I’ve said it before, and I’m positive I’ll say it again: I am obsessed with my dogs’ food.
When you start researching, really digging into commercial dog food, the situation is both overwhelming and disgusting. For a variety of reasons, I’m not willing to put my dogs on a raw diet, so I work really hard to piece together the most appropriate, healthy meals that I can – which, of course, means that commercial dog food plays a large role for us.
Recently, Proportions reached out and offered to let Emmett and Lucas taste-test their food. After thoroughly reviewing their website and ingredients listing, I thought it was worth a try!
Here’s how the food works:
You receive your dog’s customized food in the mail, and you mix together three parts (kibble, stew, and freeze-dried veggies). I tried the photograph the whole experience Pioneer Woman style, but Lucas was drooling so much after I opened the bag of stew, I skipped a few steps!
The custom packages. (Emmett's bowl is the slow-down feeder.)
Mix the packets to create the stew. Lucas actually started whining, he was so excited.
The boys gobbled it up!
Then Lucas checked to make sure there weren't any crumbs left over.
Emmett and Lucas loved Proportions. They licked their bowls clean in no time at all. The food is pretty healthy with a lot of high-quality ingredients, and their website is fantastic. Definitely click over to check out all the resources they have – not only about dog food, but about dog breeds, too. The only drawback is the cost – at about $1.50 per meal, it’s a pricier dog food, especially if you have multiple dogs. However, the nutrition is great, and from what I could tell from their reactions, the flavor is, too!
Just curious if you checked the quality of the food using the K9cuisine dog food rating tool?
Hello!
Thank you for your inquiry about Proportions meals. We have taken your suggestion and posted the information needed to get a dog food rating using the tool on k9cuisine.com. We have posted the instructions on out Facebook page.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Proportions-custom-canine-nutrition
The meals have 3 components, human-grade Hand Carved Chicken in Pumpkin Stew, Crunchy Blend kibble, and the Harvest Mix of fruits and veggies. You should take all three meal components into consideration when answering the questions as it can vary a bit depending on which kibble option you choose with your dog’s meals. Because your post intrigued us we tested out the dog food rating tool using our LiveSmart Lamb and Brown Rice-Adult Formula as the kibble and answered the 33 questions. Our rating came out as an A+! We hope this information is helpful.
Regards,
Proportions Customer Care
Nice, thats really interesting.
One look at my 12-year-old dog’s amazing coat (and teeth) and I am confident there is no way I could ever feed anything other than raw again. I also like that it costs me less than kibble. (and it’s easier for me than kibble with all the supplements for the old man)
The Proportions stuff looks like great marketing, but I’m not a big fan of all the veggies (dogs cannot extract nutrients from whole plant foods very well, the only way the veggies do much good is if they’re pulverized). I also saw that one of the kibble formulas had beet pulp, big No-No. I’m a little concerned about the excessive packaging for this stuff, too. I wonder if they can find a way to make less trash with their program.
I agree that the packaging is a big issue. Luckily the pieces were all recyclable – at least where I live – but over time it would generate a lot of trash.
Rod, I had noticed that it wasn’t in K9Cuisine’s tool, but from their comment, it looks like they’re on top of it!
Thank you everyone for your interest in Proportions!
At Proportions we believe a balanced diet consists of:
Proteins – Named animal proteins with a high percentage of essential amino acids are preferred over plant sources to provide the building blocks for strong muscles. In most cases animal proteins are more digestible and produce less waste than comparable amounts of plant sources.
Fats – Specific animal fats provide aerobic energy for endurance and cellular support. Essential Omega 3 fatty acids are highly desirable because of their anti-inflammatory properties.
Carbohydrates – While dogs do not require carbohydrates in their diets, they do play a role as a source of anaerobic (quick) energy, facilitate digestion of some nutrients and provide a feeling of fullness. We believe that some – but definitely not all – of the day’s calories should come from carbohydrates.
Fiber – The ideal source of dietary fiber should be from complex carbohydrates and should range from 8% to 25% of daily intake depending on the activity level of the dog.
Fruits and Vegetables – An essential part of a dog’s diet, these provide a wide variety of compounds not found in fats or proteins. They should be cooked, dehydrated or raw as appropriate to maximize the bio-availability of their nutrients.
Vitamins/Minerals – Necessary to ensure a complete and balanced diet, and to supplement each dog’s inherent defenses against disease, infection and other threats.
Other Ingredients – Enzymes, probiotics and prebiotics, phytochemicals, antioxidants and related substances have many beneficial properties and should play a role in canine nutrition.
K9Cuisine’s dog food review tool also agrees that fruits and vegetables play an important role in a dog’s diet. Here is what they say in regard to their place in a balanced meal.
“Fruits: Higher quality foods are adding fruits to maximize nutrients not found in other complex carbohydrate ingredients. This is another distinguishing characteristic of super premium pet foods.
Vegetables: Vegetables are a great source of complex carbohydrates and are being added to higher quality super premium foods to improve specific nutritional values.”
We are happy you brought up the topic of beet pulp. Beet pulp is often a misunderstood ingredient. Beet pulp is the material that remains after sugar is extracted from sugar beets – not red beets. Beet pulp is a source of fiber in dog and cat diets. It is a moderately fermentable fiber, and provides bulk for normal feces and provides energy for cells lining the intestine. It also enhances intestinal health and is broken down by intestinal bacteria to provide short-chain fatty acids, an energy source for intestinal cells. By definition, beet pulp is that material that remains after the sugar is removed from sugar beets. Therefore, beet pulp contains no sugar.
We do realize there are many different schools of thought in regards to canine nutrition. We believe in a meal that consists of high quality human-grade protein, a reduced portion of premium kibble and fruits and vegetables for their nutrients and antioxidant properties. In short, we believe a dog’s meal should consist of whole foods.
In regards to the packaging, Proportions meals are packaged for freshness, portion control, and convenience. We are always looking for ways to be more green and encourage any constructive feedback. Many of the meal components are recycleable in most communities.
We really appreciate your interest in Proportions. Please do not hesitate to call our Customer Care Team at 1-800-860-4956 or email us at CustomerCare@Proportions.com with any other questions.
Regards,
Proportions Customer Care
Wow – Thanks for the comprehensive response to everyone’s questions!
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Is the price lower per meal for smaller dogs? (about 11 pounds dog) or is it the same across the board? Currently I feed Grandma Lucy’s Artisan which is also a stellar food {freeze dried, no funny buisness… just chicken, potatoes, carrots, celery, blueberries, apples)- it costs me about 59.00 a bag which lasts 3 months with 2 meals a day. He’s a mini doxi so he doesn’t need too much. Just curious.
Hi, Rachel! You know, I don’t know for sure but I would assume for your little one it would be much cheaper than for my big boys! They say the average price is $1.50 per meal. The Proportions website has a ton of info but not much on pricing, unfortunately… You have to call or fill out the online form to figure out what your custom food would be and the cost. Hope that helps!