Chunks v Ground – A Comparison

As we provide both chunked and ground options for some of our ready meals, many of you have asked the differences between ground and chunks. Here is a comprehensive comparison to guide your understanding:

GROUND MEALS

• ADVANTAGE 1: GREAT FOR TRANSITION

The consistency of ground meat is more similar to wet or canned food, and may be more familiar to both pets and pet owners alike. Ground raw meat may be very useful for transition, and can be hidden in or mixed into existing food, to trick picky but not so discerning pets into dipping their tongues into raw. Ground meat may be easier to eat than meat chunks, as some pets may have forgotten how to use their teeth and gnaw at their food. Ground raw meat is also a great transition food for humans who may be slightly squeamish about handling whole meat cuts and organs.

• ADVANTAGE 2: GREAT FOR ANIMALS WITH EXISTING CONDITIONS

Some pets have pre-existing medical conditions or periodontal issues, such as stomatitis (inflammation of the mouth), which cause them to have decreased appetite and difficulty in chewing. Ground raw meat has a much softer texture and can be further watered down to a thinner consistency, assisting pets to eat better. Some pets have also lost most of their teeth or have broken teeth and would need to take ground meat as they may not be able to chomp down on chunks. Ground meat is also easier to manage for animals with flatter faces or shorter snouts as some may face problems eating chunks due to a shallower bite.

• ADVANTAGE 3: COMPLETE MEAL

As all components required for a complete meal are ground and mixed together, most pets would be unable to pick and choose what they prefer and would have to eat the entire meal. Pet parents do not have to worry about their pets not consuming certain essential components of a raw diet. Ground raw is also convenient for multi-pet households, as parents can ensure that all pets get complete meals even if some pets have part of their meal stolen from them.

• ADVANTAGE 4: LESSER CHOKING CONCERNS

Ground raw may pose less of a choking risk if your pet tends to wolf down their food. The minced meat is less likely to become stuck in their airway, and pets are usually better able to regurgitate ground food that has gotten down the wrong way.

• ADVANTAGE 5: CLEANER TO FEED

Ground meals cannot be carried around to or hidden in far flung areas for your pet to plan a surprise treasure hunt for you. The feeding area is localised and the mess, if any, can be easily eliminated with the use of a feeding mat.

• ADVANTAGE 6: GREAT FOR MIXING MEDICATION AND SUPPLEMENTS INTO FOOD

The minced texture of ground meals allow medication and supplements to be mixed into the food, which may be a godsend for pet parents who have difficulty in administering medication to or pilling their pets. However, the finicky ones may reject their meals entirely if they do not like the medication that is mixed into the food. Do ensure that your pets finish their meals to receive the entire dose of the medication. Otherwise, add the full dose of medication into a portion of their food and give the rest only when they have finished the medicated portion.

• DISADVANTAGE 1: LESS OF A JAW EXERCISE

Eating ground raw meat requires minimal gnawing and shearing of meat, and provides less of a challenge to your pets in using their teeth and exercising their jaws. There is minimal teeth cleaning that comes with the tearing and gnawing of meat chunks. However, the best way to maintain oral hygiene is to manually brush their teeth. The natural and more premium ingredients of our ground raw also prevents plaque buildup, unlike other commercial pet food. To offer mental stimulation and some teeth cleaning action, you may consider giving your pet some meat chunks or chicken necks once in a while as snacks.

• DISADVANTAGE 2: INCREASED SURFACE AREA FOR BACTERIA CONTAMINATION

The process of grinding meat increases the surface area of meat exposed to bacteria. However, proper processing and storage of fresh ground meat prevents spoilage, and many pets have thrived on a ground raw meat diet. Further, not all bacteria on meat are harmful to pets, and many bacteria species may even help to promote a healthy gut flora. Healthy pets who are not immunocompromised are naturally resistant to bacteria infection. Bacteria, such as salmonella, can also be easily picked up by pets from eating dry pet food, hunting prey or stepping into bird droppings. Bacteria on properly handled fresh meats are of no health risk to pets.

