What does Human-Edible, Restaurant-Grade mean?
When we say WildChow is human-edible and restaurant-grade, we mean that our food is made with human-grade ingredients. The organic chicken in our food is the same chicken you'd buy at the grocery store for yourself-- and the same goes for all our meal recipes and treats. You could eat it with a fork, but you probably shouldn't (your pet would definitely give you the most brutal of death stares), but it is the same quality as the food you'd feed yourself, or better.
What is species-appropriate?
Simply put, dogs and cats are carnivores, and a species or biologically appropriate diet comes from the concept of ancestral nutrition. The ancestors of cats and dogs thrived off raw meat in the wild and it provided all the moisture and nutrients they needed to thrive. Feeding pets what they naturally crave - fresh, raw, unprocessed foods - mirrors what wild dogs and cats consume in nature (typically 90-98% raw muscle meat, raw meaty bones, organs/offal).
Since raw food does not undergo any heat treatment that comes with baking or cooking, the food remains in its natural state and retains the greatest nutritional value for your pet.
Where do your ingredients come from?
At WildChow, we source from the best to create the best food we could possibly put in their bellies. We use a high % of free range and organic meats. All our chicken is organic (so free range plus more!) All our beef, lamb and turkey are free range, all the poultry & offal are either free range or organic too. Our meats are mostly sourced regionally (Singapore & Malaysia), or New Zealand, Australia and Europe. Find out more here.
Why are our recipes based on NRC standards?
Our meals are formulated based on the nutrient requirements established by the National Research Council. These formulations do away with ratios and percentages of body weight entirely. Instead, it is a more precise method of feeding that achieves nutritional balance based on your pet’s specific needs by utilising the nutrient requirements established by science-backed research and recommendations. All recipes are formulated to meet NRC standards, each ingredient in the formulation is calculated to determine the exact nutrients your pet requires daily for optimal health, eliminating any guesstimation that often comes with home-made diets.
Dog and cat requirements are based on MW, or metabolic weight. MW is based on your pet’s current weight. This means that no matter how many calories you are feeding, your pet’s requirements will be the same.
Many commercial foods, including those formulated to meet AAFCO guidelines, are formulated by ME, metabolizable energy. This means that the food contains a certain amount of nutrients per calorie of food. These foods come with a recommended feeding chart that labels how much food different weights of pets should get, in order to receive the minimum level of nutrients (minerals, vitamins, amino acids). This works really well for commercial diets that are catering to a very wide audience, and very specific feeding guidelines cannot be given.
This means that for your dog to obtain the correct level of nutrients, you have to feed the recommended amount of food. Unfortunately, for many dogs and cats, this ends up overfeeding calories, leading to weight gain. This is why our recipes calculate your pet’s nutrient requirements based on weight. We believe this leads to a better formulated diet.
All WildChow recipes are formulated to meet NRC standards and are calculated above your pet’s recommended allowance while considering safe upper limits, which accounts for vitamin and mineral interactions, anti-nutrients present in some foods, and any bioavailability concerns.
It’s important to note that, despite the popularity, most PMR / BARF / single protein diets are not able to mimic wild prey completely and cannot fill common nutritional gaps = they do not guarantee nutritional adequacy and are not nutritionally optimal. 80/10/10 is based on the weights of food. Food is measured by energy, not just weight. Both companion animal foods and human foods use calories to measure the amount of food intake. The average 80/10/10 alone generally falls below the daily recommended allowance.
This is why WildChow always emphasize on the importance of a balanced diet. Indeed, certain ingredients can be balanced over time. A puppy matures to an adult much quicker than a human infant to an adult - that's a much shorter time frame to get the nutritional needs met. Puppies require balanced food daily.
Raw diets are wonderful for growing animals. However, growth is a time of very sensitive nutritional needs. Ratio diets alone should NOT be used. Nutritional standards should be used because of the complex nature.
Therefore, WildChow NRC balanced recipes are created to include a variety of animal ingredients to complete NRC guidelines so that your pet will most importantly benefit from the vast benefits of proteins from varying animals. If your pet has allergies/sensitivities, please always check the full ingredient list to ensure suitability. Pets with sensitivities may opt for our PMR meals.
Where is your food made?
All of WildChow's recipes and treats are handmade fresh and packed in our AVS licensed facility in Singapore. Our AVS License No. FE2300008.
Why are there vegetables in your food?
We add veggies to mimic what dogs and cats would naturally be eating if they were in the wild. When they hunt and kill their prey, they get some veggies in their diet by consuming the contents of the herbivore's intestine. So instead of adding some pre-digested plant matter to our food, we just add in a few veg to deliver important vitamins and minerals that would otherwise be added via supplements.
