Dog Food & Freshtrusion

It's one of the hardest parts as an owner to get right... when it should be one of the easiest most routine tasks to you and your dogs day! 

In this blog you'll learn what good food is and how to identify it on the shelf when you're out shopping or you can save yourself the hassle and go directly to our website where we have some of the best food on the market.

(I mean, what chance do you stand getting it right - so many colours, so many flavours, so many brands, all saying different things are better than others! This is a common sight in many pet shops or supermarkets)

With so many different types of food on the market, TV adverts and brands out there it's a tricky to understand which to pick for your pet. Let us debunk the confusion for you.

1. Pet food Jargon "Grain Free"
   Simply put this means formulated without grains (corn, wheat, rice)
   
   
2. Why is Grain Free seen as superior to foods with Grain?
   Well, foods with grains are mainly carbohydrate based. Carbohydrates are ok but in moderation, they're high in calorie and often lead to obesity with no real nutrient benefit coming from the carbs.

That's not to say one is better than the other but just off the shelf, usually, you'll find a better list of ingredients in Grain Free foods. 

The difficulty doesn't stop there. Coming from a sports background nutrition has always been paramount.
As consumers become more knowledgeable  about what's in their own food, its important we know what's in our dogs food. READ THE PACKAGING! 

 

1. Is there a fully disclosed ingredients label? If not - take the stance that they're hiding something in there. Ask yourself the question, would you eat something everyday not knowing what it was you were eating?
   
   
2. Make sure there is high percentage of meat in the food. High-quality dog food will list real meat as the main ingredient; not unnecessary fillers such as potatoes and starches. Dogs are primarily carnivorous and thrive on a meat-based diet. When real meat is listed as the first ingredient, you can be sure your dog's food contains a high ratio of a quality protein source that will support their overall health. 
   
   
3. Avoid Meat Meal & Bone Meal. You can find this on the ingredients list if there is one. Meal is a product of rendering food. It comes from the portions of animals that are unfit for human consumption. This meat is low quality and is also largely processed which makes it difficult to digest and obtain nutrients from.
   
   
4. Artificial colouring. If the food is coloured then... does the company have your intentions in mind or the dogs? FYI it should always be the dogs! Dogs are colour blind which means that having foods in greens, oranges and blues are pointless. That may make it more appealing to us to pick off the shelf but at the end of the day its an added strain on their gut to process an additional substance for zero benefit. 
   
   
5. How is the food processed? At the end of the day, unless you're looking at raw feeding (which is a whole different conversation for another day) then how your dogs food ends up from meat to biscuit is a way of food processing. There are different methods of getting from A to B and the most common is cooking the food multiple times at high heats. This denatures the proteins and nutrients as well as destroying any flavour (which could be why you're struggling to get your dog to eat it!) Find a food that is minimally processed. Our own food on the website uses a cooking process called "Freshtrusion". You can read more about it here: https://freshtrusion.co.uk/ 

Freshtrusion is the name given to the way our own food is cooked. It's cooked at 82°C which protects the protein and enhances its flavour so your dogs not only gets the benefits of all the nutrients inside the kibble but also gets a flavour packed crunch so they keep coming back for more. 

Here's what our Chefs have to say about the process; 
We know that slow cooking meat at home ensures that you create the finest flavours and make the most digestible meals. That’s why we follow exactly the same process for our pet food.

Taking the finest Scottish Salmon, or most scrumptious British Country Duck, the meats are gently cooked to protect the proteins, enhance the flavour and keep in all the goodness. This ensures your pet is always able to digest the food and get access to all of its nutritional benefits.

Because of the way the meats are cooked, we are also able to take the tasty oils within the meats and use these as part of the ingredients on the outside of the final kibble, creating an irresistible tasting meal.

So there you have it. A small insight into dog food on the shelves and ultimately making more informed decisions. 

We encourage you to head to our website and take home a sample pack of our food to try for yourself from as little as £1. We promise you your dogs will love it. We even have a subscription service so you'll never have to worry about ordering dog food again. 

After all, even I'm hungry after hearing those words from our chef!

Happy meal times everyone, 

- The Ruffley's Team

https://ruffleysonline.com/collections/food