As the calendar ticks over to January, many of us set ourselves well-intentioned goals for the coming year. But have you considered your dog in your resolution planning? With the powerful New Year’s energy in the air, now is the perfect time to extend your resolution setting to your furry family member. Our suggestion – focus on improving the foundation of your dog’s health by upgrading them to a balanced, wholefoods diet.

Why are the masses turning away from kibble?

In Australia, consumers are questioning the commercial dog food diet and are looking for healthier alternatives in the masses. In fact, 20% of dogs who come to Lyka are already eating a fresh, minimally-processed diet.

So how does legacy dog food fall short? Kibble production is optimised for shelf life not nutrition. The production involves high heat processing – at 200 degrees Celsius – to guarantee a shelf life of up to 25 years. With the increase in shelf life comes a decrease in nutritional value. The high heat destroys the natural nutrients in the raw ingredients, and synthetic vitamins & minerals are added in their place. These supplements are added to redeem the processing effect of dry food, which begs the question – why process natural food in the first place?

Growing evidence suggests that synthetic supplements in dog kibble can’t replace the nourishment of real food. “In our integrative veterinary hospital, All-Natural Vet Care, we are increasingly seeing dogs coming to our clinic with chronic health conditions especially metabolic, degenerative, inflammatory and cancerous diseases”, says Dr. Matthew Muir, director, and veterinarian at All-Natural Vet Care.

The shift from processed food to fresh food

“We have seen that many dogs exceed expectations when a move is made from a high starch, highly processed dog food to a properly formulated, species appropriate, minimally processed diet made from quality ingredients,” says Dr Matthew.

At Lyka, we see firsthand the drastic health improvement dogs experience as they transition from a commercial food to a real food diet. Two such examples include the health transformations of 13-year-old Donnie and 15-year-old Ollie.

“Donnie suffers from a skin condition that results in hair loss as well as dry and itchy skin. In addition to that, his ageing gives him weaker joints,” says Eryn, Donnie’s owner. “But after eating Lyka food, not only his skin has gotten better but his coat is shinier, and his energy levels are much higher. Overall, he seems so much happier and more keen to go for walks and outings.”

Donnie’s wholefood meals helped improve his persistant skin condition and increase his energy levels.

Ollie has experienced a similar health journey. “Our nearly 15-year-old Staffy Ollie, had severe digestive issues that the vets really couldn’t help too much with,” says Sharon, Ollie’s owner. “Since eating Lyka food, all of these problems have subsided, and Ollie loves & has thrived on the food. We are very grateful to have found a product to allow our dog to be so healthy at this stage of his life.”

Ollie’s digestion issues have subsided thanks to his Lyka meals.

So how to embark your dog on a wholefoods journey?

To make the most of your dog’s real food journey, it is important to make sure your dog is getting the right nutrients for their needs. If you don’t get it right, there’s a risk of long-term nutritional deficiencies, and serious long-term health consequences. Therefore, the safest option is either to opt for a complete and balanced dog food such as Lyka, or to cook their food yourself with the assistance of an experienced, holistic vet.

Holistic vets such as Dr Matthew Muir are experienced in diet formulation and can create a well-rounded and balanced diet for your dog. It will then be on you to source and purchase the ingredients and prepare them in the right ratios. Many people prefer to #mealprep their dog’s food in bulk and keep them frozen in pre-portioned pouches for the week.

If you’re thinking this sounds overly-time consuming, it can be, as Lyka customer Sarah experienced herself. “I used to cook large batches of food to freeze in portions. I spent a lot of time shopping for the ingredients, cooking up large batches of meat, pureeing vegetables, adding supplements, cleaning up. Often, I would run out of meals, and maybe not have the time to cook for a week or so. In the meantime, I’d buy a good quality commercial food, and sure enough Richard would start stretching in discomfort and get diarrhoea. \[With Lyka\] I certainly don’t spend any more than I did previously, and that’s not factoring in my time!”, says Sarah.

Richard’s Lyka subscription has saved her countless hours in the kitchen, while keeping Richard’s digestion happy and healthy.

Portion control also matters. Feeding your dog too much may lead to obesity, regardless what the ingredients are. Lyka’s proprietary data indicates that dogs are just as likely to be overweight if they eat homemade meals or commercial food. So, it is important to feed them the right amount, otherwise most dogs will just keep eating what’s in front of them. In general, the correct portions are driven by factors like your dog’s weight, breed, and activity level.

Meet Lyka, your dog’s diet game changer

As a new year resolution, transitioning your dog to real food is certainly a great goal, but not always an easy one to stick to. Let Lyka take care of the meal prep and help your dog’s wholefoods diet stay on track.

Lyka is redefining pet food by providing dogs all over Australia customised, 100% wholefood meals through a regular subscription.