FreshPet out of stock : is this a national issue?

[monkey girl]

I quite recently changed by bichon frise over from Lily's Kitchen to FreshPet. He seemed to really like the chicken and turkey ones (the wet food) though was sick straight after eating the beef. After getting him settled onto it, it now seems to have run out of stock everywhere. I've Googled a bit and, although FreshPet isn't mentioned, I've found that there seem to be national shortages of dog food. I'm wondering whether I should try and do some home cooking short term or move him to something like Butternut Box. He got quite ill last year with pancreatis and I was convinced the Lily's Kitchen was a part of it (no proof of course). But I want to avoid lots of changes for him. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Dottie]

Hello Monkey Girl - welcome to the forum. Is this the company you refer to? They sell dehydrated dog food. Please can you confirm?  Have you telephoned the company to enquire about the shortage?  I haven't heard that there are any problems with the supply of dog food  generally.

Regarding fresh cooked food, there are only two companies in the UK (that I know of) that sell this - Butternut Box and Different Dog. Both are good products with nutritional ratings of 94% and 97% respectively. As one would expect with such quality, they are expensive compared to ordinary dog food. However, for dogs with health issues, arguably the cost has the potential to be offset by reduced veterinary visits if the food helps.

It's possible to home cook for your dog but it is always advisable to research this first - we have information in the Home Cooking section of the forum.

We have a thread on pancreatitis here  which might be helpful for you.

[monkey girl]

Hi Dottie

Many apologies - I got the name wrong - was posting late as I finished work late last night. The name is FreshPet. I hadn't thought of ringing the manufacturers but I will try that. I did look at their Facebook page but everything seemed linked to the US even though I put FreshPet UK. I'm just not wanting to keep swapping him around things as he does have quite a sensitive stomach.

Another thing (and I do feel bad saying it) as you said is that it's not cheap. The bill for Lily's Kitchen was getting silly and although FreshPet was expensive it was at half the price. I'll try and hunt down a number for the manufacturer now.

Many thanks

[Dottie]

Thank you for clarifying this. FreshPet is sold in some supermarkets, Asda, Morrisons and Tesco being three. It can be found in its own separate refrigerator. The country of origin is the USA so maybe this is why there are currently supply problems. The Select Rolls in the link have a nutritional rating of 93%. I have seen these products on sale but not priced them up. The Dog Food Directory shows them at £4.50 for a 680g roll.

I can see why you are anxious to keep your dog on this. For dogs with a sensitive digestive system It is worth paying the price if it keeps them stable.

Hug Pet Foods sell a cookable raw product. There is also a fairly new pasteurised wet food on the market called Marleybones.