5 FAQ’s about introducing Moringa to your pet’s diet
The top 5 FAQ’s about introducing Moringa to your pet’s die - Answered by Tash (the director of the South African branch)
1. Is it safe to feed an animal Moringa? Absolutely! It is literally the leaf of a tree, so it’s totally natural - just extremely nutritious 😉 Our cattle on the farm are hazardous around our Moringa field, if they could munch the whole crop, they would!
2. What is Moringa & what does it do? My favourite question! Haha Moringa is a superfood – one of the most nutritious plants found in the world! True story! It contains more protein & antioxidants than any other plant! It’s a natural multivitamin containing high levels of fibre, iron, magnesium & calcium. These nutrients are super beneficial and are known to result in a healthy gut (this is SO important), strong immune systems (their little tummy’s are always fighting off bacteria), repairing damaged cells & fighting free radicals (mainstream foods often don’t contain natural antioxidants that do this – except I saw Bob Martin recently added Moringa to their food & I know of a few other larger brands are currently in product development too – so that’s exciting), and it’s a natural anti-inflammatory (more powerful than turmeric) and its great for their skin & coat too – you’ll see the changes for yourself in less than 2 months.
3. Should I buy the Moringa Pet Food Supplement or the Moringa Animal Feed Supplement – what’s the difference? It depends on whose belly you are feeding. For your cat/dog, go for the PFS – this is a fine powder (finely crushed Moringa leaves). It mixes well with wet food and easy to sprinkle over pellets/biscuits. If you are in the livestock or equine industry, go for the AFS – this is a course mix of dried Moringa leaf & the moringa oleifera stem (extra fibre). It mixes well with other course feed. If your feed is much finer or liquid-based, then rather go for the powder.
4. How do I add Moringa to their food & how much should I add? Firstly, always start with a lower portion (I don’t like the word dosage, it sounds like it’s a mootie and it’s actually just a food), but as I said earlier - it’s very high in fibre, magnesium & antioxidants so it gets the gut going! So, to avoid a runny tummy, rather let them get used to all of the nutrients in smaller amounts, before gradually increasing it. Nutritionists’ recommendation for the pet food supplement (powder) is 1/2 tsp to 1tsp of Moringa Powder sprinkled into the food, once a day. For the animal feed supplement (course mix) it's 10g per 100kg bodyweight – so if your horse is 200kgs, add in 20g etc. There are no reported side effects of ‘too much’ moringa, other than a runny tummy – I’m sure I’ll be one of the first to know – we research Moringa and chat to nutritionists all the time and we have very good relationships with our clients who we chat to often.
5. Will my pet still eat his/her food if I add Moringa into it – what does it taste like? I think it’s similar to and tastes like kale - or maybe matcha.. or spinach, I don’t know - It’s not as fab as strawberries & cream, but you get used to it haha! Livestock & horses won’t have a problem getting it down - at Flag Animal Farm, I’ve watched chickens, tortoises, sheep, pigs, donkeys, and even WOLVES eat Moringa leaves – so it can’t be that bad hey?! I haven’t heard of too many people complaining about their pets turning their noses. I think it depends on how fussy they are when it comes to vegetables. But the powder is ideal because if you have raw food/gravy, the flavour is masked. Our family of 3 rescues (2 dogs and a cat) get moringa powder sprinkled into their biscuits every day and they seem to love it – shame they don’t have much of an option though hey! Haha
“It’s really not that complicated though, it’s just a super nutritious crushed-up leaf! I know people are always wary about what they feed their animals, but I can guarantee you that it’s one of the BEST foods you could ever introduce into their diets”.
