Last month we started a bit of an overhaul in the Fifi Friendly household and it would have been rude of us to leave our favourite little two year old black Labrador out. Now, I am not saying that Mr Dog is spoilt but he appreciates being well looked after and a quick look around our house will show you he is very well looked after. He is a big personality in our house and has quite a fan base outside the house too. (I am also sure that my mum views him like one of her grandchildren …. in fact she quite often asks how he is before the rest of us.)
We have always been mindful of what we feed him and when he was a puppy we quickly realised that the food the breeders had been feeding him wasn’t really great for his digestion. We did some research and moved him over to a more expensive dry dog food. This was a great move at the time and we noticed several improvements in his digestion, his coat and his happy demeanour, Overall, Mr Dog has done well on his dry kibble and we often get comments on his shiny coat and physique …..oh fancy!…. but I am sure if I had the same dry meal every day I would get bored of it fairly quickly! Probably why he shows such a keen interest whenever we cook!
So what changed? Well an old friend introduced me to Butternut Box – a fresh dog food subscription service that is delivered to your door each week. Well the conversation actually started a little like this …..
M: Do you ever review dog food?
FF: Yes ….. to clarify …. I get Mr Dog to test it ……. (Yep, I amused myself with that one too)
Up until that point I didn’t know too much about Butternut Box but I didn’t need too look too far before I was convinced that Mr Dog would benefit from an overhaul too.
What is Butternut Box?
It is very clear that the founders of Butternut Box are first and foremost dog lovers! In a nutshell Butternut Box delivers boxes of fresh, great tasting and home made dog food each week via a totally flexible subscription service. It is a bit of a Hello Fresh …. but for dogs …. and a hell of a lot easier as they have done all the cooking for you! The home cooked meals were designed with the help of animal nutritionists and with dogs in mind. Why give your dog the same tired food everyday when they could have a variety of fresh meals made from 60% meat and natural ingredients. All of the Butternut Box meals are a complete food for your dog using human grade and grain free ingredients. That is right … human grade ingredients! (Trust me, unlike so many dog foods these ones actually smell really good too). There are no preservatives, fillers or chemical nasties in sight!
How does it work?
It is surprisingly easy. You go online to www.butternutbox.com and input some details about your beloved pooch(es). Simples. Your box will then be delivered to your door with a variety of tasty meals including chicken, beef and turkey. The meals come in fridge-friendly pouches, so one pouch per day and they can be frozen as well. The well designed box comes with wool packing inside to maintain the right temperature of the food and also protect it during transportation. You will also find in the box a helpful guide on how to introduce the new food to your dog in stages. We struggled with this last part as it was very apparent that Mr Dog was really excited about his new food …. several clear giveaways on this point included him yowling when we prepared his dinner, him standing on his back legs while doing some weird Britain’s Got Talent style dance and the amount of dog slobber and lip licking that was going on. It seemed that he was excited to get to the day when his meal was 100% Butternut Box. I love that this is suitable for dogs of all ages – puppy through to old dog and they also take on board any special requirements that your dog may have.
Eco- friendly?
Butternut Box have made sure they are as eco-aware as possible. Pouches are designed to hold food for one day so packaging waste is kept to a minimal. The food is fresh and therefore perishable and needs to be kept cool while it makes its way to your home. Butternut Box are ahead of the game here and use Woolcool liners that are bio-degradable and made out of 100% pure wool. The naturally sustainable and environmentally friendly wool liners are perfect for insulation and have been proven to keep products at a lower temperature for longer and while using fewer ice packs. If you are feeling particularly green you can re-use or recycle them too. Some clever Butternut Box customers have already used the breathable wool for a dog pillow and also as pot plant insulation. Finally, Butternut Box has carbon neutral deliveries with its delivery partner DPD.
What did Mr Dog think?
Where do I begin. When we opened the box there was a sign which told us to wait for the “happy dance” …. they were not wrong. Even during the introduction stage when there was 25% Butternut Box in his meal, Mr Dog was flipping out. Now before anyone jumps in, yes I know he is a Labrador and they never shy away from food….. ever….. but he has upped his levels of excitement for this food. One month after trying Butternut Box for the first time the excitement levels are just as high. He dances around while I make his food now. He wags his tail constantly when eating it …. something I have not seen since he was a puppy. Mr Dog is a very, very, very happy pooch! Dinnertime has become more fun again. He is showing so much more appreciation after his meal too. We say that he puts his bump up when he is happy and he has his bump up a lot after his dinner. His already good shiny coat also has an extra gloss to it.
Now for the not so polite bit of chat. Anyone who has ever had a Labrador will know what I mean when I say that they can experience farts that stink like burnt rubber. Needless to say I was a little scared to see what effects the lentils would have on my Mr Dog …. but I am glad to report no ill effects or extra ventilation needed. Finally the dog poo -picker-upper in the house has also noted that Mr Dog’s poo is better since he has swapped over to Butternut Box too. Wow, I am sure you were not expecting this level of detail!
Do you love your dog enough to give them a home cooked meal that is 100% free from gluten, grains, preservatives, fillers and by-products? We do. The Fifi Friendly household is like so many pet-loving homes …. Mr Dog is part of our family and as such Butternut Box is shaping up to be one my favourite discoveries of 2016. Love their products. Love how easy they make it. Love how happy they make my dog. Love that for every new Butternut Box feeds, they feed a dog in need. A 5* Fifi Friendly Product. We thoroughly recommend it.
www.butternutbox.com
