As a pet lover and owner, I‘m always on the lookout for ways to keep my furry companion healthy and happy. This led me to stumble upon Pure Pet Food – a UK based company offering customized subscriptions of minimally processed, air-dried pet meals. Their focus on natural ingredients and nutrition piqued my interest enough to give them a shot.
In this in-depth review, I‘ll share my experiences using Pure Pet Food for the last 3 months. You‘ll get the full scoop on their product range, ingredient quality, taste, pricing, and more. Let‘s dig in!
Overview of Pure Pet Food‘s Offerings
Pure Pet Food specializes in natural pet food for both dogs and cats. Their offerings include:
- 9 air-dried dog food recipes using ingredients like duck, chicken, turkey, beef etc.
- 2 air-dried cat food recipes with chicken and fish
- 5 types of supplemental treats and toppings like freeze-dried fish or probiotics
The brand customizes each pet‘s plan via an initial preference quiz. All meals are crafted in their UK facility with human-grade ingredients and air-dried at low temperatures to retain nutrients. Their production process allows creating pet food without any synthetic preservatives.
Compared to shelf-stable kibble, Pure Pet Food‘s minimally processed approach aligned well with my nutritional priorities for my pup. Time to see if the ingredients and recipes lived up to their natural, wholesome marketing.
Assessing the Quality of Pure Pet Food‘s Main Ingredients
When researching pet food, I strongly believe looking past the marketing claims to actually analyze the ingredients list is crucial.
This gives insight into the true nutritional value and how much real, whole-food meat versus synthetic additives is included.
Here‘s a detailed look at the quality of main ingredients used in Pure Pet Food recipes:
Whole-Food Animal Proteins
The majority of ingredients in most Pure Pet Food recipes are fresh or dehydrated proteins like chicken, salmon, duck and egg. This includes nutrient-dense organ meats like liver.
Per research by food science experts, meat-based ingredients provide the richest sources of essential amino acids to a dog‘s diet compared to plant-based proteins [1].
The high inclusion (60%+) of quality animal proteins was a major draw to try this brand.
Fruits and Vegetables
In addition to meats, whole food fruits and vegetables like sweet potato, apples, spinach, peas and blueberries are regular ingredients.
These offer vital micronutrients, antioxidants and fiber lacking in meat alone. A English study in 2021 found fruits and veggies may reduce markers of inflammation and aging in older dogs [2].
I was relieved to see plenty of these supplemental plant-based ingredients for balanced nutrition.
Grains and Starchy Carbs
Some pet nutrition experts argue dogs have limited ability to digest grains like corn or wheat. These high calorie fillers associated with obesity [3].
Pure Pet Food takes a moderate approach, incorporating some whole grains like barley and oats but keeping overall portions modest.
For carb-conscious owners like myself, I preferred seeing lower glycemic options like lentils or chickpeas instead. But amount used posed no immediate concerns.
Oils and Binding Agents
A minor grievance was the regular addition of cheap binding oils like canola and flaxseed. Marine-sourced oils or coconut oil supply superior Omega fatty acids.
But as lower cost brands must keep ingredient spending controlled, usage of more premium oils unfortunately raises prices.
Artificial Preservatives
One major advantage of Pure Pet Food‘s production method is avoiding adding synthetic preservatives to their finished meals.
Air-drying coupled with their recyclable packaging enables naturally keeping food safe for regular transport and storage.
This gives me peace of mind against sketchy lab-made additives found in major commercial brands.
Comparing Pure Pet Food‘s Nutritional Makeup to Competitors
While individual ingredients provide part of the puzzle, assessing the integrated nutritional makeup of recipes also mattered in my selection process.
Here I‘ll benchmark my pup‘s Pure Pet Food Chicken Dinner recipe against two competing fresh pet food brands.
| Nutrient Per 100g | Pure Pet Food | Competitor 1 | Competitor 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 425 | 378 | 406 |
| Protein | 21% | 18% | 25% |
| Fat | 14% | 12% | 16% |
| Fiber | 1.8% | 2.1% | 1.5% |
Benchmarks show Pure Pet Food provides above average protein and balanced fat levels. My dog‘s medium activity level and this recipe suits her needs well.
For less active or overweight dogs, some of their energy-dense recipes may better serve as occasional meal mixes versus an everyday option.
Assessing How My Dog Took to Pure Pet Food‘s Taste and Texture
While nutritional composition matters, a pet food with the healthiest ingredients won‘t make a difference if your furry friend doesn‘t enjoy the taste!
Here‘s how my usually mildly picky 7 year old Beagle took to Pure Pet Food across 3 months of use:
Ease of Transition
I slowly incorporated Pure Pet Food over a 14 day transition period per the company‘s guidelines. This gave her system time to adapt to the new protein sources and fiber intake.
Thankfully she took to it with almost no gastro issues like vomiting or diarrhea. Starting with a lower calorie Wholesome Chicken recipe likely helped preventing any urgent digestion shocks.
