Everybody wants to provide their dog with the best possible diet to help them live a long and healthy life. But finding the quality through the junk can be difficult sometimes. Then along came Pets at Home.
Pets at Home are a massive UK chain, supplying millions of homes with high quality pet-related items, from toys, to beds, to food. For many years now, Pets at Home have created and released several pet food brands, including the subject of this article, Wainwright’s.
Their different brands are all pretty popular, but none of them are quite as renowned as Wainwright’s dog food.
Known for being clean and nutritious, without being filled with extra junk, Wainwright’s dog food has become increasingly popular over the years, but why? What sets it apart from other dog foods, and is it really worth all the hype?
In this article we will be discussing all the pros and cons of Wainwright’s dog food, and let you know whether or not it’s worth switching up your dog’s diet.
The Basics
Wainwright’s Dog Food brand was released in 2011 and it quickly became an industry leader. This particular feed is considered to be a premium natural range of dog food, tapping into a market desperate for high quality, nutritious food.
The pet food industry has started to come under fire in recent years for filling their kibble and wet food with a lot of nebulous “meat” products and junk, with very little in the way of actual protein that these carnivorous animals need for a healthy diet.
This is why we’ve seen a massive increase in the amount of natural and 100% meat ranges of pet food hit the shelves over the last decade or so.
Wainwright’s dog food was one of the first to join the fray, however, it is also very similar to the range of natural food from James Wellbeloved. The branding and marketing is similar, but so is the actual recipe for the food – so it begs the question: why Wainwrights?
The Ranges
Wainwright’s offers a large range of dog food, from grain-free, food for small breeds, and food for large breeds.
It’s likely that this large range is one of the reasons that Wainwright’s is so popular: no matter what kind of dog you have and their dietary requirements, you’re able to find a feed that is right for them.
This article will touch mostly on their grain free range, as it is by far the most popular.
Wainwright’s Grain Free Dry Dog Food
It’s no surprise that healthier, more nutritious dog foods have become so much more popular. People love their pets. We want our animals to live long and happy lives, and one way to ensure this is to provide them with the best possible food.
Meat Content
How does Wainwright’s grain free dog food hold up in its recipe? Is there a significant meat content that can provide Fido with all the protein and nutrients that he needs to enjoy life?
Well, if you look at the meat content of their dry food, you’ll see that the highest percentage on the back is the meat content, coming in at around 42% meat. This is significantly higher than a lot of lower-quality brands.
However, it’s unclear what the ratio of actual lamb meat is to lamb gravy is within that percentage. That said, because this is a dry food, it’s unlikely that gravy makes up more than 5% of the total meat content, meaning that the amount of real meat found in this food is still pretty high.
Grain-Free
Now, you might know that in order to bulk up a lot of dog and cat foods, brands will fill the recipe with a lot of grains.
This is because kibble was actually first created by cereal companies, and not vets, which is how it’s continued to be for nearly 100 years. However, the majority of grains like maize and wheat are pretty difficult for dogs to digest.
Dogs can actually be diagnosed with a cereal intolerance, just like humans, but even dogs without this intolerance can struggle to digest too many grains. This is why you might notice that your dog has particularly smelly or loose poops a lot of the time.
Luckily, gran-free dog foods are becoming a lot easier to find, and Wainwright’s is one of them.
This dog food should be a lot more gentle on your pooch’s tummy, and your backyard.
So What Makes Up The Other Half?
If just under half of this dog food is meat, and there are no grains, what makes up the rest of this food? Well it’s easy. The rest of this food is made up of carbs. This will give your pup plenty of slow burning energy to keep them going all day.
The carbs include sweet potato, white potato, and just a small percentage of pea starch. The majority of this is sweet potato, coming in with 30% sweet potato and just 8% white potato.
This is a really great percentage, because sweet potato is pretty much the best kind of carb that you can give dogs, thanks to its nutritional value.
That said, because of how great sweet potato is, it doesn’t really make a lot of sense that there’s white potato and pea starch in there as well, but maybe that’s more to do with flavor than anything else.
The Oil
This is perhaps the only part of the recipe that we have an issue with. Rapeseed or canola oil is used in this recipe, and it’s something that a lot of people have complained about.
Yes, canola oil is a really great source of omega-3 fatty acids and monounsaturated fats (a long word, I know, but trust me, it’s one of the good ones), which are as good for dogs as they are for humans.
However, it is also pretty high in erucic acid. Now this is pretty harmless for people in low amounts but for dogs, this can be toxic if they get too much.
Typically, we would expect to see fish or other animal fats used in foods like this, rather than vegetable oils that can sometimes be harmful for our pets.
And All The Rest
Okay, so those that are counting, we haven’t reached 100% for this recipe yet, there are a few extra ingredients. These build up the nutritional value of this recipe and create a healthy range of natural additives that will keep your dog nice and healthy.
These include some herbs, seaweed, carrots, tomatoes, cranberries. These both add nutrition, but also flavor, making this a dog food that your pup won’t be able to get enough of.
Nothing Nasty
As a brand, Wainwright’s promise not to include any artificial or derived ingredients. This dog food doesn’t contain anything that’s not natural, which means that they absolutely deliver on this promise to provide a totally natural dog food that’s actually good for your pups (see also ‘AVA Dog Food Reviewed‘).
