I am very excited to introduce to you the newest food line available at Bigwag! As of yesterday, we officially carry Premium Edge Healthy Weight I, Healthy Weight II and Skin & Coat Formulas. Now, I know, we already carry several varieties of food that you know and love, but I want to tell you a little about these foods and why I felt like they were worthy of being sold in our store. (After all, I am infamously picky about the ingredients of dog foods)
Our newest foods are currently available in 6lbs and 35lbs sizes
As with all of our other foods, these foods contain NO corn, wheat, soy or by-products. Because of course, I don't believe that any dog should be eating those items as a part of their regular foods. Now, these foods are NOT grain free, but the grains they do contain are high quality, nutrient dense grains like oatmeal or whole grain brown rice. The fact that they do contain grains makes them a little less expensive than the Taste of the Wild formulas.
But here's what I find really impressive about these foods and why I decided to make room on my shelves for them. The healthy weight formulas are made specifically for overweight, adult dogs. I have long been frustrated with the foods available for overweight dogs, because the solution is always the same - lump the overweight dog in with the senior dogs and simply feed them a food that is high in carbohydrates and therefore lower in calories. But the thing is many times this leaves those overweight dogs hungry again in a few hours and whining for more food, which inevitably makes us feel guilty and then we feed them more or give them treats or scraps and viola! the whole diet is blown. This food is actually a different solution - the Healthy Weight I formula is really high in protein (44% Crude Protein vs. 18-20% in your typical senior formula) and low in carbohydrates - think of it like an Atkins or a South Beach diet for your dog. Which actually, makes even more sense for dogs than it does for people, seeing as how dogs are carnivores.
Then, once your dog has lost the weight that it's supposed to lose, you switch them to the Healthy Weight II formula, which is a maintenance formula. Because anyone who has ever struggled with weight knows that keeping it off is half the battle. This formula still has moderate protein levels (25% Crude Protein, which is the same as the salmon Taste of the Wild) but it also has lower fat (8-10% Crude Fat versus 15-18% crude Fat in Taste of the Wild) That combination keeps your dog from going hungry while maintaining a healthy weight. Pretty amazing that it took this long for someone to redesign weight loss for dogs, considering that obesity is a rampant problem among our pets. But I am really impressed that Premium Edge thought outside the box on this one and I believe came up with a solution that makes much more sense than the traditional remedies.
As to the Skin & Coat Formula - I have to say that I know many people who are concerned about the quality of their dog's skin and coat. Usually, poor skin leads to poor coat which then causes shedding, which no one likes! There are several remedies to this problem. You can supplement your dog's food with something like Grizzly Salmon Oil, which is a great product, but I always wonder how economical it really is to supplement a poorer quality food rather than just switching your dog to a higher quality food. And for a long time, I have just recommended switching to a grain free food, like Taste of the Wild to improve skin and coat quality. Which does work - but for many people, it is too expensive. So, the Skin & Coat formula provides a less expensive option for decreasing shedding and improving your dog's skin and coat quality. And because it's a salmon and ocean fish based food, it has lots of the healthy omega-3 fatty acids which work wonders internally as well (like lowering cholesterol.)
Oh, and if those things weren't enough, all of the Premium Edge Foods have glucosamine and chondroitin! Which means they are great for older dogs with joint problems or larger breeds with risk of joint problems or even dogs who have been injured and now suffer from arthritis. Not such a bad idea in my book!
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