Kokova Magazine

Canine nutrition pioneer, the late Keith Allison went in search of answers when it came to a different brand of dog food and because of one man's need to know and desire to deliver, we have today more quality options when it comes to feeding our dogs and balancing their nutritional intake to suit their needs.

Keith was a close family friend to Green Dog co-founders Simon, Pauline and Andrew Booth - making the business very much a family run affair with over 30 years in the industry. Launched with the objective of producing a complete, holistic dog food with no added synthetic vitamins and minerals and with the added benefit of a unique herbal formulation to help maintain natural control of intestinal and external hygiene, Green Dog Food is packed with the optimal balance of essential nutrients, quality meat and natural ingredients.

Over the years, when discussions of new dog foods have come to air, the general consensus has been that of caution, to add small amounts of the new food into the old diet and gradually adjust the balance to more of the incoming variety, with the process of slowly moving your dog to a new food to avoid any upset in their stomach.

I actively followed this advice in the early days of owning dogs until a number of years ago I met a nutritionist who introduced me to Green Dog - and after a lengthy discussion, I personally came to believe that if you are upgrading or making a sideways move in the quality of the food then mixing and matching brands is completely acceptable and a brilliant way to stop your dog from getting bored with what you put in their bowl.

So when I was asked to review Green Dog's new Duck, Turkey & Vegetables with Lentils & Herbs variety I was more than happy to switch my older dog straight onto the new food without hesitation. As I was already feeding a quality diet I knew that my hardy little dog would have no trouble moving between two different brands of nutritionally correct food for her type and would only suffer on something that was not as good as it claimed to be. With Green Dog I had no such worries as it has been one of the main staples of her diet over the years and a brand I will happily order up when I think she fancies a change. **

Green Dog do not make a whole range of different foods for different sizes and types - they make just four adult flavour varieties and one puppy flavour; you simply feed according to weight (or the weight your dog should be if you are aiming for them to gain or lose weight). Green dog food comes in the form of a kibble and is very effective at keeping you dog trim.

Although the formulation of Green Dog foods fulfils all nutritional requirements, dogs do love extra variety. Some owners like to cook extra food at mealtimes to give to the dog. If you do this or have 'suitable' leftovers and table scraps they can be added to provide up to 20% of the diet. If you do this the total amount of Green Dog food can be reduced by the same amount. Remember 'optional extras' are just that - they are an addition, not a requirement to this balanced food product.

The new Duck, Turkey & Vegetables variety contains sweet potato (a soluble fibre) in place of grains to make it gentle on dogs' digestive systems, and a special herbal premix formulation to help maintain intestinal and external hygiene, while boosting the canine immune system. My 'fussy' eater took one long look at her bowl, a quick glance up at me to see what else may be coming and on discovering nothing else on offer, proceeded to eat - and didn't stop until the bowl was empty.

I will happily feed her the new Green Dog Duck, Turkey & Vegetables as I know she will eat it and I know it will probably remove that extra couple of kilos that she is carrying naturally by just feeding her to the desired weight - and making sure that any treats are taken from her daily allowance. With regards to her stomach balance on Green Dog and what she leaves behind, the consistency is as expected - firm stools without any real odour - much more pleasant when it comes to 'scooping' after her.

Green Dog kibble is a lot lighter than many other dry dog food kibbles and you can feel the difference when you pick up a handful, meaning more kibbles per kilo. With a light crunch it sounds as good as it looks - and my dogs seem to agree!

How green is Green Dog?

Green Dog ethics are based on the belief that the optimal diet for the dog should reflect their evolved requirements. The products are made from naturally derived whole ingredients, including a range of bio-active herbs that are usually absent from other feeding programmes. Green Dog research into this area enables them to produce unique foods for all dogs.

Some of their key areas of nutritional innovation relate to micro-nutrient levels in foods, such as providing viable levels of vitamins without the need for artificial fortification, and a natural control of intestinal and external hygiene using less chemicals.

Green Dog products: -

• use holistic principles in the formulation of their products
• use pet dogs belong to members of the public as their 'tasting panel'
• use products from local suppliers where possible
• only use products which can be properly digested
• do not use products from inhumane farming systems
• do not use unsuitable chemicals of any description for product preservation, fortification, taste enhancement or appearance, or for any other reason
• do not use laboratory animals for testing our product
• do not use unsuitable by-products
• do not use genetically modified organisms (GMO's)
• do not use ingredients that have been inhumanely tested on animals

The Green Dog logo is inspired by the ancient Green Man image, which is found in many cultures symbolising eternal health and vitality arising from nature.

For more information on Green Dog Food and to see the complete range visit www.greendogfood.co.uk

** My dog is a fussy eater and always has been - she often looks at her food in the hope of something better. When she refuses to eat she is only offered her food at regular meal times. If it is not consumed immediately it will be removed until the next 'sitting'. Needless to say on occasion she has gone without food for a day or two in her fussiness but has come to no harm and will eat when she is hungry again and is perfectly healthy according to our vet.

I also own another dog who has an exceptionally temperamental digestive system and is closely monitored for allergies, skin conditions and general immune imbalance and upset. In his case I will not deviate from his diet, only giving him makes and varieties that I know he can tolerate without symptom and would advise caution in changing the diet of any such-like animal. He tolerated Green Dog well on the Turkey & Brown Rice and Lamb & Brown Rice varieties.