Products
Tid Bits
Storage
Dehydrated foods should be stored in a cool, dry place. Our products have a shelf life of twelve months or more, depending upon ambient temperature and humidity. The date of manufacture is printed on the top of every box in a specially designed 'tear out and keep' card. Our food-safe bags are fitted with a tin-tie to allow you to close securely between meals. We recommend thoroughly cleaning and drying our re-usable stainless storage tins if you use them, prior to refilling.
Shelf Life
Our dehydrated diets have a shelf life of 12 months from the date of manufacture, which is printed on the front, right corner of each bag. Our treats also have a 12 month shelf life. Our herbal nutritional supplements have a shelf life of 24 months from the date of manufacture.
Hydration
One cup of dehydrated food will hydrate to make about 1 lb of fresh food. A 4 lbs bag holds about 17 cups and makes about 17 lbs of fresh food. A 10 lbs bag makes about 43 lbs of fresh food and holds 43 dry-cups.
Feeding
Hydrate with fresh, warm water. After hydration, a process that takes just 5 minutes, these foods should be consumed right away. Any leftover food should be treated like fresh food, and refrigerated up to 48 hours or discarded.
Introducing our recipes to your companion
These foods can be fed alone (with the exception of Preference which is for supplemental feeding only), or as a perfect accompaniment to a raw food or other home-prepared diet. Dehydrated raw food is considerably different from conventional, cooked and processed foods and so your pet should be given sufficient time to adjust.
For pets already consuming some raw food or home made (unprocessed) food, our recipes can be hydrated and mixed directly with your own ingredients right away.
For dogs transitioning from a processed diet of kibble or canned food, these foods should be introduced more gradually, over a period of four to seven days depending on your dog’s sensitivity.
Hydrate, following the guidelines on the label, and mix a small amount of The Honest Kitchen with the regular kibble or canned food for the first couple of days. Gradually increase the ratio to half and half for a few days, and then completely remove the old food. This will allow the natural ‘friendly’ gut flora in the intestines to get accustomed to the new diet and become more efficient at digesting the hydrated raw food.
These products are also an excellent base for homemade and BARF (Bones and Raw Food, or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) diets, and we are happy to provide complimentary nutritional consulting on adding your own ingredients tothem. Please give us a call, we would love to help. We can also provide referrals to suppliers of good quality meats and holistic veterinarians in your area who are aware of the benefits of a wholesome, natural diet.
Adding extras
Extra ingredients may be mixed in with our foods, if you wish. The addition of protein is required for Preference and optional for our other diets. Yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, fish, fruits, vegetables, certain nuts and seeds make other interesting additions. Let us know if you’d like an information sheet. Don’t add chocolate, grapes, raisins, onions or macadamia nuts as these are toxic for dogs.
We advocate and encourage daily variety. Many customers like to switch between our different recipes for even more variation. The water used to cook your own vegetables is ideal for hydrating the foods–it is packed with vitamins and minerals!
Please call (858) 483-5995 or email us at questions@thehonestkitchen.com if you’d like to receive our complimentary recipe book with lots of ideas for home made meals that incorporate our foods. They are also available online, too: Recipes & Ideas for home made meals
Preparing in advance
This is a useful option if time is short or someone else is caring for your pet. Our foods may be hydrated in larger batches ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen in individual batches. Refrigerated food should be used within 48 hours. Frozen portions will keep for 3 to 4 months in a freezer.
Drinking water
Filtered or bottled water is preferable if the tap water in your area is questionable. As with a fresh, raw diet, pets who eat these foods may drink less water than those fed a commercial kibble, because more of their daily fluid requirement is being met with the food itself and the water used to hydrate it.
Bones
Meaty bones are a great addition to the diet for many pets and must always be fed raw. Never feed cooked bones of any type. We recommend introducing bones under the guidance of a holistic veterinarian. Some people are more comfortable feeding pre-ground bones at first, rather than whole ones. Cats and dogs have shorter digestivetracts than humans and are better able to digest various raw bones and cartilage with ease. Always store and handle raw meat and bones safely to avoid spoilage or contamination. Raw beef marrow (soup) bones make excellent recreational bones and will delight most dogs. These are not actually consumed but gnawed on, and help to maintain clean, white, sparkling teeth and healthy pink gums.
Please refer to our web site at www.thehonestkitchen.com and sign up for our free newsletter for articles and information on various holistic health-related issues and resources.
Vitamins and minerals
Each of our foods contains the following, 100% human food grade, vitamin-mineral premix: tricalcium phosphate, choline chloride, zinc amino acid chelate, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, potassium chloride, iron amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate.
Health
All of our diets, with the exception of Preference (which is a premix that must have protein added before serving) can be fed as stand-alone diets. Additional foods can be added to these suggested serving sizes if desired. We suggest adding about half a cup of home-prepared ingredients for each dry-measured cup of food. Please contact us for guidance on a good combination for your dog or cat. For convenience, all our feeding guidelines are based on dry-measured cups. Preference requires the addition of protein to create a balanced meal.
The most obvious visual difference between The Honest Kitchen’s diets and canned or extruded foods, is the vibrant colors that remain intact through the gentle process of dehydration. Numerous studies have highlighted the importance of the bright pigments that exist in fresh fruits and vegetables. These vivid substances are potent phytonutrients–antioxidants, which are highly beneficial for total health and well-being. The enzyme content of dehydrated food is also much higher than conventional pet food.