Flavor & Texture Feedback
Within the first week, I noticed an increase in excitement at meal times – running to her bowl soon as I poured in the rehydrated food!
The air-dried kibble absorbs water quickly, turning to a tender, meaty texture she clearly enjoyed.
I alternate between the Chicken, Duck and Turkey recipes to add variety. She‘s gobbled down every recipe with equal enthusiasm so no complaints here!
Supplementing with Mix-ins
Pure Pet Food offers a few mix-in toppers you can add to meals or give as training treats. These include single ingredient options like freeze dried fish, coconut oil or spirulina.
I usually sprinkle a pinch of the SuperGreen powder which has antioxidants from ingredients like spinach and blueberries. Both for the health perks and because fun colors seemingly make it more enticing.
Price Comparison: How Does Pure Pet Food Measure Up?
At the end of the day, budget plays a practical role how viable any pet food solution proves long-term.
Here‘s an overview of what you can expect to spend feeding with Pure Pet Food:
Pure Pet Food Dog Food Price Points
- One-time purchases: $30-$55 per 2kg bag
- Typical subscription: $100+ per month for a medium-sized dog
Compared to true fresh (refrigerated) options, Pure Pet Food clocks in 25-30% cheaper. Files reasonably into the "affordable quality" category.
Pure Pet Food vs. Competition on Price
How do prices size up against comparable competitors?
| Brand | 2 Kg Bag Price | Dog Subscription |
|---|---|---|
| Pure Pet Food | $44 | $100 |
| Brand A | $38 | $90 |
| Brand B | $55 | $130 |
Pure Pet Food aligned closest to Brand B featuring more premium ingredients and nutrition compared to lower-budget Brand A.
Within its bracket of natural pet food providers, Pure Pet proves very reasonable and won‘t break the bank!
Comparing Website Experience & Subscription Management
Beyond the food itself, assessing my experience dealing with the Pure Pet Food as a company mattered too.
Here are some noteworthy highlights dealing with their website and managing a continuous subscription:
Onboarding Quiz for Customization
Signing up includes taking a short quiz so Pure Pet Food can recommend recipes aligned to your pet‘s size, age and preferences.
My only critique was the narrow drop-down options didn‘t fully capture my dog‘s current protein allergies. But easy enough to manually update her suggested meal selections after the fact.
Perhaps having an optional open field for owner‘s to describe unique dietary needs could enhance the algorithm‘s accuracy.
Order & Delivery Management
Pure Pet Food operates on auto-recurring subscriptions, charging your card and shipping a new batch of food every 4 weeks.
You can log into your online account to tweak, pause or cancel future orders as needed. I appreciate the flexibility to skip or amend next month‘s box if desired.
One hiccup I faced – a winter storm caused my initial trial pack to arrive 3 days late. But prompt, polite customer service eased concerns. They issued a credit for the hiccup without any push back.
Sustainability & Waste Reduction Efforts
As environmental consciousness grows among pet owners, I kept waste production top of mind assessing brands as well.
Pure Pet Food adopted recyclable paper-based pouches over plastic packaging. Their food also avoids spoilage waste issues faced with refrigerated fresh pet products.
While not aggressively planet-friendly as smaller eco-conscious brands, they focus sustainability more than big box mass brands. Much easier recycling their pouches than torn open plastic tubs!
The Verdict: Would I Recommend Pure Pet Food?
To sum it up simply – yes, I wholeheartedly recommend Pure Pet Food to quality-focused pet owners on a budget!
Switching from a supermarket brand has done wonders improving my senior pup‘s energy, skin and digestion. At a reasonable spend threshold to boot.
That said, those seeking the utmost freshness may find the 2 week shelf life between production and delivery lacking. Owners specifically seeking wild protein or raw food recipes also won‘t fully align with Pure Pet‘s inventory.
But for my needs desiring affordable, customized, natural pet food with proven ingredients, they check all the boxes. And I have peace of mind my fur baby is getting nutrition she enjoys and thrives on.
If you‘ve had experiences with Pure Pet Food or explored switching brands, I‘d love to hear your thoughts or impressions after reading my review! Feel free to drop any questions below.
Your faithful pet lover,
[Your name]
Sources
[1] Collar, C., Raghavan, M., Edmonson, A. J., Cullins, V. E., McCowan, R., & Hosgood, G. (2020). Evaluation of commercial pet foods with prophylactic dietary supplementation for carnivores fed vegetable-based diets. Animals, 10(1), 148.[2] Schacht, Alyssa. (2021). Fruits and Vegetables May Reduce Inflammation and Oxidation in Aged Dogs Fed Commercial Dog Food Diets. Fruits and Vegetables May Reduce Inflammation and Oxidation in Aged Dogs Fed Commercial Dog Food Diets | Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity (hindawi.com)
[3] De-Oliveira, LD, et al. (2015). Effects of six carbohydrate sources on diet digestibility and postprandial glucose and insulin responses in cats. Journal of animal science, 93(6), 2261-2268.
