Where Is The Food Made
All FreshPet products are made in company-owned kitchens located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Their treats are made in the USA by carefully selected partners that follow high standards for safety and quality. FreshPet also states that 97% of their ingredients are sourced from the USA and Canada, though their vitamins and minerals may not be. No ingredients are sourced from China.
What To Look For In A Well
The most important thing to look for when picking any diet is to make sure the product meets the AAFCO standards for diet formulation. AAFCO stands for Association of American Food Control Officials.
This organization establishes standards for nutritional requirements and ingredients in pet food. Because it is not a regulatory agency, AAFCO does not directly test or regulate pet food products.
Pet food that says it is AAFCO approved, simply means that the product meets the standards set by AAFCO.
For more information on AAFCO and their role in pet food regulation, you can use the following link: AAFCO
Another important factor in picking a well-balanced diet is to find out who was involved with the formulation of the diet.
To ensure the diet meets all nutritional requirements and AAFCO standards, your dogs diet should be formulated with the help of a veterinarian or veterinary nutritionist. Most pet food products will specify this on their label.
What Dog Food Products Do They Offer
The advantage FreshPet has over other fresh pet food companies is their large variety. FreshPet offers a varied range of rolls, bagged meals, single-serve cups, and treats.
Their products are intended to be refrigerated, all labeled with a sell by date, and used within 7 days of opening. The exception is for the single-serve cups which should be used within 2 days and treats which can be open for 10 to 14 days.
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Is Wet Or Dry Food Better For Dogs
Not only are there a bajillion brands of dog food, but then theres the type of dog fooddry vs. wet. How do you know which to pick? Generally speaking, wet food is better for dogs than dry food. Wet food has fewer carbohydrates, which are difficult for dogs to digest, and more water, which keeps dogs hydrated. As weve said time and again when discussing training techniques, breed standards and best dog parent practices, every pup is an individual. Before you change up any routine , go over your options with your vet and use what you know about your dogs health and personality to make decisions. Whether its wet or dry food, you want your dogs nutrition to work for them.
How Does It Work
Ordering from Ollie is easy. Simply fill in your dogs profile, which includes age, weight, breed, and any allergies that they may have, and Ollie will customize your dogs recipes based on their profile. The food then gets delivered on a regular schedule that you can customize. Each meal is made fresh and then frozen right away to ensure freshness. The food is packaged in a convenient, customized portion designed for your pooch.
Pros
- Delivered right to your door
- Free from fillers and artificial ingredients
- Customized meal plans
- Not as convenient as kibble
- Youll need freezer storage space
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What Is The Official Opinion On Raw Food For Dogs
When it comes to the raw food debate, many dog owners feel torn. On the one hand, they want to feed their dog a natural diet. But, on the other, they are worried about the risk of disease. So, lets see what official guidance tells us.
The American Veterinary Medical Association discourage the feeding of raw animal products to dogs and cats. This is because they believe heat-treating is necessary to eliminate pathogens. The British Veterinary association shares the same concerns.
However, some people believe we are at a turning point with regards to pet food. This is because some vets are beginning to show support for the raw food diet.
For example, the Raw Feeding Veterinary Society claim that the gold-standard pet food should be as close to the animals evolutionary diet as possible. In the case of dogs, this means a raw food diet. The RFVS believe that synthetic supplements, additives, and preservatives are not healthy for dogs. As such, they do not support processed/rendered dog foods.
Time will tell if the raw dog food diet becomes mainstream. In the meantime, even members of the RFVS state that a raw food diet should only be attempted if you have the time and means to do it responsibly.
Guide To Mixing Wet And Dry Dog Food
Mixing wet and dry dog food is another option that may provide the best of both worlds. However, it is very important to ensure you are still providing the proper daily feeding amount to prevent overfeeding.
The best way to do this is to have your local vet calculate your furry friends daily calorie requirements for maintenance. Then you can calculate how much dry and wet food your dog should have each day to reach that number of caloriesand dont forget to factor in any calories from treats.
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Helps Your Dog Have Better Poop
One thing that pet parents who feed Ollie consistently report is that their pups are pooping better! By feeding whole foods like you find in our delicious fresh dog food, dogs have better and smaller poops. The same fiber that helps keep your dog’s digestive system moving along a is also responsible for this phenomenon.
Reasons Raw Food Is Better Than Cooked Food
Reason #1: Dogs are designed to eat raw food, to completely digest raw food, and to draw the maximum nutrients from raw food.
A dog’s digestive tract is tailor-made for raw food. The shape of his teeth are perfect for tearing meat and crushing bone. The powerful hydrochloric acid in his stomach breaks down tough food material and kills bacteria. His short, straight intestinal tract quickly eliminates any questionable food before it can do any harm.
That’s the digestive system of a raw meat eater. That’s the digestive system of your dog, whether Chihuahua or a Great Dane.
The entire canine family has a digestive system designed to eat, digest, and absorb raw meat.
