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Christmas Opening Hours

Sorry it’s a bit late notice, but here are our shop opening times over the Christmas period

Christmas Eve – 24th December Closed
Christmas Eve – 25th December Closed
Boxing Day – 26th December Closed
Wednesday 27th to Saturday 30th Open 9:00am to 4:30pm
New Year’s Eve Closed
New Year’s Day Closed
Tuesday 2nd January Open 9:00am to 5:30pm

Of course, you can still order online and collect from the shop as normal

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A Guide to Raw Feeding

Raw Feeding

Raw feeding has been gaining popularity in recent years as an alternative to traditional commercial dog food; although the fact is that raw feeding has been around longer than any other way of feeding. (Just ask Henry VIII, I’m pretty sure he never bought kibble or tinned food!!!).

The concept is simple – providing dogs with a diet that is closer to what their ancestors ate in the wild. A raw food diet is composed of fresh, uncooked ingredients that are nutritionally balanced meeting your dog’s needs. Raw feeding is exactly what it sounds like – feeding your dog raw, unprocessed foods like meat, bone, vegetables, and fruits. How To Raw Feed Your DogYou can use a pre-packed raw food diet, or create your own meal plan using raw ingredients.

Many pet owners have reported numerous benefits from switching to a raw diet for their furry friends. In this post, I am exploring the benefits of raw feeding, the different types of raw food, any concerns or risks associated with raw feeding, and tips for getting started.

 

Feeding Raw

When it comes to raw feeding, there are a few different types of raw food that can be fed to dogs. Raw muscle meat is the foundation of the diet and should make up most your dog’s meals, while raw bones, either as whole bones or ground, can provide essential minerals like calcium and phosphorus.

Raw offal, such as liver, kidney, and heart, is rich in nutrients like vitamin A, iron, B vitamins and other essential nutrients which are not found in muscle meat. It’s important to note that while dogs are carnivores, it’s still essential to provide your dog with a balanced diet, including small amounts of vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots, and spinach and can be added to the diet for additional fibre and nutrients – (this would replace the fibre found naturally in a preys gut). Feeding some raw fruits, such as apples and bananas as treats, is also beneficial. Feeding raw has also been proven to reduce the risk of some health problems, such as allergies, and can help dogs maintain a healthy weight.

Benefits of Raw Feeding

The benefits of raw feeding are numerous. First and foremost:

  • Raw feeding helps improve a dog’s digestion. Raw food is easier to digest than processed dog food, which often contains fillers and additives. Raw food is easier for dogs to digest because it contains natural enzymes and beneficial bacteria that help break down the food. This can lead to better nutrient absorption and less strain on the digestive system.
  • Raw feeding can result in healthier skin and a shinier coat, as the natural oils in raw food help nourish a dog’s skin and coat, leading to less shedding and less itchiness.
  • Raw feeding can also promote better dental health. Chewing on raw bones can help clean a dog’s teeth and prevent the build-up of plaque and tartar.
  • Raw feeding releases dopamine, which helps relax and calm dogs (the feel good hormone), great for dogs with aggression issues and anxiety/stress issues.

In short raw feeding

  • Supports oral health
  • Supports digestive health
  • Supports immunity
  • Supports skin and coat health
  • Contributes to weight management
  • Reduces waste
  • Supports mobility
  • Reduces allergies and intolerance’s
  • Reduces stress

Raw Feeding GuideWhile there are many benefits to raw feeding, there are also some concerns and risks that pet owners should be aware of. The main concern people speak of is raw feeding is the risk of bacterial contamination. Raw food can contain harmful bacteria like salmonella and E. coli, which can be dangerous for both dogs and humans. It’s important to handle raw food carefully and follow proper hygiene practices to reduce the risk of bacterial contamination. It is also important to note that kibble contains harmful bacteria like salmonella and E. coli and has been scientifically proven to contain more than raw.

Start Raw Feeding

If you’re considering switching to a raw diet for your dog, or your puppy, there are a few tips to keep in mind. Firstly, it’s important to gradually introduce raw food into your dog’s diet to allow their digestive system to adjust. Start by adding small amounts of raw food to their regular diet and slowly increase the amount over a couple of weeks.

Second, it is important to feed a variety of foods to ensure that your dog is getting all the necessary nutrients. This can include different types of meat, bone, and offal, as well as a variety of vegetables and fruits. A dog needs an average of 5 different proteins for a balanced diet

Finally, it is important to ensure that your dog is getting all of the necessary nutrients and that the diet is appropriate for their individual needs. Check out our frequently asked questions page and please feel free to Contact Us if you would like assistance with this, we would be happy to help.

In conclusion, raw feeding can be a great way to provide your dog with a healthy and natural diet. Feeding your dog raw, unprocessed foods, helps improve their digestion, promotes healthy skin and coat, and reduces the risk of health problems.

 

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Delivery Price Increase

Although we strive to keep our delivery costs as low as possible, the recent rise in fuel prices means that unfortunately, we have been forced to increase our local area delivery fee to £1.80.

