The fun begins! I'm absolutely thrilled to have gotten the chance to try this pet food and have the opportunity to pass some along to you as well. Though I don't blog about pet products often, they are one of my favorite (and my doggies too of course) things to review!
Being such a unique product, I'd like to tell you a bit about the company before I get down to the actual review.
Petbrosia is a one of a kind, customizable pet food retailer. Not only do they customize food for your pet at its current stage, they also customize it for the months and years to come. In order for your food to be customized, you simply answer step by step questions about breed, age, weight, energy level, health concerns and a bit more. There is no need for you to go through all the guesswork as to which food is best for your pet, Petbrosia does the hard work for you! The food is also made with real meat as the first ingredient so there is no need to worry about continuously checking for fillers. All pet foods are delivered straight to your doorstep, saving you the hassle of running to the store when your pet food is down to the last pebble. Petbrosia will even keep track of serving sizes so that they can get you a new box at the perfect time if you choose so. Last but not least, Petbrosia.com is loaded with useful knowledge that will certainly come in handy. By reading through parts of the site, you will know exactly what you are feeding your dog. You will also find useful information on dog (or cat) training and nutritional needs based on breed.
First Impression:
To me, first impression is very important. When I came home to find my Petbrosia on my door step (literally), I have to admit that I was a little nervous not knowing what to expect. The pet food was shipped in a very sturdy box with a resealable bag holding the food on the inside. One thing that I always disliked about store bought food is that you can't close it up. I don't know how easily pet food goes bad, but having the resealable bag gives me an added piece of mind. The first thing I did was smell the dog food (everyone does that, right?!). To me, it smelled just like food that I used to feed my fish. However, I had a family member smell it and they thought is smelled just like fish. Makes sense seeing as I was given the salmon formula. The fact that someone was able to pick out the scent just like that without knowing anything about the food was pretty remarkable. That right there tells me I am feeding my pet the real thing. Not only that, it has to be fresh!
Then I noticed the pebble size. So tiny!! My girl has a tendency to scarf down food without chewing and later ends up throwing it right back up so I was excited to see if this would make a difference. To show the difference in size as opposed to a very popular retail brand, I have included a picture. After doing a bit more research on the site, I found a tid bit more on the intentional kibble design:
"Each one of the natural ingredients in our kibble is chosen for a reason. We never use unnecessary additives or fillers. Our purposefully created kibble is designed for optimal nutrient absorption, resulting in smaller, firmer stools. Our animal nutrition experts have designed our dog kibble especially for dogs that have difficulty eating denser kibbles. Our dog kibble is less dense and gentler on teeth, and we’ve found that many dogs enjoy eating our kibble over a longer period of time."
The Guinea Pig:
Meet my test subject, Chiquita! Chiquita (Cheeky), is a (nearly) 11 year old brindle boxer. She, as you may or may not be able to tell, is a little chunk. I can't help it that she looks at me with those sad puppy dog eyes when she knows that I'm lying about only having one treat! I admit it, she's far too spoiled and usually gets what she wants. Being a little on the chubby side, it was recommended through Petbrosia that she try the Salmon formula to help control weight. I was a bit skeptical seeing this as I have tried fish flavored treats on her before and she just wasn't a fan.
I took out a tiny handful and held it out to her. As expected, she gave it a little sniff and hesitated before taking a bite. Because it takes a while for dogs to adjust to new foods, I stopped there. To transition her to the new food, I slowly introduced it to her over ten days as suggested by Petbrosia:
Days 1-3: 75% Old Food / 25% Petbrosia
Day 4-6: 50% Old Food / 50% Petbrosia
Day 7-9: 25% Old Food / 75% Petbrosia
Day 10+: 100% Petbrosia
The transition was very easy and went well. By about the 5th or 6th day, I found her trying to push the old food aside and picking out the Petbrosia. Often times changing foods has caused lethargy and slight diarrhea. I have not yet noticed any issues with this. Cheeky appears to just love the food and if she is happy, I'm happy! At 2 cups per day (1 in the morning, 1 at night), she even seems more content. While yes, she still begs for more than 1 treat, she doesn't act as if she is lacking anything. I would love to completely switch to Petbrosia, but....
The Price:
If you've ever priced customized dog food in the store it is very expensive, and yes, Petbrosia is a bit higher than that. However, with those brands, you don't get nearly as much customization. You don't get delivery at your door step. You also don't get the same high quality.
If your pet is completely healthy with absolutely no concerns, you may be ahead to get a good food from a retail store. Though, again, the quality will be sub-par. Where this product really shines, is when you have pets that really need customized food for specific health conditions. Then, this product is more than worth the price! I will put a price chart below for your convenience.
3 Lbs: $14.94 + $4.95 Shipping
5 Lbs: $22.45 + $4.95 Shipping
10 Lbs: $34.90 + $4.95 Shipping
20 Lbs: $59.80 + $9.00 Shipping
As you can see from above, the more you buy, the more you save!
In Conclusion:
I think this is an absolutely brilliant idea. The convenience alone is worth a little higher price. While I just don't have the extra cash at this time, I could not afford to feed her 100% Petbrosia. I'll definitely consider mixing it in with other food (and hope that she will still eat the old food) to try and keep her weight a bit more under control. If she were to ever become more and more overweight or end up with additional health concerns, I would not hesitate to switch completely. Cheeky's (and all my pets) health is very important to me and I would do anything I needed to keep her in tip top shape.
Helful Links
The Giveaway:
The part you've all been waiting for! Petbrosia was extremely kind in offering you all the opportunity to try out a 3 lb. bag of customized food for your furry friend (cat or dog). The winner will be emailed a code (from Petbrosia) that can be used on the website to receive a completely customized bag of food for free. For those of you who enter but do not win, Petbrosia has not forgotten about you!
Enjoy $10 off your first order with promotional code: BRL10
a Rafflecopter giveaway
*Open to lower 48 states
*Winner must reply within 48 hours
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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using
Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
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