Dog Food

Why is Nutrition so Important? While everyone has a story of someone's dog that lived to 15 eating the cheapest foods, every dog is an individual (hey, we dont' need to tell you that!). Some dogs have sensitive digestive systems, allergies, health conditions, or special needs. What is perfect for my dog may not be for your dog. Helping you find a good quality food your pet will thrive (not just survive) on, that fits your budget and lifestyle is our goal. Sometimes an extra few dollars per month invested in better nutrition can save hundreds at the vet clinic, add precious time to your friend's life, as well as provide peace of mind that you are doing everything for him, as he would for you. Remember, you are what you eat, and your pets are what you feed them. Give them the best start to living a long and healthy life!

Our Dog Food Philosophy Step one: Every food in our store is 100% guaranteed, so you can try several brands and formulas risk free. The companies we represent stand by the quality of their food and believe in customer satisfaction. Our six rules for dog food: No Corn No Wheat No Soy No Preservatives No "Mystery meat" No Byproducts No corn - because of it's high gluten content and the risk of aflotoxin. It is also a very common allergen in dogs. No wheat - also a high gluten grain, and a common allergen. We do have wheat and grain free biscuits and treats, along with more traditional baked goodies that contain wheat (since it shouldn't be their primary diet, this is fine for most dogs if they do not have a specific sensitivity) No soy - another very common allergen for dogs. Soy has high protien, but dogs lack the right mix of enzymes to use soy (or any grain or carbohydrate) protien efficiently. They have evolved as carnivores, but are wonderfully adaptive. No preservatives - food should be protected with natural tocipherols (vit E and C). This makes for a shorter shelf life, but many chemical preservatives used in pet foods are harmful to their long term health. No "mystery meat" - Any meat ingredient not specifically identified by species is NOT a quality or well-controlled ingredient. Example is "meat and bone meal" (very bad) vs. "lamb meal" (good). Your best tool as a pet owner is learning to read ingredient panels - if the first few ingredients are corn, corn gluten, soy...and the only meat reference is by-products, digest, or "meat & bone meal", that is your first indication of a poor quality food (even if it comes a in a pretty bag and runs TV commercials!). Companies can add as much fiber and vitamins as they like to poor quality food, but that will not improve it's basic content. Many of our foods do contain grain or other carbohydrates (it is a large cost factor in food), but premium brands have FAR greater percentages of meat content, and use whole grains/ingredients rather than "glutens", "rice protien concentrate", "flours", etc. These types of ingredients are often bought 2nd or 3rd source, with little quality control information for their manufacture or safety (this was the source of the food recall a few years ago). We talk with company representatives often, and if we don't feel there is a good and open relationship for information on process, ingredients, and quality, we don't carry the food.

Dog Foods Available at Essential Pet Natural Balance (Dry/Cans/Frozen) Eagle Pack Holistic (Dry/Cans) Canine Caviar (Dry/Cans) Canidae (Dry/Cans) Canidae Grain Free (Dry) Nature's Variety Priarie (Dry/Cans/Frozen) Merrick (Dry/Cans) Taste of the Wild (Dry) Precise Plus (Dry/Cans) California Natural (Dry/Cans) Innova (Dry/Cans) Evo (Dry/Cans) Healthwise (Dry) Diamond Natural (Dry) Chicken Soup (Dry/Cans) Before Grain (Dry/Cans) Timberwolf Organics (Dry/Cans) Orijen (Dry) Core (Dry/Cans) Wellness (Dry/Cans) Evangers (Dry/Cans) Dogswell (Dry/Cans) Artemis (Dry) Planet Organics (Dry) Solid Gold (Dry) Nature's Logic (Dry/Cans/Frozen) Prairie Homstyle (Cans) Eatables (Cans) Tripett (Cans) Honest Kitchen (Dehydrated Raw) Bravo (Frozen) Primal (Frozen) AFS (Frozen) Majestic Raw (Frozen) Ziwi Peak (Dried) Many other brands and varieties available on request - we are happy to keep a bag or two in stock for you.