Giving Your Pet Something Kosher to Nosh On

April 25, 2002  Written by: Christina Mehra, Staff Writer 

As you sat down to Passover Seder this year, and Fido looked longingly up at the table, it could merely have been because he thought those might be some good sweet and sour meatballs you were digging into.

But could it be because he also wanted to take part in the Jewish holiday?

Well, probably not. But many Jewish pet owners would like to have kosher food options for their pets— that is food meeting the requirements outlined under Jewish religious laws.

Thanks to a company called KosherPets Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., now those options exist.

Marc Michels, president and CEO of KosherPets, said he got the idea to make and sell kosher pet food when trying to help his own dog, a Dalmatian named Lola.

"Lola started getting ill after a few years of happy living with my family. Her main symptoms were a persistent rash over her back and a sore that wouldn't heal on one of her back legs," Mr. Michels explained. His family was already eating kosher, so he decided to try similar healthy and organic kosher foods in the pet’s diet and see if there was any improvement.

"Lola’s sore and rashes quickly healed, and she is now a ‘big sister’ to a human addition to my family," he said.

From there the idea to market the dog food (and a version for cats) took off. The company has been busy selling food throughout the United States and Canada, and recently received inquiries from Europe, the Middle East, and South America. They were especially busy filling extra orders before the Passover holiday.

The all-meat diet is made only from kosher species approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The meat is kept free from contact with dairy and contains no chometz—barley, wheat, oats, rye and spelt that has been mixed together for more than 18 minutes. 

This preparation meets with kosher requirements in the Jewish religion and the company was given a letter of endorsement by the Chicago Rabbinical Council. 

Arlene Mathes-Scharf, a food scientist and kosher food specialist at Scharf Associates, Sharon, Mass., said the KosherPets company has an interesting concept. 

"My first Passover question this year in January was about dog food," she said. And although she doesn’t believe pets can be Jewish, their owners still have concerns about feeding them a kosher diet, especially during Passover, she added.

"Because a Jew cannot benefit from chometz," she said, "one needs to find pet foods that meet this criteria."

In fact, she feeds her own pets a kosher diet as well. 

"My garter snake eats worms. My guppies eat freeze-dried tubiflex worms," she said.

But don’t get the impression that you can only order this food for Passover. Pet owners choose this brand of food for their animals for a number of reasons, Mr. Michels said. 

"We estimate that approximately 55 to 60 percent of our clientele purchases our products for religious or philosophical reasons, and the remaining 40 to 45 percent for pet health reasons solely," he said.

The raw meat is sold in freeze-dried patties, which contain no chemicals, preservatives, or artificial coloring. Owners can either add water to the meat or break it up and serve it dry to their pets.

With any new diet, you should talk to your veterinarian to be sure the food meets your pet’s nutritional requirements before making any changes. Veterinary nutritionist Rebecca Remillard, DVM, Ph.D., said when deciding on a diet for their pet, owners should ask for a copy of the company’s AAFCO statement. The Association of American Feed Control Officials regulates the pet food industry and an AAFCO statement will verify that the food is nutritionally balanced, Dr. Remillard explained.

Specifically, owners should find out if the company producing the food has participated in the AAFCO feeding protocol test. This quality control test involves feeding the diet to dogs for 6 months in a laboratory under veterinary supervision. AAFCO tracks the dogs’ weight and coat condition, and performs bloodwork to check for normal parameters—both before feeding the diet and after the 6 month period.

Any pet food that has passed this feeding protocol test "is worthy of a trial," Dr. Remillard said. However, she would not recommend trying any pet food that has not passed the test. 

KosherPets has not undergone this AAFCO feeding test, Mr. Michels said, because he believes " the guidelines are very, very lean." The test allows food products on the market, which he said, shouldn’t be on the market.

Other countries have much stricter guidelines than those required to pass the AAFCO feeding protocol test, Mr. Michels said. Germany has the strictest requirements and KosherPets would definitely meet those standards, he added. However, because KosherPets is not yet sold outside the U.S. and Canada, the food has not been tested in Germany.

KosherPets surpasses the AAFCO guidelines, he claimed.

The company currently offers only the beef-flavored patties, but plans to expand its selection to include chicken, lamb, turkey, and salmon for cats, Mr. Michels explained. They’re also considering kosher food for birds, fish, and guinea pigs. 

A 1-pound bag of KosherPets cat or dog food costs $29.95. The diets can be ordered from the company’s Web site.