Finding the perfect food for your doggy can be a real struggle.. Having dogs ourselves, we’ve tried countless amounts of pet food on the UK market (ok, maybe we didn’t try it out ourselves, but we’ve relied on super-picky, yet greedy office pug, Ramón!), to see which one’s really stood out. While dry and canned foods are convenient and are the most common dog foods, another natural alternative has drawn Ramón’s attention – dehydrated food. Bingo! Ramón found this specific bowl more interesting than the others. Why?

As this was the new favourite, Ramon asked us (after some translation from his doggy dad, Facundo) to find out more about naturally dehydrated dog food and why it’s a good alternative for dogs. So being the good people we are, we picked up the dog-and-bone to Mat Cockroft, co-founder of Pure Pet Food.

How is naturally dehydrated food  different to other dog foods?

“The big difference Pure has from your average kibble or canned food is how we prepare our recipes, using the age old method of dehydration. Dehydration keeps our recipes rich in the vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, antioxidants and amino acids that any living thing needs in order to remain strong, healthy and resilient to disease. Although this is a much longer and more costly process than it would be to make a wet or a dry food, we believe it’s time well spent and the only way to do our human grade ingredients justice.

Although kibble biscuit is very convenient, the high temperatures involved in the extrusion process destroy many of the nutrients found in fresh and raw food. Kibbled food is not just highly processed, but often contains hard to digest, low quality derivatives and artificial preservatives.”

How does the dehydration process work?

“Dehydration involves gently blowing warm air across the ingredients over several hours. As the temperatures involved range between 60-90C, dehydration ensures that any harmful pathogens are removed from the foods. The fresh fruit and vegetables are around 4 times as dense in nutrients, vitamins and minerals as you would find in fresh food and the meat is left packed with almost 300% more protein than you would typically find in raw meat.

All you need to do is add warm water and serve, it’s that easy!”

Is the raw diet good for dogs?

“We think that a balanced raw or home cooked diet is a fantastic way to feed your dog. However for a lot of dog owners, a number of factors mean that is not a possibility. There’s the inconvenience of needing all that extra freezer space for raw meat bought in bulk, the time involved in preparing meals, together with the cost in purchasing fresh ingredients every week. Pure food allows owners to provide a low processed natural dog food with all the nutritional benefits of a balanced raw and home cooked diet, but takes away the hassle of making it yourself.”

How much food should I feed my dog?

“A 2kg bag of Pure food will last the average size dog (12.5kg) around 25 days, making the cost of feeding a Pure food diet less than a pound a day for the majority of owners. You can find our feeding guide and estimated daily cost in the ‘online shop’ part of our website.”

How do you formulate your recipes?

“When formulating new recipes, Pure consults with a number of specialists in animal nutrition, from renowned Veterinarians to leading food technicians. Together we ensure all of our human grade recipes provide complete, balanced and natural diets. The taste testing is then done by both humans and our ever willing four legged friends at Pure HQ.”

How did Pure start?

“Myself and co-founder Dan both grew up in a small farming village in Yorkshire, lucky enough to be brought up on the fresh fruit and vegetables our families produced. Having dogs made us look at the pet industry and the foods that were available, it made no sense that a highly-processed food, containing low quality ingredients, manufactured into small biscuits and fed each and every day could possibly be ideal!

Why should our pets be exempt from getting a minimally processed and varied diet, made from quality ingredients, just like humans do?”

We recently saw you on Dragons’ Den. How was that experience?!

“The appearance on Dragons’ Den was one we will not quickly forget! From tasting our products to prove their quality, to battling through an intense onslaught from initially bemused Dragons, we finally won our potential investors over; receiving unanimous praise from all on the panel. It was Deborah Meaden’s offer which we found ourselves most torn over due to her experience of the pet food industry.

In the end, to sacrifice 30% of our business, which we have devoted so much time and energy over the past 18 months to, was a huge decision for us to make. After much negotiation and deliberation, the terms of investment didn’t feel right for us and we ultimately turned down the offers that were made.”

Is dehydrated dog food ok for dogs with various ailments?

“Common dog allergies and ailments such as sensitive skin are often not caused by a lack of a certain nutrients, but actually by an intolerance to something currently in the diet. Commercial foods commonly featuring low quality fillers such as starch, cereals and grains as well as additives and preservatives can often be the cause of ailments and allergies. Many owners find that feeding a low processed diet made up of high quality foods can resolve minor ailments without the need for additional supplementation.”

Have you tried dehydrated dog food? Mat and Pure Pet Food are giving our readers a £5 discount on any Pure purchase. To use the coupon simply type “DOGBUDDY” into the ‘Investor in Pups’ field at checkout at www.purepetfood.co.uk/things-we-make.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below when you’ve tried it out!