PET FOOD REVIEW - CaniSource Grand Cru Dog Food (Dehydrated) (ALS)

My review - 3.5/5  Leo's review - 3/5

On a nice saturday, the fam popped over to our favorite pet food shop, My Fluffy Friends to check out a food demo! 

On top, it says 100% ingredients approved for human consumption(impressive)but honestly I had 0 urges to taste it. The food looked very bland. 

This is definitely a gourmet food, I love the whole design of the labels - very chic. But is Leo chomping down on the the label designs? Noooo...  In the information package, there are 6 things their customers have claimed (I like science, but you know, we will work with what we've got)  

• No more allergies 
• Disappearance of tartar (This is possible since the food is quite hard)
• Improved joint mobility
• Improved digestion
• Shinier coat
• No more burnt grass 

The food smelled like nothing, which concerns me a little. Where's the smell? Where is that  FLAVORTOWN I love so much? Also they say I could rehydrate (which I regret not trying) but it just seems like another extra step. 

I received a generous sample from a demo event at a local pet food shop. Noticed right away that while Leo was eating the food, he wasn't wolfing it down like when I feed him his normal petfood (Currently Petcurean). I also noticed that he had a little difficulty breaking the food into smaller pieces (If I am correct, they are about the same size as these marrow bones and also kind of looked like them)

With the leftovers, I just toss 3 or 4 into his regular food, and use it as treats. He does a moderate tail wag for them but no EXCITEMENT EXCITEMENT he gets with other treats. I am very interested in dehydrated foods (which is a nice in between raw and kibble) But this one just seemed... brittle. 

While the ingredients actually look pretty good (First few are Deboned-chicken, Green Lentil, Chicken Liver) the protein content (24%) is not as high as I'd like it to be. 

All in all, Leo with Canisource is like me with Kale - I'll eat it, but I'm not going to be ecstatic about it unless you put on a delicious sauce. 

Again, another Canadian company. I do trust that their ingredients are good, but perhaps a little less animal protein as I'd prefer. This also seems like if you dehydrated it, would make a decent topper.

You can check out more information here

x

Angel & Leo

GLOBAL PET FOOD TRENDS 2016 [Freeze dried food, aging and overweight pets]

The trendy girl in me (although this may not be reflected upon how I dress) is always looking at the global trends of things. Whether it is cars, technology, entertainment, or food. Of course, I saw a couple interesting pet food articles that presented the global pet food trends of late 2015 early 2016.

Here are some notable quotes I pulled from the articles. 

•  Aging animals suffer from age-related conditions such as joint, coronary, cognitive, and immune-system issues, and even diabetes and cancer. 
• The pet industry saw a wave of premiumization in 2014, such as organic and natural treats, food, and toys, as well as high-tech medical therapies, prescription medications, and luxury services. 
• Many companies and brands still push the human/pet bond theme...
• A survey conducted in January 2015 found that only 11 percent of dog owners say they have an overweight dog and 20 percent of cat owners say they have an overweight cat. When in reality, just over half of American dogs are overweight, and 58 percent of cats are overweight. 

Read more at:

http://blog.marketresearch.com/projected-2016-trends-in-the-pet-industry

• Freeze-dried petfood
• While still a small category at only US$74 million in 2014 (just 1% of the petfood market in that channel), sales of freeze-dried petfoods and treats increased 43.7% from 2013. 
• Grain-free petfood sales reached US$2.2 billion in 2014—a 30% petfood market share in US pet specialty—and accounted for four of every 10 new items.
• Nestle Purina PetCare launched Pro Plan Bright Mind, a food touting medium-chain triglycerides from botanical oils to help senior dogs stay alert and mentally sharp. 
• Another major petfood launch announced at GPE came from Nutram, a division of Canada-based, private label manufacturer Elmira Pet Products. 
• more than 10% of US pet owners are new pet owners, equating to nearly eight million new pet owners within the last year, the majority of which are Gen Y and Gen X. 

Read More at:

http://www.petfoodindustry.com/blogs/7-adventures-in-pet-food/post/5027-global-pet-expo-petfood-trends-new-formats-for-big-names

x

Angel

LEO'S TOP 5 FOODS (HUMAN FOODS THAT ARE SAFE FOR DOGS)

🐶Happy #nationalpetday ya filthy animal 🐶. I've only known you for about a day but you so cute so I guess I'll keep you 😆. #leo #adoptdontshop #pet #vancitydogs #leonardodicaprio #leonardo #adopt #chihuahua #brat #whine #dog #dogsofinstagram #doge #photo #dogsofvancouver #vancity #mansbestfriend #socute #cute #scute #qt

A photo posted by Angel (@angelxliu) on Apr 11, 2016 at 1:19pm PDT

Hello, it's me! Leo! The little dog that everyone adores! I guess it wouldn't exactly be a blog about my life if I didn't tell you some of my favorite foods!!

RICE 
When I first arrived in my new home, I found my first obsession, rice! It's soooo yummy!! and smells so appetizing!
Rice Pros: surprising rich in nutrients, yummy, easy to digest
Rice cons: Lots of sugar so it's  bad for teeth.
ALTERNATIVES: brown rice, just cook it longer than white rice

OATMEAL
What is it with breakfast foods? Why so good?
Oatmeal Pros: Good for regulating bowel movements, easy to digest, especially good for older dogs
Oatmeal cons: If you are using steel cut oats like I am, try to cook then leave in a slow cooker overnight.

BROCCOLI STEMS
Oh  my god!!! SOOO crunchy!! and great amount of antioxidants!!
Pros: nutrient rich, good fiber
Cons: too much of this may cause Hypothyroidism (similar to raw cabbage), Do not feed too much broccoli florets (the flower part) because it has traces of something poisonous for dogs.

CUCUMBER 
you may be beginning to see a pattern here... I really like crunchy green vegetables. hehe!
PROS: good for cooling off after a hot day, good source of Vitamin K
CONS: NEED. TO. PEE!!!!!

EGGS (FREE RANGE)
Sooooo yummy. Just leave me with the leftovers in the shell and I'll be sooo happy!
Pros: Protein, many other important nutrients, keeps fur very shiny!
Cons: Some say high in cholesterol, give it once every week or every two weeks.

HONORABLE MENTIONS 
Tumeric powder (a lil mix with raw egg) anti inflammatory,
Small amounts of Tomato (too much can cause heart problems)
Small amounts of shrimp and fish
Ground flaxseed (fiber & good digestion)
Coconut oil on Rye crackers (SO. YUM.)
Carrots (very finely chopped and sometimes cooked with coconut oil)
Watermelon rinds

In order to be on the safe side, please try a small amount first, just in case your dog is allergic to any of these items! No dogs are born the same (unless they are twins I guess..) Also it's very important to try one food at a time, for the digestion to be optimum.

More to come! Please follow this blog to see my future posts!

x

Leo