From our family to yours: discover the stories and science behind Grand Dog Essentials' raw dog food, lovingly made in Alberta for your furry family members.
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March 7, 2024 – Amanda Monsma
Does Raw Dog Food Create Struvite Crystals?
A couple of weeks ago, I saw this question in a Facebook Raw Feeding group: “Any experience with struvite crystals in dogs and feeding raw? My vet thinks the raw caused the crystals although he’s been eating the same food for 5 years, I began feeding open farm kibble and bam — crystals. He would like my dog on the Urinary...
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October 18, 2022 – Amanda Monsma
How to Build a Raw Food Diet for Cats + Transition Tips
All animals on the planet are biologically wired to eat a specific way. Carnivores eat meat. Omnivores eat plants and meat. Herbivores eat plants. Now some may argue about what category some animals fall under. Some say that dogs should only eat meat and others believe that dogs and wolves can and should eat a little plant matter. But...
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August 17, 2020 – Amanda Monsma
Guide to Feeding Raw Food to Puppies
Feeding puppies can seem like a daunting task. You want the best for them while making sure your puppy is getting all the nutrients they need to grow into healthy adult companions. Can this be done with a raw diet? The answer is a resounding YES! If you are armed with information and resources, feeding your puppy a raw diet is...
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June 10, 2020 – Amanda Monsma
How to Protect Your Dog from Ticks
With the arrival of warmer weather in Alberta comes increased time outside for yourself and your dogs. The warmer weather is also when ticks are most active. As dog owners, it's important to be aware of when these pests are out, how to prevent and detect them, and how to remove them if you or your dog is bitten. WHAT...
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May 22, 2020 – Amanda Monsma
Supplements to Enhance Your Dog's Raw Diet
“Do I need to feed supplements to my dog?” This is a question we get often when people switch to raw dog food. People want to know if our food enough for their dog or if they need to add extras. The beef, chicken, and turkey formulas found in our store provides your dogs with the foundational aspects of a...
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July 19, 2019 – Amanda Monsma
What You Need to Know About DCM and Grain Free Dog Food
FDA Investigates the Rise of DCM in Dogs On July 27, 2018, the FDA released a report stating they had begun investigating Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs. DCM is more common in large and giant breed dogs like Danes, Boxers, Irish Wolfhounds, Saint Bernards, Newfoundlands, and Doberman Pinschers. Since July 2018, there has been a rise in the number of cases...
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July 3, 2019 – Amanda Monsma
Three Reasons to Feed Summer Fruit to Your Dog
As I write this, I look out the window to see a gloomy, rainy day. Summer has arrived, though all this rain is putting a damper on our summer vibes. One thing that can take away the gloomy day blues: fresh summer fruit. Now is the time to load up on berries (blueberries are my personal favourite), stone fruit, and...
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March 11, 2019 – Amanda Monsma
Vegetables for the Raw Fed Dog
The wild dog If we are looking to the wild dog as a guideline for feeding our dogs a raw food diet, we see that vegetation is an important part of a balanced diet. When eating their prey, wild dogs will first eat the contents of the stomach and intestine which is full of vegetation eaten by the animal. Vegetation...
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August 30, 2018 – Amanda Monsma
Welcome to Grand Dog Essentials
Raw dog food delivery is what we do in the metro Calgary and metro Edmonton areas. We are keeping hundreds of dogs happy and well-fed throughout Alberta. Our primary product line is provided by Dog's Choice located in central Alberta. Dog's Choice was started by Rudi Koller, a Master Butcher from Switzerland, who immigrated to Canada. Rudi applies the...
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