Passover 2022/5782
Passover or Pesach, takes place this year from the 15th – 23trdApril 2022, and is a major Jewish festival celebrated around the world. During Passover, the consumption of leavened grains is forbidden. How does this have any bearing on our pets?
For those observing the festival , it is important that their homes are free from any products with ingredients such as wheat, barley, rye, oats, spelt or their derivatives. Many of the foods our pets eat include these ingredients, therefore every year the Beth Din (Judicial council) releases a list of “safe” foods for our pets to eat.
The following listed foods are acceptable:
Hills’s Pet Nutrition (Prescription Diets)
1. Dogs
Dry – T/D, I/D, W/D, D/D, K/D & K/D+ Mobility, U/D, Derm Defence, Derm Complete, L/D, A/D
Wet – I/D & I/D stew (not I/D low fat), K/D & K/D stew, L/D, Metabolic (not Metabolic stew), U/D
2. Cats
Dry – Metabolic, T/D, I/D, W/D, D/D, L/D, A/D
Tinned – A/D, I/d
Pouches – none
Hills’s Pet Nutrition (Science Plan)
1. Dogs
Dry
Puppy Chicken (Medium/Large Breed), Oral Care, No Grain
Wet: Only Light tinned food
2. Cats
Dry
Perfect Weight, Adult Indoor & Hairball, Kitten, Oral Care, Sensitive Stomach & Skin, Sterilised Adult & Mature
Wet: None
Ideal Balance, Acana and Orijen – (Check contents as mentioned above)
Eukanuba / Iams — No foods are acceptable.
Royal Canin
If your pet is on a Royal Canin diet that is not on the list below, Royal Canin suggests you use Royal Canin’s Sensitivity Control (Prescription Diet) over Pesach. This product is designed for food and skin allergies and is safe for growing puppies and kittens. It is very easy to digest, so you can change straight on to Sensitivity Control without risking stomach upsets in sensitive pets. Sensitivity Control Canine and Feline is available in dry, tins and pouches.
Veterinary Diets
1. Dogs
Dry – Hypo-allergenic dry, Sensitivity Control.
Wet – Sensitivity Control
2. Cats
Dry – Hypo-allergenic & Sensitivity Control
Wet – Sensitivity Control pouches only
Normal Diets
1. Dogs
Dry
Dachshund Adult
2. Cats: None
Vets Choice
Only Sensitive is suitable
SVD – (Ultradog)
Only Hypo-allergenic food is suitable
Birds
Corn, carrots, potatoes, squash, dark-green leafy vegetables, broccoli, cooked sweet potatoes, melons, apples, oranges, berries, bananas, pears, and peaches are suitable for most types of birds. Ask your vet about specific feeding recommendations based on the type of bird you have and your bird’s individual characteristics. Please note that cereals containing kitniyot are permitted.
Rabbits, Hamsters, Pet Mice, Rats and Guinea Pigs
These pets can be fed a homemade diet consisting of green and yellow vegetables, plus maize grit and sunflower seeds. Add a probiotic called Protexin that is available at all veterinary practices and vet shops, and you need to provide a base of soil (needed for iron) and Lucerne hay.
Kosher for Pesach bird, rabbit, hamster, mice, rat and guinea pig food is available by phoning 072 203 1077, or speak to your local vet or vet shop.
Fish
All flaked or pellet foods contain chametz.
The only suitable foods are Tetra (Fresh Delicia), Whole Bloodworms, Daphnia, or Brine Shrimp (packaged as a box containing 16 x 3g sachets). Tetra may be used for aquariums or cold-water fish. These products are only available at a few pet shops.
Koi Fish can be fed over Pesach with matzah meal.
Please Note: It remains the pet owner’s responsibility to check the ingredients when purchasing pet foods, as the manufacturers cannot guarantee that changes will not be made in the formulation of the foods due to the volatility (price and availability) of raw materials. The products listed have been checked extensively before Pesach.
People who want to use Hills Ideal Balance or Orijen and Acana Dog and Cat Food must check that the product doesn’t contain — wheat, barley, oats, spelt, rye, sorghum, brewer’s yeast or yeast of any other origin.