Which makes sense, because they can’t roast or bake the rabbits they catch, right? They just eat the thing raw.
That’s why a raw diet is also called a biologically-appropriate or species-appropriate diet.
Reason #2: Eating raw food keeps a dog’s digestive system fit and healthy.
You know the old expression, “Use it or lose it”? When a dog’s digestive system goes to work digesting raw food, his digestive system is exercised, which helps it stay strong and healthy.
Unfortunately, cooked meat makes your dog’s digestive system lazy. When you cook meat, the heat breaks down the meat so that what you serve to the dog is already semi-digested. Eating semi-digested meat doesn’t exercise his digestive system, and this lack of use can open the door to future digestive ailments.
Related:5 Best Raw Dog Foods
Is raw food safe?
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A Sneak Peek At The Winner: Ollie Dog Food
While both foods are great for your pooch and have tons of happy customers, we feel that Ollie edged just ahead of Farmers Dog for a couple of reasons. First, Ollie has a few more key ingredients that we like and a handful of snack options, whereas Farmers Dog has just four meal options. Second, Ollie offers beef, chicken, turkey, and lamb recipes, all packed with human-grade protein sources, and theres a grain-inclusive recipe too.
That said, both Farmers Dog and Ollie offer recipes with only the finest ingredients and high protein levels of up to 11%, and can deliver fresh straight to your door, so either brand is a great option. If youd like to know more, we provided an in-depth analysis of the two foods here.
Reasons Why Real Food Is Good For Your Dog
Kibble vs Fresh Real Food which is better for your dog?
When it comes to nutrition, our dogs are simply like us, the better food they eat the better off they are. By giving your dog high-quality food, you can make sure that they have a long, happy and healthy life.
Fresh doesnt mean
Here are some improvements you can expect when feeding your dog with real food.
Fresh food means real ingredients you will be able to truly see in your dogs bowl. Say goodbye to the mysterious brown balls of kibble. Protein sources in kibble, are not approved for human consumption. Compare with fresh food which is whole and unprocessed, human-grade meat, ingredients used in kibble are much low quality.
With fresh foods, youll be able to see what ingredient your dog is eating and is fresh without addictives. While on the contrary, most commercial dog foods are highly processed and mixed with hidden ingredients and additives that have been known to cause health problems.
Many ingredient lists on the dry food packaging such as protein, vitamins, and minerals percentages dont clarify the quantity of each ingredient. Similarly, when a kibble packaging claims that it contains 30% protein, it doesnt mean its all digestible.
Switching to fresh food is easy to digest, human-grade food results in fewer and smaller poop. Real Food is digested properly, nutrients are easily and directly absorbed.
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Tips For A Homemade Dog Food Diet:
If you want to give your dog fresh dog food, then you should speak to your vet before starting to make sure it’s suitable for your pup.
There are plentiful reasons why you might choose fresh food or kibble over the other. Many experts suggest that homemade dog food isn’t right for every dog. If you prefer to feed your dog fresh food meals, you should take extra precautions to meet nutritional requirements for your canine.
Commercial Raw Food Preparations
Well theres a solution to that, right? Just purchase commercial raw food! The trouble with that option is many commercial raw dog food brands use meat byproducts and ingredients that are not human grade dog food. This means your dog could be eating food that was deemed inedible for humans, such as raw meat from3D animals . Alternatively, the meat could be handled improperly, which could lead it to be contaminated with dangerous bacteria picked up from the animal hide, slaughter method, evisceration, or packing processes.
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Preservatives & Additives In Kibble Brands
What many dog owners also may not realize is that the convenience of kibble comes at a price as it requires harmful preservatives and additives to keep it shelf stable. Dry food is also processed at extremely high temperatures which diminishes most of the nutrition in whole ingredients. Artificial additives need to be added to then compensate for the nutrients lost in processing.
Raw Food And Dental Health: An Ounce Of Prevention
Feeding dogs the diet they were designed to eat a raw diet complete with raw meaty bones or a fresh food diet thats not laden with starch is enough to prevent and even treat dental disease.
Check out happened when veterinarian Tom Lonsdale switched raw fed dogs to Hills Science Diet in this article.
Raw foods contain naturally occurring enzymes that help protect the teeth and gums. They dont contain unnatural and damaging starches and sugars that promote unhealthy bacterial growth in the mouth. Finally, raw foods dont contain synthetic ingredients, harmful aflatoxins or other chemical compounds that stress the dogs immune system.
Veterinarian Sara Chapman concludes, Raw meaty bone diets keep wild carnivores teeth in top condition, and they can do the same for our domesticated carnivores. Even ground raw diets help prevent tartar build up, as the meat contains natural enzymes, and raw diets do not stick to the teeth, unlike diets that are high in starch. Kibble has long been touted as helping keep teeth clean because of its abrasive action. Have you ever watched your dog eat kibble? You have surely noticed that they dont chew the stuff, they bolt it down whole. I encourage all my clients to feed a balanced, high quality raw diet if possible balanced high quality cooked or canned diets are acceptable alternatives if they can not feed raw.
