HAVING to cook her own dog food has led Kinross resident Stef Worrall to cater for other pet owners.
“When we got our dog Whiskey she wouldn’t really eat anything,” Ms Worrall said.
“She was very small so didn’t leave with the rest of the litter at eight weeks but even at 12-13 weeks when she left, she was still tiny.
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READ NOW“She wouldn’t eat the recommended kibble she’d been on and her only interest in food was the food I was cooking for us.
“I was happy to feed her fresh food but wanted her to have a balanced diet, which is actually quite labour intensive to make, and since I was looking for employment that fitted in better with family life than what I was doing at the time, Wholefood Hounds came about.”
Ms Worrall said she started planning, studying and researching and was taking orders by late 2014.
“The business was very slow starting out but in the last couple of years it has been steadily gaining regular food customers,” she said.
“Then, as people were asking for birthday/gotcha (adoption) cakes, something I didn’t even know existed, I started making these too and have now made almost 200.”
Wholefood Hounds produces home cooked, nutritious dog food for local delivery or collection.
It is made to order so it is fresh and tailor-made to pets’ needs such as allergies, food sensitivities and other dietary requirements such as grain-free and single-protein.
“The benefits of a fresh food diet, whether raw or cooked, are that you know exactly what you are feeding your pet and the quality of the ingredients,” Ms Worrall said.
“Feeding a diet made up of a variety of fresh, wholefood ingredients also gives animals the same health benefits such as reduced cancer risk, antioxidants, healthy immune and digestive systems that humans would get and may also help reduce allergies and intolerances in pets with less chemicals and a wider variety of foods.
“It also makes mealtimes much more interesting and enjoyable.”
She said some of her more popular products included roast chicken and salmon meals, with the Cheesy Liver Dogscotti the best selling treat.
Ms Worrall offers collection from Kinross, Subiaco and Scarborough and delivers in the Joondalup and Wanneroo areas.