BEHIND THE SCENES AT DOGS CHOICE: Making Raw Pet Food
Posted on May 10 2023
Have you ever wondered how your pet food is made? Wonder no more! I'm breaking down the process for you here!
Before we begin, let's dive into who Dogs Choice is and answer some commonly asked questions about the Doggy Moggy raw pet food.
Who is Dog's Choice?
Dogs Choice is a family-owned business based in rural central Alberta with the Rocky Mountains in sight. Dogs Choice has its own processing plant and freezer storage on-site.
The owner of Dogs Choice, Rudy Koller, a Master Butcher, has been producing raw frozen pet food since 2011. He and his team take pride in creating quality, affordable raw products dogs and cats thrive on. He has fine-tuned his processes and recipes over the years, producing food pets enjoy and that suits their biological needs.
Rudy is constantly learning about raw feeding from his colleagues and veterinarians in Europe where the practice of raw feeding is more established than it is in North America. He cares about the food he produces and is engaged in its production from the sourcing right through to the placement of boxes in the freezer.
He provides a wealth of knowledge and expertise on handling the meat ensuring that all throughout the process, the nutrient integrity and quality is intact.
Picture # 1: The Dogs Choice team. Rudy is second from the left in a black outfit.
Where is the meat sourced?
Dogs Choice sources healthy meat products from Government-inspected facilities that pass strict safety inspections for human consumption. The meat is antibiotic & hormone free and come from local Alberta farms.
What Makes Dogs Choice Stand out from the rest?
Dogs Choice carries several lines of proteins, and protein-vegetable mixes under their Doggy Moggy label. Doggy Moggy products are:
- Available in one- or two-pound tubes, packaged in forty-pound boxes
- Raw and frozen
- Free from fillers, antibiotics, or MSG
- No hormones are added
- Gluten free
The Process
Step 1: Mix
The first step in the process is mixing all the ingredients together.
Included in this process is the addition of ice chips. This is an important step in keeping the product near 0°C. Throughout the process, the temperature of the meat is monitored to ensure safety of the product. Temperature also plays a role in how well the meat is broken up and the consistency of the end result.
Picture # 2: Large Mixer
Picture # 3: Christian checking the temperature of the meat.
Step 2: Grind
The blend is then moved from the mixer to the grinder. This is the machine that breaks up the product down and mixes it even more.
The product is moved using large steel bins from the grinder to the last step in the process.
Picture 4: The grinder beside the white mixer. Raw pet food is being transported from the mixer to the grinder.
Step 3: Package and Freeze
The raw pet food is then moved into the packing machine. The raw pet food moves through the machine and is pushed into the packaging and then sealed.
The packages are sealed tightly with the air removed to prevent freezer burn. At this stage, any packages that are not sealed properly in the machine are removed and packaged again.
The food is then added to the boxes and sealed up. When the boxes are packaged, the tubes are counted. The box is then weighed to ensure the final weight is 40 lbs. Tube sizes can vary from time to time, so this ensures that the end product you receive is a total of 40 lbs. If a box doesn't reach a total of 40 lb, an extra tube or two will be added.
The boxes are placed onto a pallet. Once a pallet is fully loaded, it will be moved into a freezer located beside the production facility. Those boxes take 7-9 hours to completely freeze. After the freezing process, it will be moved directly into another freezer on the property. This freezer is where we pick up your food at the beginning of a delivery day!
Photo 5: Machine used to package raw pet food.
Photo 6: Photo of a final box on a scale showing 40 lbs.
Delivery Day!
All food we deliver to you is stored at Dogs Choice. We carry a limited amount of stock in Edmonton primarily for the 10 lb sample boxes or 20 lb boxes.
Tuesday is the start of a delivery week for us. We stop at Dogs Choice in the morning on the way to Calgary and then stop again at the end of the day to pick up the food for Wednesday's deliveries in Edmonton. We repeat this process again on Thursday.
Our vans are equipped with refrigeration to keep the food cold during the day until it hits your doorstep.
Let's Chat!
What surprised you about the process of making raw pet food? If you had the chance to talk to Rudy, what questions would you have for him?
Thanks for sharing your time with us!
Amanda Monsma (she/her)
amandam@granddog.ca
Call or Text (825) 401-3214
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If you liked this, you might also like:
What is High Quality Protein for Dogs and Cats?
How to Build a Raw Food Diet for Cats + Transition Tips
How Hayley Discovered Raw is the Answer to a Happy, Healthy Life for her Dogs
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Blog Photo Credit: Doug Thickett
Disclaimer: All information presented on this website is for informational and/or educational purposes only and based on our experience and those shared by our clients. These statements have not been evaluated by a veterinarian. This website is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease and is not intended to be a substitute or replacement for any medical treatment. Please seek the advice of a holistic veterinarian for your dog’s specific health concerns.
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