TV vet Joe Inglis said he is aiming to boost the health of the nation’s canines with the launch of his own homemade dog food platform.
VetChef helps owners feed their pets a diet of all-fresh, natural produce through a bespoke recipe plan tailored to each individual animal’s needs.
Well-known for his appearances on The One Show and This Morning, he became an enthusiastic supporter of the fresh-feeding movement, which believes home-prepared foods are best for pets, after devoting 15 years to helping build pet food brands tails.com and Vet’s Kitchen.
He explained: “Having been involved in the commercial pet food world for many years, I know exactly what goes into manufactured pet foods.
“We must be able to do better than feeding our pet companions a diet of ultra-processed kibbles or wet food. After all, how many of us would be happy with a diet like that ourselves?”
VetChef’s AI-powered web platform uses Dr Inglis’s expertise in nutrition to help solve these problems by creating bespoke menu plans.
By entering a few details about their pet dog, owners receive three unique recipes for free, that are designed to be easy and quick to cook at home as well as being completely balanced.
Dr Inglis said: “Pet owners tell me they want to feed more home-made meals but feel they don’t have the necessary nutritional knowledge to do so safely.
“My goal is to help owners to start moving away from feeding ultra-processed foods every day and add more fresh, homemade meals into their dog’s diet as I believe the fresher food our pets eat the better their long-term health and wellbeing.”
To feed a typical 30kg dog with home-prepared meals using high quality fresh ingredients costs around £2 a day, Dr Inglis said.
“Compare this to £4 a day for frozen meals or around £2 a day to feed good quality ultra-processed dry food,” he added.