My family and I are very health conscious and we eat a mostly organic diet. We are about to get our first dog and I would love to feed him organically. However, I am a complete novice with regard to doggie diets and don't know if such a food even exists for dogs. Can anyone help?
Amelia Richards, by email
Richard Allport, alternative vet, says...
If you are thinking of feeding a proprietary dog food, there are a few organic dog foods on the market. By far the best, in my view, is Lily’s Kitchen, a company that produces a range of organic canned and dry food with top quality ingredients and nothing significant in the way of additives.
Or you may prefer to give a home made diet using organic food – real raw meaty bones and offal from organically reared cattle, raw organic chicken wings, and so on.
Either way I’m sure your new dog will have a wonderful and enjoyable healthy organic diet.
Karen Rodger, from Orijen Pet Foods, says...
We totally understand your need to feed your dog as naturally as possible and ensure the diet is free from artificial additives and preservatives so often found in pet food.
We don't call ORIJEN organic as the organic designation requires that all ingredients have been designated by a governing body. This is not possible with ORIJEN as certain ingredients - like fish for instance - are not covered by any organic ruling and therefore cannot be called organic.
ORIJEN is made with the highest inclusions of free-run chicken & turkey, whole eggs and wild-caught freshwater & saltwater fish-all farmed or fished within our region and delivered FRESH each day - ORIJEN is bursting with protein-packed, human-grade meats.
Free of the grains or carbohydrates that are inappropriate for your dog, ORIJEN dog food delivers a full complement of regional fruits and vegetables, russet potatoes, peas and blackcurrants from prairie farms, red delicious apples and cranberries from the interior orchards, and organic sea vegetables from the cold North Pacific waters.
John Rice, OrganiPets Sales Director, says...
OrganiPets is a range of complete organic dog and cat foods made with human grade free range organic chicken. We are keen to provide a good, healthy, quality food so we avoid any artificial colours, preservatives or additives and do not include any wheat, beef and most importantly soya, which is often used as a cheap source of protein that is difficult for dogs or cats to
digest.
We have a strong environmental perspective, sourcing our ingredients as locally as possible, using recyclable packaging and are winners of the Greenshoots award as Oxfordshire's most environmentally friendly new business of 2008.
OrganiPets is available from over 400 retailers including Waitrose supermarkets, independent pet shops, organic shops, garden centres and directly from www.organipets.co.uk.
Dear Amelia
ReplyDeleteI too am passionate about organic food and feed my dog and cats a mostly raw, organic diet. If you wish to go that route (definitely the best from a health point of view, but is more time-consuming and you do need to read up to ensure you are feeding a balanced diet) I would recommend Ian Billinghurst's "Give a Dog a Bone" and Wendy Volhard's "Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog". Waitrose is a good source of organic chicken wings (you feed them whole, as raw bones are quite soft and a vital source of calcium - its cooked bones that become brittle and dangerous) and you can order on-line from Craig Farm Organics (they do organic chicken soup packs, which contain carcasses and wings and also pet mince - both of which are quite cheap - as well as many varieties of expensive meat!) If you want "ready meals", Lily's Kitchen do the best organic range (in my opinion!): www.lilyskitchen.co.uk
Best of luck! Mandy
Dear Amelia
ReplyDeleteGreat that you want to feed your pet organically too! You sounds just like me. Feeding your pet organically is a great way to ensure that what you are feeding is truly 100% pure and natural and free from artificial ingredients, preservatives and chemicals. With an organically certified product our manufacturer has to scrub down their machinery and utensils before they make our food. You do have to be a bit careful though as there is a current loophole that means many pet food companies call their pet food organic even if it isn't. So look for the organic certification mark to be sure. Our range of organic foods for pets are made with really lovely ingredients, you can find out more on our website and we are sold in organic food shops, pet shops and vets as well as online. Who knows how your new dog will inspire you - Lily inspired me to create a range of wonderful foods!
Just in case anyone has a problem I think this is a typo and should be Graig Farm Organics. I tried it but seemed very heavy on the offal.
ReplyDeleteAlso try any local organic butchers and see what they can offer. I used to feed my dogs purely organically (raw) but it just got too expensive with three...
Christine Bailey
Karen - out of interest, why don't you use organic chicken in your range? You can buy organic fish very easily these days, so it's readily available. I worry about non organic fish with all the additives and high levels of mercury etc.
ReplyDeleteAnd John - why is your pet food not certified organic?