Fiber also helps dogs with straining issues. We find that many raw fed dogs have issues with elimination. Most will blame bones or lack of. This is simply not always true. While too much bone will result in hard, white feces that is difficult to pass, lack of fiber can result in the dog straining. Many will assume their dog is constipated, but in fact, there is a lack of bulk to the feces and decrease in digestion health. Dogs that switch from kibble to raw diets with no fiber often experience straining during elimination. Modifying bone will result in a change in the mineral profile, driving values too high or too low.
All our NRC complete and balanced recipes are formulated with severe fussy eaters in mind (we use our own notoriously fussy vegetable hater pup as a benchmark).
✕ No strong smelling vegetables (i.e. broccoli) that might turn off your picky one
✕ Never exceeds 20% of meals so it meets nutrient requirements, but never used to make up for weight in foods to increase price margins (you'd be surprised how many brands do that, just look at the colour of their meals for a start!)
Fruits & vegetables are great fibre and mineral sources for dogs, but they really don't need too much of them either. It's recommended to provide no more than 10-15% vegetables in BARF diets. Certain darker veg tend to have higher levels of naturally-occurring oxalic acids that can form bladder stones and affect mineral absorption, especially calcium – we limit dark leafy green veg in our meals and make sure nutrients are provided by animal sources.
Our big rule is always fresh and variety, rather than a dozen of supplements for people and for pets!
Will raw feeding fix my pet’s skin issues?
Raw feeding can sometimes exaggerate skin issues if the diet is not formulated correctly or if the skin issues are a result from a food intolerance. Also, a well-formulated cooked diet can also be an excellent choice when addressing skin issues.
Does your food contain taurine?
Yes! We know that taurine is critical for all diets (especially feline's!) since it helps with everything from vision and digestion to heart muscle function and reproduction. That's why each WildChow recipe contains enough taurine to exceed NRC standards and wherever possible, we choose ingredients like chicken hearts that naturally contain high amounts of taurine.
Doesn't cooked foods kill the nutrients?
While most healthy, adult dogs do exceptionally well on raw diets, there are circumstances where a cooked diet is needed. Old age, a compromised immune system, certain health conditions, owner aversion, and general canine pickiness are all common reasons why a cooked diet might be a better fit for you and your dog! Despite common belief, cooking doesn’t “destroy the nutrients” in meat and organs. You can easily compare and use cooked values using USDA database. If cooking destroys every last nutrient, we wouldn’t be typing this. In fact, cooking some foods improves the digestibility.
By using the “low and slow” cooking method and retaining the liquid leftover from the cooking process, the vast majority of the nutrients remain well preserved. *In cases of entirely cooked diets, we've supplemented raw meaty bones with calcium carbonate or finely ground eggshells.
Can young kittens/puppies take your recipes?
As long as your kitten/puppy has properly weaned off it's mum, you can generally transition straight to a 100% WildChow diet.
If your pup was weaned onto processed food (canned food, dry food or kibbles) then we recommend to transition more slowly.
A new food diet is very different to a processed diet and any sudden change of diet can create stomach upsets and gradually transitioning helps to minimise this.
How much do I feed my pet?
Find out more on this link!
How long does your food last in the freezer or fridge?
All our raw and cooked food are freshly prepared and is safe to use for up to 1. year when kept frozen for optimum freshness. If portioning, we recommend to partially thaw food, divide in daily portions and refreeze or refrigerate leftovers. Food stored in the chiller can be used within 48 hrs. Discard any thawed product that no longer looks or smell fresh. We recommend to reorder instead of bulk purchasing so your fur baes can always enjoy freshness at its best!
What to try if your pet doesn't like the treats in dehydrated form?
We suggest to rehydrate the treat/chew to entice your pet with the stronger aroma. In addition, you can also try breaking the treats into smaller pieces and/or sprinkle it on their meals.
What are the best storage practices for treats?
Most of our treats and chews will do great in a sealed container in the fridge because of the humidity in Singapore. As our products are unprocessed and made with all-natural ingredients without any preservatives, we strongly encourage to store unconsumed treats in the fridge for longest shelf life once opened.
For oilier proteins such as tuna, pork, beef, etc., we'd recommend to store them in the freezer when you receive them. Once they have been stored in the fridge/freezer, make sure to look out for condensation if you decide to leave it out again. Storing them in the fridge/freezer actually adds a bit of moisture back into the treats and chews, increasing the chance of mold growing.
Storing treats and chews in mason jars and/or reusable silicone storage bags is highly encouraged. This way, you are prolonging the shelf life of the treats/chews and also reducing the use of single-use plastic bags.
Discard any moldy treats/chews immediately and do not give them to your pet.
What are the accepted modes of payment?
We accept payment via PayNow, Credit Card and Paypal.
PayNow: UEN 202240099C
Kindly provide a screenshot of your payment details for easy verification. We reserve the right to not proceed with your order without a valid receipt.
More questions? We're always available on Whatsapp, Instagram DM or email at hello@wildchowpet.com if you have any questions and we'd be more than happy to share!