Why Hearty | BARF, HGQ & Organic Pet Food

With pet disease rates at an all-time high, more and more owners are taking a second look at how they meet their dogs’ and cats’ nutritional needs.

The ancestors of our pets not only survived but actively thrived in the wild. They lived on 100% natural, high-protein diets low in carbohydrates, high in moisture and containing a sustaining balance of fats and minerals.

Many of today’s processed pet foods contain low-grade, unethically sourced meat and are bulked up with artificial ingredients and cheap fillers. Kibble, in particular, has an extremely low moisture content, which can lead to pets on a kibble diet being permanently dehydrated. The nutritional balance in many of today’s pet foods is out of kilter and a far cry from the diets on which dogs and cats once depended.

Extensive research now shows that a balanced ancestral style diet is the best way to keep your pet in optimum health; we created Hearty Apetite so that all pet owners can play an active role on prolonging the lives of their dogs and cats.

Whichever of our brands you choose, you can be assured your dog or cat will benefit from whole ingredients produced to the highest ethical and sustainable standards.

We hand select these top-of-the-range brands because they share our commitment to giving pets better lives through nutritionally balanced, high-quality pet food.

Biologically Appropriate Raw Food (BARF) for Pets

A Biologically Appropriate Raw Food (BARF) diets consist of entirely raw foods such as meat, fruit, vegetables, bones and offal. In BARF diets, as with other diets emulating an ancestral diet, the correct nutritional balance is as important as the quality of the ingredients. All our brands create balanced meals that best meet the innate nutritional needs of dogs and cats.

Some owners are understandably nervous about switching their pets from dry food to raw food. Dogs and cats are predisposed to eating raw food, therefore in most cases, the transition is smooth. Dogs will naturally transition to a raw food diet quickly whereas cats, which as a species do not like change, may take several weeks. For more tips on how to transition your pets, visit our blog.

All our suppliers of BARF nutrition adhere to strict food safety standards, both in the handling of ingredients and transportation of their products. Our raw food products are delivered frozen, making them convenient to order and store in advance.

View all raw (BARF) products

Human Grade Quality (HGQ) and Organic Pet Food

When convenience is key, we offer a range of premium longer-life, easy to store and transport pet foods. All our brands share the same commitment to using the finest, freshest ingredients to create balanced meals that encourage your pet to thrive. With a choice between 100% human grade and organic ingredients our longer-life foods offer the finest quality meats, vegetables, fruits, grains and herbs.

A specialist longer life brand may suit you if you are always on the go and need something handy to take with you or when your pet requires a special diet. If, for example, your pet suffers serious allergy issues or has an extremely sensitive digestive system; you may wish to look at a brand that suits your needs. You can be assured that your pet’s nutritional needs are being met with high-quality, ethically sourced ingredients.

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100% holistic and natural solutions for every occasion, with proven efficacy

Looking for a kinder way to care for your pet?

Our efforts to keep our beloved pets as healthy as possible should not be limited to the decisions we make about what ends up in their food bowl.

A holistic approach implies choosing the most natural products possible, for them, across the board – from their food supplements and dewormers to the shampoos and care products we use. Choosing to replace highly toxic, chemically-ridden products with their natural equivalents contributes to optimal health and a longer life.

We pride ourselves on sourcing products using sustainable ingredients that are free from artificial chemicals, GMO’s, parabens, synthetic dyes and fragrances. Our products are non-toxic, drug-free, eco-friendly and minimally packaged using recyclable materials, containing only 100% natural and organic ingredients.

Good for your dog & cat, good for you and good for our environment.

Browse our Natural Care Range

The ancestors of today’s dogs and cats lived and scavenged in the wild

They survived on high-protein, mineral-rich diets containing a high proportion of meat, mainly from whole prey animals, including stomach contents. This diet was low in carbohydrates and supplemented by fruits, vegetables and other plant matter. Many of today’s commercial pet foods contain high levels of carbohydrates; they rely on highly processed, low-quality meat as a protein source and can contain rancid fats that are harmful to pets’ health.

Over-processing kills vital natural nutrients, so these must be replaced with artificial supplements that dogs and cats find hard to digest.

This move away from a natural diet has to lead to increased disease and allergies in animals, higher vets bills, reliance on medicines and shorter lives. We think it’s time to return to a traditional balanced diet of high-quality nutritious foods that best answer dogs’ and cats’ needs.

We believe that, as with humans, the quality of the food that our pets consume has a big impact on their wellbeing.