CHUNKED MEALS

• ADVANTAGE 1: PROMOTES DENTAL HEALTH

Meat chunks and raw meaty bones require animals to exercise their jaws and use their teeth to shear and rip the meat into smaller pieces. The act of tearing and shearing chunks of meat creates friction and massages their teeth and gums to help remove tartar and plaque build up. Sinking their teeth into chunks of meat also provides cats and dogs with some flossing action to help keep the teeth clean.

Contrary to popular belief, raw meaty bones alone do not clean teeth. Bones crack and break when crushed by the powerful jaws of carnivores. For the purposes of illustration, think about how we use soft bristles and dental floss (equivalent to meat tissues and sinews) to clean our own teeth. On the other hand, we chew ice out of defiance or habit or boredom, and not to clean our teeth.

• ADVANTAGE 2: PROMOTES MENTAL STIMULATION 

Feeding chunks, or whole prey, presents our pets with a bigger mental challenge than ground meat. Our pets are made to think about how to tackle their food, whether in the form of raw meaty bones or whole prey. Food becomes both nourishment and entertainment at the same time, satisfying our pets both physically and emotionally.

• ADVANTAGE 3: CLOSER TO NATURAL DIET

Chunks are closer to what animals eat in the wild, especially if you feed small whole prey animals such as quails or rabbits. Chunked meat is also slightly less processed than minced meat, which keeps more vitamins, minerals and amino acids intact, increasing the nutritional profile of the meals.

• DISADVANTAGE 1: CHOKING RISK

There may be an increased choking risk with feeding chunks of meat and raw meaty bones. We strongly recommend pet guardians to supervise your pets during mealtimes to ensure their safety at all times. Watching your pets eat is also a wonderful way to bond with your pets, and can be very enjoyable for everyone! We recommend taking the following steps to further reduce the risk of choking:

• • • Raw meaty bones: feed appropriately-sized meat chunks and raw meaty bones that are large enough to prevent pets from gulping the entire piece whole, but avoid feeding weight-bearing bones of large ungulates (think: beef bones or lamb feet or antlers) which may fracture teeth
    • Pet personality: try to understand your pet and their eating habits. Are they a gulper or a nervous eater? Or are they experts at gnawing bones?
    • Feeding environment: create a stress-free eating environment by providing a peaceful and sufficient space for your pet so that they do not feel that they need to eat quickly, especially in multi-pets households.

• DISADVANTAGE 2: PICKY EATING

Some fussier pets may start to pick and choose parts of the meal they prefer and leave the other parts untouched. For example, some pets may refuse to eat the raw meaty bone or leave the organs on the plate but eat the rest of the meal. In multi-pet households, greedier pets may even steal their favourite components from their fussier or slower pet housemates.

Your pet has to be willing to eat all the meat, bones and organs in the long run for the diet to be balanced. A lot of patience may be necessary to coax your pet into finishing their meal, or figure out their dining preferences. For example, some pets require each component to be separate from each other, or they require each piece of meat to be in a particular shape or size.

In multi-pet households, we recommend pet guardians to designate separate feeding zones for each pet.

• DISADVANTAGE 3: MESSY EATING

Some pets tend to drag pieces of meat off plates, causing a mess on the floor, or leaving a trail on our fancy rugs and throws. Some of the sneaky ones may even decide to bury some meat in our cosy sheets, to give us a surprise when we unwittingly tuck into bed after a long day at work. Such behaviour may cause displeasure in the household, or incur the wrath of the household members who are more particular about cleanliness or icky about raw meat. Do note, however, that this situation may be circumvented by confining your pet to a crate, the kitchen, the bathroom or even outdoors (for those of you who have access to a garden or front porch) during mealtimes.

• DISADVANTAGE 4: MORE DIFFICULT TO MIX MEDICATION AND SUPPLEMENTS INTO FOOD

One popular method to administer medications and supplements to your pets is to hide the medications and supplements inside their food. However, meat chunks do not mix well with liquids, powders or pills, and pet guardians may have to give pills and liquids by hand to ensure that their pets receive the full dosage.

Ultimately, while we may argue endlessly about the pros and cons of raw pet food using meat chunks or ground meat, what your pet will eat most readily is the best food. We may have certain ideals of our pet (e.g. stop being such a picky eater or stop gorging on food until you regurgitate), it is always the most important to feed the pet in front of us in a way that is most suited for them.