The Gwynnie raw food diet ...now for dogs
IT’S a healthy-eating regime endorsed by celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow.
But now raw food diets are taking off – for pets.
Two Scottish dog owners who blamed processed pet food for their dogs’ premature deaths from cancer have set up a company promoting a canine return to raw meat.
Mark Scott and Tony Ottley have built up a £3 million-a-year company producing meals that recreate the natural diet of a wolf, the domestic dog’s wild ancestor. Owners simply defrost the portions of raw meat, offal, bone and vegetables.
The two neighbours set up the business after their dogs Morph and Barney died of cancer within months of each other. Their shared grief inspired them to launch Bella and Duke, a company making bespoke food to help dogs lead healthier lives.
Mr Ottley, 52, said: ‘Mark and I are good friends. We had four dogs between us. In the space of a few months he lost Morph, a border collie, and I lost Barney, who was a golden retriever, both to cancer. Shortly afterwards I discovered my other dog, a black labrador called Gus, also had a very aggressive cancer.
‘We researched online and were shocked to discover the processed food we had been feeding our dogs their whole lives may have caused their illness.
‘We rolled up our sleeves to find out what is a dog’s biologically appropriate diet and started making what we believe is the best raw dog food available anywhere in the country.’
Mr Scott added: ‘Gus went through two operations and chemotherapy and he is now in remission and looks healthier than ever.
‘I am massively into my own health and I was annoyed that I hadn’t been thinking that way about my own dogs.’
With a £50,000 grant and business loan from Scottish EDGE – a competition for entrepreneurs – the company based in the Perthshire village of Murthly employs ten staff including a holistic vet and a nutritionist.
Mr Scott, 43, said: ‘Something had to be done to educate other dog owners and protect their pets before it was too late.
‘Dogs are descendants of wolves. They are genetically 99.9 per cent identical, so why are most being fed a grain-based diet? Dogs that eat lots of processed food might have inflammation. We try to mimic as much as we can what a wolf would eat.’
But Veterinary Association spokesman Robin Hargreaves refutes Mr Scott’s claim that dog owners should be concerned about cheap ‘proprietary’ pet foods.
He said: ‘One generation before me there wouldn’t have been any dog food at all, just scraps. Dogs and cats on proprietary diets are doing better than they ever did.’