As the old adage goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
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Diamond Naturals Light Formula
First 5 Ingredients: Lamb Meal, Whole Grain Brown Rice, Oatmeal, Cracked Pearled Barley, Ground White Rice
Also a notable dry dog food brand, Diamond Naturals Light is another cool option for your dogs with Cushings disease. Whats even cooler is its affordable price despite the high-quality ingredients.
Made in the USA by a family-owned company, this low-fat recipe is made of food components from trusted sources, with lamb meal from pasture-raised lamb and whole grain brown rice as top two ingredients.
It also has an astonishing array of whole foods such as flaxseed, pumpkin, kale, spinach, oranges, quinoa, and papaya that provide the bounteous antioxidants.
Its also loaded with omega fatty acids and probiotics. This kibble has a moderate protein content of 18% minimum, and its fat is only 6.6%, with a fiber content 8.8%. It has zero artificial flavors and preservatives.
At Chewy.com, this dry dog food received an average 4.4 out of 5 stars rating from 202 reviewers, with a 91% acceptance rate. Many customers are highly satisfied with this dry food, and mostly elated about its friendly price.
Some also revealed that this adult dog food is a vet recommended diet. Among the critical comments, the most common complaint is about this diet causing too much gas in their pups.
Pros:
- Real pasture-raised lamb protein is top ingredient
- Made without corn, wheat, artificial flavors or colors
- Includes species-specific K9 strain proprietary probiotics
Cons:
Tips To Help Alleviate A Dogs Cushings Disease
Unlimited Drinking Water
As increased thirst and excessive drinking are symptoms of Cushings disease, its necessary to always have clean water available for your pup to drink. Do not limit their access to clean water. As in humans, drinking water is healthy. Your pooch will just pee the excess water in her body.
Weight Loss
The vet may also recommend weight reduction measures for your Fido. This you must do to prevent obesity, which poses other health hazards including hypertension and heart disease. Exercise will also do your dogs a lot of good. Take the time to walk them daily. As for a healthy weight diet, you need to consult a vet.
Frequent Feeding in Small Amounts
You can also implement frequent feeding in smaller amounts, which should be easier to digest, and prevent overeating or eating just about anything. This can aid in maintaining a healthy weight.
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Special Considerations With Fresh Food Diets
One thing to be aware of when feeding a fresh food diet is that these diets typically dont contain preservatives.
Because these diets dont contain preservatives, how they are cooked and stored is especially important. Food that is not properly cooked may contain harmful bacteria, such as Salmonella and Listeria.
Food storage is also an essential component of food safety. Fresh food formulations are more susceptible to bacterial growth with fluctuating or improper food storage temperatures.
Freezing improperly cooked food does not eliminate the bacteria, and in some cases, refrigeration can even promote additional bacterial growth.
Feeding contaminated food can be harmful to your pet. Handling the food containing this bacteria can also pose a risk to your health.
Hot Tip: If You Try Adding Any Of These Boosters To Your Pets Food Share A Photo On Instagram And Hashtag #brindleberryboosters And Ill Share Some In My Stories
Please remember when you are adding these extras to your dogs bowl, you are adding extra calories. Your dogs weight is always the best indicator of how much to feed, but as a loose rule I recommend just eyeballing volume. If you add an egg to their food, remove an egg-sized portion from their kibble or raw. Of course this isnt precise, but its an easy way to start until you get your portions right.
You can find many of the products discussed in this article at my store in Calgary, the Copperfield Tail Blazers. Feel free to call ahead to confirm if what you are looking for is available! 403-726-0558. Please join me on and for more valuable nutritional information, and for some pretty adorable animal photos!
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For Special Dietary Needs: Just Food For Dogs
Price: Based on my 12lb. dog, it costs about $3.10 per day, which is about $95 a month.
Use the link below for 20% your first order of Just Food for Dogs.
Our experience: I was impressed with what I could see through the package. Large chunks of sweet potato, green beans, and russet potatoes, it reminded me of a stew Id make for a cool fall night.
When the food arrived at my house, it was packaged very well, with the frozen food in a thermal bag and on ice. I also received their Pumpkin Treats, Salmon Bark, Supplements and a can of their DIY Nutrient Blend.
Inside the bags were informational pamphlets, a customized Transition Guide for moving from kibble to fresh, and there was also an adorable card with my dog drawn on the inside. The information included was easy to read, informative, but wasnt overwhelming.
I thawed the first package and put it in the provided containers, and while my formula was fish, which is primarily cod, there was no fishy odor.
When I first gave Olive, my Boston Terrier, a small amount mixed in with her kibble, she seemed a little hesitant, like she knew it was out of the ordinary, and gave me almost a what did I do to deserve this?! look. She gave it a few licks, and then ended up eating the fresh food, and spitting the kibble out to be eaten last. I think that was a good sign! Ever since weve switched, shes all in at meal time.
What sets them apart:
Just Food for Dogs