We do hope this isn’t too much of an inconvenience and that you can understand our dilemma, but of course, if you prefer not to have delivery, we still offer free collection from either the Palmerston Business Park, Fareham, freezer unit (please call first), or from the usual place in Gosport.

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Stock and Deliveries

Due to the HGV / Haulage crisis we are experiencing at the moment (this is a country wide problem), maintaining the level of stock has become increasingly difficult. As a result, some of our stock levels are considerably lower than we would like. We have all of these products on order and are just awaiting for them to be delivered. Because of this, we have increased stock levels of some of our other brands that are better able to deliver (have their own vans/lorries), so there are alternatives for you to choose from.

I appreciate that some of your dogs favour particular brands, but most dogs will benefit from having a change now and again. We hope this situation will be short lived and we will be back to full stock levels on all brands very soon.

As some of our alternative brands will not be arriving until Tuesday 24th August, we will add an additional Thursday 26th August delivery option for Portsmouth area customers, this week.

Thank you for your continued support during this difficult time for us all.

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Happy Easter 2019

It’s that time of year again and we at The Dogs Choice would like to wish you all a Very Happy Easter.

Happy Easter 2019

We would just like to let you know of our opening times over this bank holiday weekend:

Although it is bank holiday on Friday, we will be open for collections or local deliveries until our normal Friday time of 1pm. However, we will be closed over the weekend and on bank holiday Monday.

For our customers further afield, our last order day before the Easter weekend is Wednesday 17th April, before 1pm for delivery the next day. The next delivery date for orders in by 1pm Tuesday 23rd April will be delivered on Wednesday 24th April

Have fun over this bank holiday Easter weekend, it looks like it’s going to be a hot and sunny one! Remember we will be closed from Friday 19th April at 1pm until Tuesday 23rd April when we will be open normal hours.

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Happy Easter

We at The Dogs Choice would like to wish you a very Happy Easter, we hope you get all the chocolate you wish for – just don’t feed it to the dogs 🙂

Easter Eggs

 

We have been going for about a year now and we would like to thank all of our customers for your  valued support. As a thank you, we would like to offer everyone a FREE ‘spring’ lambs leg for any orders over £15 from now till the end of April. No need to put in a coupon code, just make the order and we’ll do the rest.

Have fun over this bank holiday Easter weekend, remember we will be closed from Friday 14th April from 1pm until Tuesday 18th April when we will be open normal hours.

Please also keep an eye on your emails and our posts, as we will be announcing some more special offers in the next few weeks.

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Raw Bones for Dogs

Raw Bones for Dogs

We all know feeding cooked bones is a BIG no no for dogs!

However, the idea of feeding Raw bones seems to be troublesome for a lot of people

Here are some of the benefits as to why we should feed raw bones to our dogs:
Bones are a great natural teeth cleaner, they exercises the jaw, gums and neck muscles. They are fantastic for mental stimulation and are full of nutrition value for your dogs. Most of all, dogs LOVE to gnaw on bones!

Raw Bones for Dogs
Raw Bones for Dogs

If you haven’t ever tried to feed a raw bone before, give it a go – The Dogs Choice are giving our customers a chance to try before you buy, just add ‘like to try a bone’ to the notes on your order and we will give you a free bone for your dog. What could be better?

 

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Happy New Year 2016

Happy New Year from The Dogs Choice – have a prosperous and fulfilling 2016

Happy New Year 2016

At this time of year we are all talking about getting more exercise and eating more healthily but what about our pets?

Why not start your dogs year on a fantastic, natural diet. What could be better than what your dog would choose for themselves? You will be amazed how much your dog will appreciate and respond to a natural raw food diet.

Great quality products & very competitive prices at The Dogs Choice

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Introducing Raw Food to Your Dog

If you are changing from a dried food diet to raw I suggest start gently by choosing 1 protein – either tripe or chicken mince is a good starter – check their stools and if they look ok, introduce another protein – repeat this process every 1 or 2 weeks or so still checking stools, until he/she is receiving a balanced variety.

Raw Food for Puppy

It is quite common for a dog to have loose stools on the changeover, this usually only lasts a short while and things begin to firm up in no time. You will notice that on raw your dog does not defecate as much as on commercial, this is due to most of the food is utilised and the waste product is less. Every bit of goodness is being processed and used by your dog – fantastic!

Puppies can be fed raw straight from weaning and can progress to fish/wings/carcass etc from 6 -8 weeks. Minces and minced carcass are similar to the regurgitated food they would get from their mothers in the wild. Build slowly onto chunkier meats and soft bone – meaty chicken ribs, necks or wings are good to build their jaw strength.

Puppies can be fed raw

For puppies – Chicken wings should have the wing tip cut off at the third joint, as, should the puppy be tempted to swallow it whole, the double joint of the wing is a major choking hazard for pups.

Puppies cut teeth between 4 & 6 months so, good meaty bones of a suitable size are fantastic for them to gnaw on.