ranging from small four lb boxes (for pet parents who’d like to see if frozen raw food is a fit for their dog) up to 18 lb boxes for frozen raw food fans who have the freezer capacity to stock up on their pup’s favourite meal.

Performatrin Culinary^TM/MC’s frozen raw foods are all nutritionally complete, regardless of the protein you choose to feed your pet.

The line also offers a mixed pack with four protein options (chicken, turkey, lamb and beef) for pet parents who switch up their dog’s diet seasonally, in accordance with their activity levels, or just to keep a picky eater interested. While other brands do offer mixed protein packs, they’re not always consistent when it comes to nutritional completeness and balance.

Or consider a gently cooked food option

Not quite ready for a raw food pet diet?

There are a few reasons why raw feeding might not be the right fit for your pup, family, or lifestyle. For example, perhaps your dog is a grazer who prefers to come and go, nibbling their food over the course of a few hours.

As an alternative to raw (or in addition to whatever diet your dog is currently on), Performatrin Culinary^TM/MC’s gently cooked foods are fully cooked — but in small batches at low temperatures so they still offer high nutritional value.

“They look amazing,” says Plantinga. “They look like you just chopped them up and made them on your kitchen counter. You can really see the chunks of meat, the chunks of pumpkin, the rice. This looks like you just freshly prepared it at home.”

Like frozen raw foods, Performatrin Culinary^TM/MC’s gently cooked meals can also be found in your local Pet Valu’s store freezer. The line includes a turkey dinner, a chicken stew, a beef risotto, and a pork feast with quinoa.

“They're completely different, interesting, exciting meals that you can serve to your pet,” Plantinga says. “These are all human-grade ingredients made in a human food facility. This is really good stuff.”

In addition to those recipes, there’s also the Tummy Calmer.

This meal is modelled off the “bland diet” frequently prescribed to pets who are experiencing gastro issues.

However, while the homemade bland diet (and most store-bought versions) is not nutritionally complete and can only be fed for a limited window, Performatrin Culinary^TM/MC’s Tummy Calmer is a complete and balanced meal.

“If you need to serve this longer term, if your pet often has issues with an upset stomach,” says Plantinga, “you can confidently feed this to them and know that they're still getting all the nutrients and minerals and vitamins they're supposed to get in order to be healthy.”

Then, there are the treats.

Unique to the pet food market are Performatrin Culinary^TM/MC’s gently cooked dog treats, which can be fed as a snack or chopped up and used as a topper for their regular food. Options include genuine chicken wings (with the bones removed) and pork and chicken meatballs.

Again like the line’s frozen raw options, gently cooked foods were made with ease and convenience in mind (in addition to high quality standards).

“The gently cooked comes in a resealable pouch so you can use whatever portion you need and then zip it shut and put it back in the refrigerator,” Plantinga explains. “You have four days to use it up just like a deli meat.”

The benefits of rotational feeding

More pet food options mean more ways to mix it up and take advantage of the benefits of rotational feeding.

A quick definition: rotational feeding involves rotating or changing your dog’s diet to sub in different proteins and formulations. It offers variety and an opportunity to avoid food intolerances, especially in puppies.

“Similar to when people have kids, with the whole peanut butter allergy epidemic, if you don't give it to them, their body's going to resist it because they haven't had it for a year and a half of their life,” says Kylie Hogan, an animal nutritionist with Pet Valu.

“And that's how allergies and sensitivities develop. So if you can introduce your dog to as much as possible while keeping their base food consistent, I think that's the most important thing when looking at puppy nutrition.”

For picky eaters, rotational feeding that includes frozen raw or gently cooked foods can provide the incentive to eat a standard kibble topped with something special.

“I think it just keeps things interesting,” says Hogan. “If I had to eat the same food for six months straight, I'm probably not going to love it as much. But if I'm getting a base of chicken and turkey with a little bit of beef or duck on top, that keeps pets interested.”

Rotational feeding can be done in different ways — from completely switching up a protein for a season or simply rotating the ingredient that tops your dog’s regular diet.

“If you find a food that they like and you find rotational feeding doesn't really work for you,” Hogan suggests, “then you can just rotate wet [or frozen raw and gently cooked] foods. That's an easy way to change their calorie makeup so that they can eat less or more, and also address any seasonal changes, like dry skin and coat or more activity.”

Pet food for every pup

While raw and gently cooked dog diets are becoming more and more popular among pet parents looking for healthy alternative options for their pets, the entire Performatrin® line of pet foods (which ranges from kibble to canned to frozen raw and gently cooked) is healthy, nutritionally complete, and pup-approved.

Performatrin® has diets for every stage of life, every pet parent’s preference, and every budget. Performatrin® Culinary is just one more option for pet parents looking to feed their BFF the best food for their specific needs.

The line can be served as a main dish or as a supplement to other dog foods such as kibble. The choice is up to you and your pet.