Freebie Friday 22 August Win with Vondi's

Welcome to our next edition of #FreebieFriday!  Today we have up for grabs a fantastic hamper from Vondi's - The healthy natural alternative for your pets.

Every Friday we will be giving away a prize to a lucky winner.  We have some fantastic prizes up for grabs in the weeks to come.

Competition Entry Rules:

  1. Winner/s will be chosen from the comments in the comments section below (and not on Facebook).
  2. Competition Starts at 01h00 and ends at 23h30 every Friday.
  3. Competition launch date is also its closing date (the same day).  Late entries will not be accepted.
  4. One entry per household is allowed.
  5. Only people residing within the borders of South Africa are allowed to enter.
  6. People who reside outside the borders of South African may offer to donate their prize to a South African Animal Charity or Shelter listed here.
  7. Winners will be announced on this page in the comments section below, as well as on the PetHealthcare Facebook page within 24 hours.  Winners will also be contacted directly per email as they register their answer below the competition entry.
  8. Winners have *2 weeks from date of entry to claim their prize.  After this, should they not come forward to claim their prize/s, it will be awarded to the next person/s.
  9. Winner/s give PetHealthCare permission to post a photo of them or their pet/s enjoying their prize, on our Facebook page and in the monthly Newsletter.
  10. PetHealthCare and the Sponsor/s reserve the right to choose the winner/s, and no correspondence will be entered into.

 

The Sponsor for today is Vondi's - The Healthy Natural Alternative - Friday 22 August 2013

Prizes: 1 x Vondi's Hamper

Question: Which one of the products in the winning hamper will benefit your pet the most and why?

To enter please answer the above question, - in the comments section below - & remember to LIKE the competition post on our Facebook page.

 

Vondi’s Holisitic Pet Nutrition has offered our pets a healthy natural alternative for more than 14 years.  Vondi’s market a wholesome, complete food with no preservatives using only real meat (no grizzly by-products), raw vegetables (rather than large amounts of starches), olive oil and freshly picked herbs. The closest your dog will come to a home-cooked meal.

A special cooking method is used where grains are cooked separately from meat to prevent overcooking and to ensure optimal nutritional content.

The fresh frozen range comes in four flavours

  • chicken,
  • beef and tripe,
  • mutton and tripe, and
  • ostrich.

 

The special range which is marketed for dogs with sensitive skin and digestive systems comes in two flavours chicken and ostrich. Both of these products contains what is called “cooling herbs” (lemon verbena, lemon balm, borage, sage and mint.) It is important to note that even the ostrich flavour contains chicken and therefore not advised to feed it to a dog that is sensitive to chicken.

 

When we evaluated the ingredient list of the fresh frozen product (Beef and tripe specifically) we were impressed.  The main ingredients in this product are beef, brown rice, whole egg, pearled barley, split peas and chicken. All whole (no by-products or derivatives)  ingredients with a high bio-available protein content and with   low to moderate glycaemic indices. Dogs are after all natural carnivores. The list of other recommendable ingredients present in this food is impressive: carrots, celery, garlic, parsley, rosemary, lentils, spinach and several herbs.

Vondi’s exceeded our expectations and surpass most (if not all) wet canned foods available.

We especially liked the following:

  • They use real meat – not meat by-products which can be anything from organs to skin.
  • They mainly use complex carbohydrates and not refined flours.
  • Fresh vegetables and herbs.
  • Good sources of omega fatty acids (egg, olive oil).
  • Their ingredient list is transparent with all ingredients named specifically. Some pet foods only uses generic terms like “cereals” or “animal derivatives” which does not tell you anything about the source or quality.

And a few aspects we would like to see differently:

  • Less plant oils.

Most diets will contain enough Omega 6, but most diets will need added Omega 3’s, especially *EPA and *DHA and not *ALA. Fish oils are rich in EPA and DHA and plant oils contain mainly ALA.  ALA can be  converted to DHA and EPA but dogs are not that effective in doing so. We would have liked to see a fish based oil like salmon oil in higher quantities than olive oil and preferable no sunflower oil.  Fortunately Vondi’s does include whole egg – a good source of Omega 3’s.

  • A chicken FREE formula.

Chicken is one of the most common proteins used in dog foods due to its relative lower cost compared to other meat proteins. Many dogs are allergic to chicken protein. It would be advantageous if they can have a chicken free formula. If they can remove the chicken from the ostrich formula it will be an ideal food for dogs that is sensitive to chicken protein. They will also have to ensure the bone meal used in this formula is then also chicken free.

  • Another option in the range for overweight dogs with higher protein and less carbohydrates.

 

 

Good value for money:

To feed a 20 kg (feeding 750g/day) dog per day will cost you less than R600 a month at R18/day. You may argue that this is much more expensive than feeding a dry food of average quality where the cost can be as low as R4.50/day. But when comparing the ingredient list of the dry food to Vondi’s fresh frozen food you will see that you get what you pay for. The average dry dog food’s main ingredient will most likely be maize – a good source of energy but with modest nutritional value to dogs; there will most likely be meat by-products on the list and not meat fit for human consumption and it most likely will contain chemical anti-oxidants to ensure a long shelf live. To feed a 5 kg (feeding 200g/day) doggie Vondi’s,  will only set you back approximately R6/day – that is less than a packet of Jelly Babies

 

Natural remedies complete their product list:

Rooibos infusion for itchy skin (containing chamomile, grape seed oil and spirulina)- this is in a convenient oil form which can be added to food or given as is. With anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and digestive relaxant properties it may benefit dogs with sensitive skin and digestive systems.

 

 

 

 

Khakibos flea repellent spray. This is marketed as a repellent and not an insecticide –it wont kill fleas and ticks but may chase them away. In South Africa where tick fever and flea bite allergies are serious threats to our pets we would recommend to use this together with an insecticide which kills the fleas/ticks. According to the product info it can be sprayed directly on your dog and its linen – remember to first spray only a little amount on your dog to see if it is tolerated.

 

 

 

Together with celebrity chef Jenny Morris they also developed the “health biscuit” to treat dogs with specific conditions:“Rooibos & Mint” (sensitive skin) to “Rosehip & Devils Claw” (arthritic joints) to mention two.  Just a word of caution when using foods containing Devils Claw – it may interact with some pain relief tablets like Rimadyl – please check with your vet before giving Devils claw to a dog on pain medication.

 

 

 

Buchu anti bacterial soap – anti inflammatory and anti bacterial properties make this a gentle alternative for dogs with sensitive skin

 

 

 

 

Other natural remedies available from Vondi’s are Buchu Moisturising oil and immune boosting Spirulina sprinkles.  Vondi’s also offers dry biscuit treats in four different flavours - chicken, fish, vegetable and ostrich.

Vondi’s not only makes a good quality food but also gets involved with their community and the well-being of animals. It comes as no surprise that they were a finalist in the Nedbank/Capetalk Small Business Awards for their contribution to animal welfare and care.

A good food with a good heart!

PS.  It is recommended to brush your dog’s teeth a minimum of three times a week, but when eating a wet food – daily brushing is recommended.

*EPA DHA is an essential fatty acid which stands for docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid. This essential fatty acid is an Omega 3 fat, which is found in cold water fish. EPA DHA are highly unsaturated fat because of they contain 6 and 5 double bond s on their long structural chain. These polyunsaturated fats play a very important role with the function of our bodies.

 

        Which one of the products in the winning hamper will benefit your pet the most and why?

To enter please answer the above question, - in the comments section below - & remember to LIKE the competition post on our Facebook page.

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