As a qualified veterinary nurse with 10 years’ of experience working in the veterinary science profession, I have tried and tested various diets including kibble, cooked and raw diets. As I began to develop my understanding specifically within internal medicine realm, I began to think more and more about the meals we feed our dogs. Ultimately, I began to follow the raw diet, attending CPDs led by veterinary professionals and rep meetings for the various suppliers that are around. I decided that this diet would be the best suited to my three beautiful French bulldogs and their feline friend.
The big world of raw!
There is so much information out there based around RAW diets with varied opinions so beware and gather your knowledge from a reputable source.
Firstly I would always go with a supplier that can guarantee their product is tested by the DEFRA route, I’m sure you are all aware of the risks posed when using raw meats and biological material. The local farmer that has an over flow of turkey cut-offs near Christmas is not the road to travel down. This ensures that the product you are feeding to your furry companion has been tested at multiple stages throughout the production line, including the end result. As I am completely English and also very proud is important to myself that I support our farmers as much as possible so a company that uses locally sourced protein which has been treated as I would expect my own meat to be treated whilst alive is always a big tick in my book.
After trying many of the larger companies complete diets, I found myself unsatisfied as the quality and freshness differed very much, so I began to look for others.
I came across Pro Dog Raw online and decided after chatting with their team, who are very happy to help and answer my multitude of questioning I decided I would trial their complete adult dog diet for one month on my canine cuties. The food arrived and I was kept up to date regarding delivery and times, which for me is brilliant. I ordered 25kg as this is what I need for a full month. The only criticism I would have made is this all came in one box (although very sturdy and well wrapped) I found lifting this into my car and house a little difficult, an option for spreading out the weight into possible 2 parcels may be an option.
Once I opened the package, with curious noses helping me I was nicely surprised at how neatly they had been prepared. The tubs that the food is contained in are adequate (before I had problems with broken containers). The labels all still clearly legible sometimes due to the nature of the product being frozen moisture can affect the labelling.  The instructions and feeding guide are easy to read and understand. The ingredients list is also clearly sectioned.
I stored them away and removed two portions to be defrosted. I allow a minimum of 12 hours defrosting in the fridge then onto a high side away from direct sunlight. Each portion is measured for the amount depending on the dog. At first glance after defrosting the food looks and smells extremely fresh, you can see the colours of the different ingredients mentioned on the list. I followed the recommended 24 hours refrigerated guidelines and even after this period the food still looked and smelled fresh.
Now the taste test, feeding my pack as required not a dirty bowl left in sight, they loved it cleaning each other faces from any remnants of the tasty meal they had just devoured. Every time I dish their portions out the look of anticipation and excitement is so nice to see. I hear many people complain about the eating habits of their dogs, not a problem here! I recommend that you also clean the feeding bowl after every meal. After two days the wastage results, minimal waste as expected no noxious gases produced which results in a happy house-proud mum. My dogs have maintained the required health and wellbeing I expect from adequate nutrition. They are happy and continue to have no medical issues that are associated with Frenchies or in general raw dog food that is fed on cereal-based diets.
I believe that ProDog Raw has produced a well-rounded product that applies high standard across the board, scoring high on taste, appearance, storage, delivery and availability. I commend the support that is also provided by their very knowledgeable staff and they are always on hand to discuss any matters that may concern the consumer.
I look forward to working with them in the future.
Francesca Gordon.
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