Homemade dog food delivered right to your door is the latest trend in pet parenting. There are a handful of companies, like PetPlate, touting human-grade, nutritionally optimal options to cater to your dog’s unique needs—but how do you know if it’s right for your dog? Before we dive in, let’s take a look at how traditional dog food is made.
What’s the deal with kibble?
Commercial dog food is manufactured in plants that turn raw ingredients into kibble. It’s super convenient and most of us have fed our pets a commercial pet food at some point—but what exactly goes into that food? One common ingredient in major pet food brands is rendered meat products.
In the rendering process, a bunch of “leftover” meat products are mixed and ground together into a sludge. Then, the sludge is transferred to a cooking vat and heated at high temperatures for several hours. Fat, grease, and solids float to the top and are skimmed off and repackaged as “meat meal” or “meat by-product.” While not all of these meals or by-products are necessarily bad, it can sometimes be tough to decode your dog’s food.
The homemade dog food option
Experts have mixed opinions on whether or not it’s okay to feed dogs meat by-products, but for many pet parents, it’s just not worth the risk. For those dog owners, it can seem like making their own homemade dog food is a logical next step.
While the upsides to making your dog’s food from scratch can be great, the downsides can be a dealbreaker for some. For starters, you’ll, of course, want to consult with your dog’s veterinarian before embarking on any homemade dog food journey. It’s also vitally important to do your research and make sure your dog’s diet is well balanced and contains all the necessary vitamins and nutrients to keep them happy and healthy.
All in all, making dog food at home can be a viable option, but for many, it’s a time commitment that just doesn’t make sense with their busy lives.
How dog food delivery is changing the game
Several homemade dog food companies have stepped up to solve this problem with delivery right to your door. One of our favorite services is PetPlate, promising to bring you and your dog the convenience of commercial food with the health benefits of homemade. They deliver ready-to-eat meals in pre-portioned, recyclable containers right to your door.
PetPlate was created by Renaldo Webb in partnership with Dr. Renee Streeter, a renowned veterinarian who combined her love of food and animals to create R.M. Streeter Animal Nutrition Consulting. By collaborating with Dr. Streeter, PetPlate is able to provide high quality, well-balanced food for pets.
When you order PetPlate for the first time, they’ll ask you a little about your dog to make sure they get their meal just right. Each meal includes fresh ingredients like real USDA meat (meat is always the first ingredient and it’s never a by-product or meal), apples, pumpkin, butternut squash, broccoli, parsley, and peas. And they even claim that nine out of 10 dogs prefer PetPlate over kibble, so if you’ve got a picky eater, you might want to give delivery a try.
How to try it out
Ready to get some freshly-cooked dog food delivered to your door? You can get 50% off your first PetPlate order at www.petplate.com/ROVER50 or by using the code ROVER50 at checkout.
Discount coupon cannot be combined with any other offer. Only applicable to new customers on the first box. Valid through 9/31/2018.