Why We Use Pork in Our Meals and Why Dogs Love It
When pet parents think of dog food, chicken, beef, and lamb are usually the first meats that come to mind. But pork is quietly one of the most nutritious, digestible, and delicious proteins you can feed your dog.
Despite its incredible health benefits, pork is often misunderstood due to lingering myths. Here is a clear breakdown of why pork is featured in our recipes and why common concerns shouldn't worry you.
The Benefits of Pork for Dogs
Pork isn't just delicious, it's a nutritional powerhouse packed with goodness to keep your dog thriving.
Highly Digestible Protein: Pork is a high quality protein that’s naturally easy for dogs to digest. In fact, we’ve analysed the digestion of fresh Butternut meals and our Pork This Way recipe sits at a brilliant 96.3% digestibility. This means your dog absorbs almost all the good stuff with minimal effort from their gut.
A natural boost of B vitamins: Pork is naturally rich in B vitamins in particular Thiamine, Niacin, Pyridoxine, and Vitamin B12. These play a role in energy metabolism, brain function, and digestion.
Packed with essential minerals: It brings a healthy dose of vital minerals to the bowl, including Zinc for a soft, shiny coat and healthy skin, Iron for strong red blood cells, and Selenium a brilliant antioxidant for immune support.
Novel protein: If your dog has food intolerances or allergies to more common protein sources like chicken or beef, pork can be a brilliant novel protein option thats less likely to trigger a reaction.
What is a Novel Protein?
A novel protein is a meat protein your dog hasn't been exposed to before. Introducing a new, less common protein like fresh pork gives their immune system a fresh start and helps avoid triggering an allergic reaction or upset stomach.
Debunking Pork Misinformation
There is a lot of outdated information out there when it comes to pork in dog food. Let’s clear up a few common misconceptions:
"Pork is too fatty for dogs."
The Truth: Not all pork cuts are created equal! While processed meats like bacon or pork belly are high in fat and salt, the fresh pork we use at Butternut is carefully selected lean cut meat. It gives your dog all the wholesome protein and nutrients they need without excess fat.
"Pork causes pancreatitis."
The Truth: Pancreatitis is usually triggered by sudden high-fat meals or raw, untreated fats. Because our recipes are carefully balanced by our expert nutritionists, the fat levels in our pork meals are strictly controlled to be safe and easy to digest.
"Raw pork carries parasites."
The Truth: This is a concern specifically linked to raw feeding or undercooked pork. At Butternut, all our meals are cooked gently at 90 degrees. This process destroys any potential parasites or bacteria while locking in all the natural nutrients.
How We Prepare Our Pork Meals
We’re committed to creating meaningful long-term relationships with trusted farmers, producers and suppliers who care about quality just as much as we do. We use human quality unprocessed pork. We gently cook our meals to preserve the natural flavours and nutrients, ensuring it arrives at your door fresh, safe, and ready to serve.