2 weeks Ago
Ask any dog owner the secret to a happy pet, and it usually starts with decent food. But many commercial dog foods are filled with some pretty rubbish ingredients - cheap fillers and low-quality protein. Over the years I've tried them all, with varying levels of success.
In a house with as many dogs as people, I spend more than I'd like to admit on dog food each month. One, in particular, Rover, is becoming increasingly fussy. One sniff of most foods and he will turn up his lovely spotty nose.
So, when I saw Omni, the Dragons' Den plant-based vegan dog food, which was picked up by Deborah Meaden and Steven Bartlett, who paid £75,000 for a 2.5% share, I thought it might be worth a try. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Omni Pet Care (@omnipetcare_) What is Omni and why is it plant-based? Omni was created by Dr.
Guy Sandelowsky, a practising vet for over a decade, with co-founder Shiv Sivakumar, after seeing rising issues in pet health, including obesity and allergies. Our vet says that cheap processed chicken in many dry foods is causing issues for many dogs. Last year the brand hit £2.
7 million in sales—a 123% growth - and it now has 30,000 customers and delivers 5 million meals worldwide. What's in it? It's made from proteins from yeasts, algae and pulses, chosen so they don't trigger allergies and sensitivities. They are also calorie-controlled and more environmentally sustainable than meat.
I tried the Dry Dog Food (£14.99), which has ingredients listed as potato protein, pea starch, hi-pro soya, brown rice, dried yeasts, sweet potato, oats, peas, carrot flakes, rapeseed oil, hydrolysed vegetables, lentils, sunflower oil, microalgae, blueberries, cranberries and pumpkin. I also got some toppers to try (£18.
99 for 8 pouches) - with gravy and chunks of soya-based protein - in case he wasn't happy with the dry food (what can I say? He's an old boy - he deserves the best.) While I was at it, I got some treats too - the Fresh Breath variety, with peppermint and plaque-digesting enzymes (£13.33).
@uktoday_ This is Rover, my gorgeous, somewhat fussy senior spaniel. This is his review of Omni, the plant-based food from @DragonsDen Official ♬ Cute - Aurel Surya Lie What was the verdict? Rover was a big fan of the dry food, even before I added the toppers. He chased his bowl around the floor to find every last bit - something I've not seen him do with dog food for a while.
The treats were also a hit, but he's only had a couple, so I can't comment on any breath changes yet. He seemed comfortable after his food (some food made him seem uncomfortable afterwards), and sorry if this is too much information, but his movements were normal afterwards. After some food switches it's been serious bad news with the poo bags (again, sorry, for TMI).
I tried the other dogs on it too - and it was a resounding success, but given that I'd only got a small bag to try, they only got a bite or two each. In fairness, they're not remotely fussy - any review of anything would be five stars (they compete to sit under my toddler's chair in the kitchen and grab bits of dropped toast and other treasures). That's my only negative point - the biggest bag of Omni is 10kg.
For multi-dog houses, I'd suggest a bigger bag might be helpful and more economical. Recommended reading: When and how often should I walk my dog as spring arrives? UK's most affordable dog breeds revealed in new study Can dogs eat a plant-based or vegan diet? As long as it's balanced and well-planned, vets say they can. It’s not new for dogs to eat plants - wild dogs are omnivores and will eat plants as well as meat.
In many cases, it's helpful for dogs who are looking to lose weight, have allergies or are sensitive to commercial meat-based foods, which can be made from the kind of meat deemed unfit for human consumption. One famous vegan dog is Roscoe, F1 driver Lewis Hamilton's dog. I spoke to our vet before I switched Rover's food and it's always a good idea to have a chat with your vet before making changes to your dog’s diet.
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