Something else that we really like is the fact that Wainwright’s grain free dog food also does not contain any ingredients that have been known to cause common allergic reactions in dogs.
The Price
Look, we’re not here to claim that this food is totally affordable and that everyone should be feeding their dogs this exact food.
When you take into consideration the amount that you can only get these in 10kg bags and the fact you are recommended to give your dog a higher than average portion on a daily basis, you absolutely get a higher “price per day” than is typical for other similar dog food brands.
That is, when you compare this food to other 4-5 star, grain free, all natural dog foods, Wainwright’s still comes a bit on the higher side, but certainly not the highest.
If you have the budget though, I can highly recommend this brand, because of the nutritional value and high meat content.
Final Thoughts On Wainwright’s Grain Free Dry Food
Barring the inclusion of canola oil, this dog food is packed full of goodness that your dog is sure to love.
When you make the switch to this food, you’ll notice that your dog’s coat is probably healthier, as well as their bowel movements – these in particular might be a bit abnormal whilst you’re making the switch, but once they are used to it, you should notice a significant improvement.
There are a few different flavors, including Lamb, White Fish, Rabbit, and Turkey – all of these include vegetables and a solid combination of other natural ingredients.
For these reasons, I can absolutely recommend switching your dog to this dry dog food brand if your budget permits it, but you can find kibble just as nutritious for a touch cheaper if you need.
Wainwright’s Trays Adult Grain Free
This food is very similar to the dry food, but is a grain-free wet adult food. If your dog struggles to drink enough water throughout the day and they only get dry kibble, they’re likely to become dehydrated, similar to cats.
In order to avoid this, you can always give your dog wet food throughout the day as well. Wainwright’s wet food is a great source of nutrition and hydration, so how does it hold up? Is it worth your money?
Meat Content
This food is created with very high quality ingredients, and that shows a true dedication to pet health, and giving their customers the best possible product available.
This food boasts a hefty 72% real meat, which is absolutely fantastic. Dogs need to be on a mostly meat-based diet, and this goes back to their days spent as wolves. This is a super high percentage of real meat, and will give your dog a lot more energy and a much healthier diet.
What Else Is In It?
Just like Wainwright’s grain free dry food, this wet food has a decent amount of sweet potato that makes up the rest of the meal.
As well as sweet potato – that we already established is one of the best ways to get carbohydrates into your dog’s diet – there are also carrots, seaweed, peas, and alfalfa.
These natural ingredients do a lot to bulk up your dog’s dinner with nutrients and vitamins that they need in order to live a long and healthy life.
Unlike the dry food, however, there are no oils in the wet food, which means that the issues we had with the use of canola oil in the dry food isn’t apparent with the wet food.
As well as the veg, you’ll also see that there are specific minerals, vitamins, flaxseed, chicory root. These are things that you expect to see in a health-conscious diet for humans, and are great to see in natural dog food.
These ingredients are an excellent source of all kinds of good things, so we’re happy to see that dogs are getting the best.
Grain Free
We talked at length about why dogs should be on grain free diets, and how difficult it can be for dogs to digest the majority of grains. That’s why it’s so great that Wainwright’s are a completely grain free range, allowing dogs to be a lot more comfortable with their food.
Instead of bulking the dog food up with grains so that it’s more filling but difficult to digest, Wainwright’s is instead filled to the brim with a multitude of healthy and nutritious ingredients that your dog will love.
Price
Again, we won’t pretend that this is the cheapest option, or even the best value for money, as you do need to give your dog more out of packs that contain less.
However, if you can afford a premium dog food, this is a great option that will greatly improve your dog’s health, coat, and bowel movements.
If you want something with a higher quality, you need to expect to pay a lot more than you do for Wainwright’s. But if you want something cheaper, you’re very likely to get something with grains or packed with artificial ingredients.
Final Thoughts On Wainwright’s Trays Adult Grain Free
After looking through the ingredients and trying this brand with my dog, I was really happy with what I saw. My dog was full of energy and seemed a lot more engaged.
Aside from that, his poops were much easier to deal with – which is gross to think about but if you have a dog with a sensitive stomach, you know how important it is to make sure they are on the right diet.
At the end of the day, I think this food is a lot better than the kinds you find in supermarkets, and have been designed by vets and pet lovers, rather than cereal makers.
Your dog deserves the best, and Wainwrights is pretty close.
Parting Words
When all is said and done, Wainwright’s dog food is popular with pet owners for a very good reason. Whether you opt for the Wainwright’s grain-free dry or wet options, you’re going to be getting high quality pet food that your dog will love.
They are part of the movement to create healthier, meat-rich, and natural feed for dogs. The majority of online comments and reviews claim that this food is greatly enjoyed by their pets, and that dogs seem to adapt to the new brand without much difficulty.
Nowadays, we are so much more concerned with making sure that our furry friends are getting the most out of life, and one that you can ensure that they’re living their best lives is to ensure that their diet is natural and built with real meat.
The fact that the dry and wet foods are both grain-free gives us a certain peace of mind as dog owners because although not all grains are bad, it means that the troublesome ones are removed.
All you want to do is provide your dog with the food and nutrition they need to lead happy and comfortable lives.
Fortunately, with either option from Wainwright’s you can do that. Although, the choice of whether you opt for the dry food or wet food option, is entirely up to you and should be based on what your dog prefers.
