Pet owners are more conscious than ever about what they feed their animals, and that is leading to a large jump in the number of natural and organic commercial dog foods. Still, commercial dog foods encounter issues with recalls, additives, and preservatives that have some dog owners making their own dog food at home. This can get time consuming, especially for multi-dog households, so one company in China is trying to make it easier for pet parents to feed their dog(s) high quality homemade food without the hassle of making it themselves.
Penny’s Food Studio founders Dan Christensen and Tao Zhu began wondering years ago about the quality of the food that they were feeding their pets. They decided to begin supplementing their dogs’ diet with increasing amounts of fresh produce, and eventually, they switched completely to a homemade dog food. They saw dramatic results very shortly after making the transition.
RELATED: Let's Talk: Raw Dog Food Diet
Christensen is a lifetime dog owner, and he had become very dissatisfied with the price and quality of commercial dog food that was available in China. After some extensive research and many conversations with other concerned pet owners, he realized that information about the pet food industry is worryingly murky and most commercial dog foods are made with meat and other animal by-products that have been judged unfit for human consumption.
He also realized that there was a large amount of processed grain in most commercial pet foods and most animal dieticians recommend that canines eat a diet rich in raw bones, meat, and fresh vegetables and fruit. He consulted with veterinarians in his native country, Canada, and Beijing to get the best nutritional advice available.
RELATED: Ten Best Grain Free Dog Food Brands
Christensen and Zhu began creating their own food, which quickly became popular with their own dogs and their friend’s pets. That’s how Penny’s Food Studio, named after Christensen’s departed boxer-mix Penny, was born. Today the company makes three flavors of fresh dog food:
- Niu Beach – a surf and turf mix of fresh seafood and raw beef
- Ji Yang Yang – a mix of lamb and chicken
- Lucky Duck – a duck-rich recipe
All three blends are made with no less than 60 percent whole meat and organ meat and contain about 35 percent fresh vegetables and fruit. All the ingredients are locally sourced from markets and food suppliers, and they are prepared in a restaurant standard kitchen. Penny’s Food Studio also sells raw lamb and beef bones and dehydrated treats. Customers can order through email, and there are select cities where the food can even be delivered to your door.
