Can You Microwave Your Pet’s Food? (Pros & cons)

You just got home after a long tiring day and it’s time to feed your pet. You had kept the food in the refrigerator to store it. Naturally, you don’t want to wait for another two hours to sit it out. The first thing that should come in handy in this situation is microwaving the food. But, can you microwave your pet’s food?

Microwaving your pet’s food has its pros and cons. Yes, you can microwave your pet’s food but only for a couple of seconds until it comes to normal temperature. Nevertheless, some studies don’t support microwaving pet food.

There’s more to microwaving pet food than just that. In this article, I will discuss more on how microwaving pet food can affect your pet and what you should do about it. 

Should You Microwave Your Pet’s Food?

Microwaves used in heating food are radiations with no proven harmful effects on health. However, your pet can’t have its food either too hot or too cold. So, maintaining the right temperature is essential in this case. 

Your pets need to have a completely balanced diet containing all the proximate principles of food. It should be a well-balanced combination of body-building, energy-dense, protective and enriched nutrients.

So you can’t feed your pet dry foods only. There should be diversities and raw foods can help you with that. Most of the raw foods come in cans that need to be stored in the fridge. Almost all pets hate to eat cold food. Besides, statistics have shown that it affects their health making them prone to diseases and diminishes their appetite severely.

Make sure the food you are serving is at normal temperature. In this regard, you may try microwaving the food. Heat for just a few seconds; maybe for 10 to 15 seconds until it comes down to normal room temperature. Don’t make it too hot. That could actually burn your pet’s mouth. 

Pros Of Microwaving Pet Food

The advantages of microwaving food are pretty obvious. Your pet is more likely to love warm food for the same reasons you do. Here are reasons why you should consider microwaving food.  

• Maintains temperature

Microwave for a couple of seconds and voila, your food is ready to be served! It tastes just like normal food at room temperature. 

• Makes the food appealing

Studies show many pets stopped eating because they were constantly being served cold food. Gradually, they lost their appetite. 

Just heating it for a few seconds can make it appealing to your pet’s appetite. So yeah, no compromising with your Mr. Paw’s appetite!

• Kills harmful bacteria

Cold and wet raw food can harbor harmful organisms that can cause gut infections. Bringing it to normal temperature kills the bacteria because the organisms can’t survive at this temperature.

• Vegetables can become softer 

Microwaving can also make the cell walls in vegetables softer and more easily digestible. Therefore, this is important for a healthy gut.

• Preserves the antioxidants

Although not all, microwaving for a short period can preserve most of the antioxidants of the fruits and vegetables in your servings.

Cons Of Microwaving Pet Food 

There are some bad sides to microwaving pet foods as well. These drawbacks are few but still worth considering. 

• Destroys nutrients

Some studies show microwaving destroys some nutrients in the food. For instance, they can destroy some useful enzymes e.g. diastase in most vegetables and foodgrains. 

• Cause bowel issues 

The most alarming fact about microwaving is that it can convert the fat components of your pet’s diet into harmful substances and eventually cause indigestion, bloating, and other gut problems. 

• Can cause burns

Some pets aren’t as patient as us humans when it’s supper time. So, if you’re not careful when heating up the food, it can burn your pet’s tongue and throat. 

Does Microwaving Change the Composition of Pet Food?

Some shreds of evidence reveal that microwaving raw pet food can alter its chemical nature. It happens with certain vegetables, vitamins, and with fat content in the food.

Microwaving mostly damages the fat molecules. In other words, they get oxidized into toxic entities that can alter the cellular structure of fat globules. Consequently, this altered product is not easy to digest and can cause steatorrhoea. In addition, the food often becomes unpleasant and distasteful.

You may find this instruction written in some pet food packages saying – Do not microwave it. But this issue is not so common. It doesn’t occur in all pet foods. However, do it at your own risk.

At What Temperature Should You Serve Pet Food?

Pet food should always be served at room temperature or near room temperature. You should never serve pet food cold. If you do choose to warm it up then room temperature is best. But slightly warm food can be provided if under tolerable temperature. 

This issue about the correct temperature is the most frequently asked question, as said by most veterinarians. However, the temperature is not an issue in the case of dry foods.  The wet foods need to be stored in the cold. Most domestic cats and dogs live off these raw-canned goods.

So after you take it out of the refrigerator, heating it a little brings out the aromas and improves the taste and texture, making it more appealing to your pet’s appetite.

For home-cooked meals, make sure it’s not too hot. Moreover, too hot food will irritate the delicate mouth of your pets and may even cause burns.

How to Microwave Cold Pet Food?

Follow these simple and easy steps to microwave your pet food: 

Step 1: Take it out of the refrigerator

Step 2: Pour just the amount you need on a microwave-safe plate, usually one portion.

Step 3: Put it inside the microwave and heat it. Usually, for fridge-cold food, 10-15 seconds are enough. However, if it’s frozen, you may need more time. You aim to bring it to normal temperature.

Step 4: Take the plate out. Dip in your pinkie finger and check if the temperature is alright.

Step 5: If it’s okay, wash your hands and get ready to feed Mr. Paws!

Alternatives to Microwaving Pet Food

Microwaving is not just the only option to heat cold food. That is to say, there are some other easy and home-based methods that you can follow to get the food at the right temperature. Let’s take a look at some easy alternatives:

• Pouring a small amount of hot water 

Take one portion of frozen food on a plate or bowl. Boil some water and pour a tiny amount into your plate of frozen food. Mix well with a spoon. It should do the trick.

• Keep the frozen pack in boiling water 

Put the package or can of frozen food in boiled water for some time. The food will defrost in a few minutes.

• Sitting it out

It is very time-consuming. It is the most classical method. Sitting it out on the kitchen counter will bring the temperature back to normal.

• Using warm metallic dish

Take a warm or hot dish of stainless steel and let the food sit out there. It is faster than the former. However, it still consumes time.

Do not try to reheat on the stove. Although heating on the stove can spread the heat evenly unlike the microwave, it will ultimately make the raw food cooked. So the entire purpose of your diet will get ruined.