Manufactured pet food can legally contain meat from 4D animals: 4D stands for diseased; dying; disabled and dead. In order to be made into dry food, these meats have to undergo extreme processing. This cheap, over-processed alternative to ethically sourced, high-quality meat cannot contribute to our pets’ wellbeing. We wouldn’t eat sub-grade food so why should we give it to our beloved pets?

Hearty Apetite supports ethical and sustainable food production. Our brands only use organic, free-range and responsibly sourced human-grade meats in their products. All ingredients in the foods we sell are of the best quality; they are produced naturally and with care in order to preserve their inherent nutritional value.

Hearty Values

We want all animals to lead happy healthy lives. This informs our attitude not only to our own pets’ wellbeing but to all living creatures. The brands we sell stand with us on these issues.

Supporting sustainability – our brands source ingredients from suppliers with a long-term vision for growing food and reducing any harmful impact on the earth.

Responsible sourcing – feeding animals sub-standard meat produced at high density is harmful and unethical. We only sell pet food that contains ethically sourced, high-quality ingredients.

Pro-active pet care – we want pet owners to see how they can play a vital role in influencing the longevity of their pets and reduce visits to the vets with the right nutrition.

Playing our part – we want to contribute to a brighter future for everyone so we put sustainability at the core of our business, from the packaging we use to our Hearty Apetite company policy.

Dogs are carnivores, they evolved over time to eat fresh meat plus a balance of healthy fats; this is the type of diet on which our own pets can still thrive.

Kibble has only existed for the past 60-70 years and was created as a convenient, low-cost pet food that ignores the true nutritional needs of dogs and cats. Today, we’re seeing the results of this shift to unnatural nutrition in the rising figures in pet diseases. In dogs, food allergies are the most common cause after contact and inhalant allergies, leading to symptoms such as itchy skin, digestive disorders and ear infections. Cancer is the leading cause of deaths in dogs, with around one in three contracting the disease.

Here are the just some of the problems with kibble

Lack of moisture – As a dry food, it’s no surprise that kibble simply can’t give your pet the essential hydration it needs for optimum health. Fresh pet diets contain up to 80% moisture whereas dry foods only around 12%. This is a particular risk for cats, with studies linking dry food diets to life-limiting Feline Urinary Lower Tract Disease (FLUTD).¹

Poor quality meat – Low-cost pet food that can be stored for months results in compromises in quality. Kibble is often made with low-quality or 4D meats (read more about that here) as well as synthetic supplements and preservatives that your pet can’t process. Read more about that here.

Biologically inappropriate fillers – The ancestors of our dogs and cats barely relied on carbohydrates for nutrition. Kibble is bulked out with carbs, up to as much as 60%. This balances can lead to metabolic stress though elevated levels of insulin, glucagon and cortisol. And don’t be fooled by grain-free commercial pet food, which often contains ingredients such as peas, rice, corn, lentils and tapioca. All these carbs break down into sugars which, in excess, can contribute to health problems and pet obesity.

Processed at high temperatures – Scientists are starting to understand the links between cancer in humans and consumption of food cooked at very high temperatures. This high-temperature processing also kills any nutrients, enzymes or good bacteria that may be present in kibble.

Fast food = low quality – According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website, there have been regular pet food recalls in the past 18 months due to food containing elevated levels of salt, copper and harmful bacteria.

Synthetic enhancers – Kibble is so over-processed it’s essentially tasteless. To make it appealing to dogs and cats, flavour enhancers have to be introduced. These can contain elements that promote the oxidisation of fats, which is harmful to animals. In the same way as junk food, these can have an addictive effect on dogs and cats, leading to pet obesity.

Storage – Huge bags of longer-life kibble might seem convenient, but at what cost? Stored dry food degrades over time, both due to the presence of mould and the oxidisation of added essential fatty acids that become rancid. Your pet will benefit from healthy fats added to fresh food as it’s served, not stake and oxidised additives.

Studies show that pets raised on natural food diets² help animals stay free of degenerative diseases and enjoy a longer life expectancy. The most natural diet for a dog or cat, the diet our pets’ ancestors thrived on, is full of high-quality protein plus a balance of natural fats and minerals. With 30% to 40% of all cancers prevented by implementing dietary changes³ , we think there’s a very strong case to say no to kibble.

Not all kibble brands are the same and the more selective manufacturers do use higher quality ingredients. If you must feed your pet dry food, we urge you to choose the best brand you can afford and to check the balance of ingredients. It’s a good idea to still give your pet fresh food a couple of times a week so you introduce live nutrition into their diet.

¹ The Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Koret School of Veterinary Medicine

² Dr. Kollath; Lippety and Spey 2002. Source: Dogs Naturally Magazine

³ Canine Nutrigenomics