Rufus' raw feeding journey with Wilsons

Our aim for the month of August is to educate our current and new customers about the benefits of raw feeding, as well as debunking the myths about raw food. Our ambassador Rufus' owner Kim, @rooandkimtoo, has given us an amazing insight into transitioning Rufus onto Wilsons raw frozen and finding the right food that works for them both.

When you get a puppy for the first time, one of the most confusing things I found was what food I should start Rufus on?! Read Claire's blog about raw feeding for puppies.

Naturally, I went on the advice from the breeder and the food that he started him on just to try and keep it consistent. You have to start somewhere, right?

But as I quickly came to realise, choosing the right food for Rufus was very much a trail and error scenario. I tried feeding him kibble which he became very fussy as to which he would eat. I think tried him on a cold pressed brand which he seemed to get on with at first but again, seemed to become bored of it and wouldn’t eat it. 

I then started him on wet food to give more of a variety, but I soon realised that he had a very sensitive tummy, his stools were not consistent and often very runny. I realised he needed to be put on a diet that didn’t cause a reaction. After trialing these foods for quite sometime, I couldn’t seem to find one that he reacted well to and it can really get you down. Especially as Rufus is so food driven, so to see him uninterested in food was a real struggle.

After doing some research on a raw food diet, I was really keen to see how he would get on with this type of food. The key benefits for me were the all natural ingredients. Keeping the food itself simple and including the best quality seemed the best way forward. My only concern in the beginning was the freezer space and knowing what to do when we went away and didn’t have access to a fridge. 

I decided to trail Rufus on Wilsons Premium range first just to see if he would even get on with it. I could work out the logistics later if it was something that worked for him.

I can honestly say that I haven’t looked back since. It was a really smooth transition from wet to raw. I actually did a straight switch which he reacted extremely well too. He now enjoys his meal times and gets just as excited at breakfast and dinner. His stools are consistent for the most part (the only time they aren’t is when I have given him a long lasting chew that he hadn’t agreed with or he’s eaten something he shouldn’t) and I always get complimented on how shiny his coat is which I put down to the food.

As a dog owner, you only went the best for your pooch and I can honestly say Wilsons range is truly the best for us! 

In terms of freezer space; on average I place around 2 orders a month and I haven’t found this to be an issue.

I also get the cold pressed range for when we are going away and it’s a god send because you can even mix it with hot water and let it soak to make into wet food if your dog likes that consistency and you’re not missing out on any of the benefits you get from the raw food itself. 

As I previously mentioned, with Rufus being so food driven, the cold pressed actually works a treat as a high value reward when we are out on walks which also saves me money on buying those extra treats and I know he’s still getting all the goodness that won’t play havoc with his tummy. Shop our cold pressed dog food that can be used for treats!

I couldn’t recommend Wilsons enough. They team are amazing and so helpful too and have been a real help with making sure I have the best experience with them. They go above and beyond for their customers and the passion really does shine through! That also played a massive part in helping me to select the brand I wanted to invest in. 

There really are lots of mixed opinions about raw feeding, but after my experience, you have to chose the one that works for both you and your dog, and for me, it’s Wilsons range of puppy food all the way!