Over the last few years fresh dog food has become a popular choice for dog parents, and at Naked Dog Bistro, we prepare our own version of small-batch naked dog food each day in our bistro kitchens. Here’s a quick look at why we believe the fresh approach to dog food is the best option for many of our furry friends.
Why Naked Dog Food?
We use the term “naked dog food,” because our fresh dog food contains only whole, organic ingredients. We don’t include chemicals, preservatives, artificial flavors, artificial colors or any type of fillers. Each ingredient has been chosen carefully for its nutritional value, and we source the finest possible ingredients for our small-batch organic dog food.
Unfortunately, within the dog food industry, there are many brands that load up their food with terrible ingredients and chemicals. These manufacturers will use cheap meat meal instead of good cuts of meat. This meal is the leftover bits and scraps from meat processing plants and sometimes the “meat” even comes from diseased animals.
While there are good brands of kibble and canned food on the market that use better quality ingredients, too often the ingredients don’t have any high nutritional value. For instance, corn is often used as a filler. It’s cheap and not dangerous for dogs, but it doesn’t provide any high nutritional content.
It can be tough to find a dog food that doesn’t contain these fillers, cheap meat meal, preservatives and chemicals. This is one reason why we began creating our naked dog food. We wanted our own dogs to have a healthy, nutritious food source.
Our sweet dog, Kona, was the primary reason for this switch. Kona was having some health problems and we eventually figured out that our precious Weimaraner was gluten-intolerant, so we developed a gluten-free, grain-free dog food and Kona began to thrive.
Of course, not all dogs are gluten-intolerant or grain-intolerant, but some are, and these ingredients aren’t really necessary for dogs anyway, so it just makes sense to provide them with dog food that contains wholesome ingredients that truly meet their nutritional needs.
Naked Dog Food & Special Diets
Just like humans, many dogs have special dietary needs and food intolerances. As we explained above, our own pup, Kona, was found to be gluten-intolerant. Some dogs are grain-intolerant, as well. All of the Naked Dog Bistro varieties are gluten and grain-free.
Additionally, we know that many dogs have issues with recurrent pancreatitis, so we have several varieties that are pancreatitis-safe. Some dogs are allergic to ingredients such as potato, chicken or beef, and we have several tasty varieties that do not include these ingredients.
If your dog does have food allergies or health issues, let us know and we can figure out which option is the best fit for your dog’s unique needs. We also can help you figure out calorie counts so that you can serve your pup precisely the amount of food they need to keep them fit and healthy.
Our Naked Dog Food Ingredients
So, with no gluten, grain or fillers, what do we use to make our fresh dog food? Let’s take a look at a few varieties. Our Lean Lickin’ Pork, for instance, includes a lean loin of pork gently cooked and shredded. We then mix it with organic carrots, Mexican squash and Granny Smith apple. From there we add a sprinkling of cinnamon and ginger. These spices promote fresh breath and healthy digestion.
Our Wild Salmon variety includes wild-caught salmon, quinoa, fresh kale, a dash of dill, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. Did you know that these berries are safe and healthy for dogs? Many people didn’t know that you can feed dogs blueberries and other fruits such as watermelon, but these are safe and tasty treats for your furry companion.
In addition to these two flavor varieties, our naked dog food includes a Beef Pot Roast flavor, Herby Turkey, Paw Lickin’ Chicken and Bark-B-Que Beef. We also bake fresh batches of grain-free dog treats in the Naked Dog Bistro kitchen every day. These organic dog treats include everything from dog cookies to doggie French fries and even dog sushi. If you need a dog cake for that special canine occasion, we can create custom cakes or dog cupcakes at our dog bakery with just 72 hours’ notice.
How To Make The Switch
Whether you are using kibble, canned or another brand of fresh dog food, switching to our Naked Dog Bistro food is easy, but it does take a few days. On the first day, prepare about ¾ of the typical amount of your dog’s regular food and mix in the remaining quarter using our fresh dog food.
Use this metric for a couple of days to see how your dog tolerates the change, and then gradually move toward half and half (half of the old food and half of the new). Once you’ve done that for a couple of days, move to ¾ of the new food and ¼ of the old for a day or two. If everything seems ok with your dog’s tummy, you can start feeding 100% of the new naked dog food.
Come & Visit Naked Dog Bistro
If you live in south Orange County, a visit to the Naked Dog Bistro is always a good idea and, of course, your furry friend is always welcome. We are located in downtown Laguna Beach at 424 Forest Avenue, and you can find an assortment of fresh-baked treats every day as well as CBD dog treats, grooming supplies, toys, dog beds and much more.
If you do live in Laguna Beach, Naked Dog Bistro does offer a local dog food delivery service. If you live nearby, but outside of Laguna and would like to give our naked dog food a try, just give us a call and we can set some aside for pickup. Even if you don’t live in our area, we encourage you to consider making the switch to organic, fresh dog food as it can be a healthier option for many dogs.
