A Dog's Dinner: Homemade Dog Food from Penny's Food Studio
We spend a lot of time thinking about what goes into the food we eat, but how often do we consider what goes into the food we feed our pets?
This was exactly the question that was troubling Penny’s Food Studio Founder Dan Christensen and his girlfriend Tao Zhu when they decided to start supplementing the diets of his now sadly departed boxer-mix, Penny (after whom the business is named), and Tao’s husky, Caesar, with increasing amounts of fresh produce, and eventually, homemade dog food. The results were dramatic.
A lifetime dog owner, Dan had become dissatisfied with the quality and price of the commercial dog food available on the market in China. Internet research and conversations with other concerned animal lovers revealed that information about the pet food industry is worryingly opaque, and that much commercial dog food is made with meat and other animal by-products deemed unfit for human consumption, as well as large amounts of processed grain. Animal dieticians recommend that dogs eat a diet of meat, raw bones, and fresh fruits and vegetables.
Dan is the first to admit that he is not a dietician, either animal or human, so he consulted with vets both in Beijing and in his native Canada to get the best possible nutritional advice, as well as working with Caesar to see which combinations of ingredients he responded well to. The food they were making proved so popular with friends and their dogs that they decided to start selling it, and thus Penny’s Food Studio was born.
Today, Penny’s Food Studio’s fresh dog food comes in three flavors: Niu Beach (RMB 26/220g, RMB 69/580g), a surf and turf mix of raw beef and fresh seafood; Ji Yang Yang (RMB 19/220g, RMB 48/580g), a mix of chicken and lamb; and Lucky Duck (RMB 16/220g, RMB 35/580g), a duck-rich blend. In addition to no less than 60 percent whole meat and organ meat, all three types also contain around 35 percent fresh fruits and vegetables, everything from sweet potatoes to dried cranberries. All the ingredients are sourced from local markets and food suppliers, often the same ones that supply some of our favorite restaurants, and are prepared in a restaurant- standard kitchen. They also sell raw beef and lamb bones (RMB 18/500g) and dehydrated snacks, such as beer-flavored chicken strips (RMB 28/75g).
They advise easing your own dog into the new food by stopping their old food for 18-24 hours to rest their stomach, and starting them off with one-third to one-half the recommended portion size. Every dog is different so you may need to experiment to find a formula they enjoy.
Contact pennysfoodstudio@gmail.com or visit their Weidian (search for Penny’s自制狗粮) to place your order. Delivery is available in Shuangjing-Dawanglu, Sanlitun-Chaoyang Park, and the CBD. Contact for specific areas.
More stories by this author here.
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Photos courtesy of Penny's Food Studio
