Is Fido ready for different vittles?



BY LESLIE BREFELD
summit daily news
January 30, 2006

SUMMIT COUNTY, CO- Dog and cat owners have a new option in pet food. The Honest Kitchen's new organic and raw line of dog food offers a beef-based blend called Verve, a turkey-based Embark, chicken-based Force and Prowl for cats. The major difference between the organic dog food blends and commercial dog foods on the market is that this chow isn't cooked. And it is this distinction that the developer of the food was looking for when she created the line.

Wholesome Pet Supplies' Paul Schiff, who has recently begun distributing the line locally, said pet nutritionist Lucy Postins was looking for a diet for dogs that did not use the high-heat process of cooking because it caused the food to lose its nutritional value.

The all-natural food doesn't contain any artificial preservatives or fillers. It is approved for human consumption, but not recommended, of course.

"Most dog foods have fillers and corn. Dogs can't process corn," said Kathy Keedy, who carries the line at the Breckenridge Barkery. Keedy's dogs have been on a raw food diet for three years. "Think back to when dogs killed and ate animals like goats. The first thing they go for is the stomach where the grass is. Dogs need vegetables, not the processed material."

The Honest Kitchen's line was specifically developed to mimic what dogs would eat in the wild, according to Schiff.

The all-natural food helped give Keedy's dogs a shinier coat, healthy skin and a lot of energy, she said.
"A lot of commercial dog foods include those ingredients (corn, soy and wheat fillers) that don't add any nutritional good for dogs, but are placed in food because it is inexpensive and easy to process," Schiff said.

Adding warm water to the dehydrated food brings it back to life in about 10 minutes. A four-pound bag rehydrates to 18 pounds of food; a 10-pound bag will rehydrate to 40 pounds.

"It's great for backpacking and traveling," Keedy said of the compact food. "Just add warm water and the raw food is ready to go."

"It's the first different dog food in a long, long time," Barnyard owner Barb Cole said. Cole will be hosting a tasting at her store in Frisco Friday and Saturday. Dog owners can see if their sometimes finicky eaters will go for the new food before buying a bag.

Leslie Brefeld can be reached at (970) 668-3998, ext. 13622, or at lbrefeld@summitdaily.com.