FAQs Dogs

FAQS Dogs

Dog FAQs

What’s different about Thrive pet food?
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At Thrive we believe that you and your pet are what you eat. So we’ve used our 30+ years of experience of making premium quality food for humans to create a revolutionary ‘real’ pet food with simple, easily recognisable ingredients. We insist on using human-grade cuts of meat or fish, no substitutes and absolutely no ‘animal derivatives’. Our food is completely pure and free from artificial colours, flavours and preservatives, added sugars, wheat, gluten, dairy, soya and GM ingredients (you could say it’s what we leave out that makes us different!).

We also use innovative manufacturing processes from the human food industry to create groundbreaking products like our freeze-dried treats which are natural, healthy and bursting with flavour. Open a tube of Thrive and you’ll see exactly what you are feeding your pet: pure goodness, no nonsense.

What you mean by ‘complete’ food?
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‘Complete’ is a phrase that guarantees our pet food has all the vitamins, minerals and nutrients required for a balanced diet, as per the European Pet Food Industry Federation (FEDIAF) recommended guidelines.

What does vet-approved mean?
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thrive products have been recommended and sold by more than 1,000 vets since 2003. We develop every recipe with our panel of specialist nutritional experts.

What’s special about the ingredients that you use?
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We use human-quality ingredients – not the dodgy bits! For example, our Kind & Gentle small dog breed treats are the same ingredients that go into salads, soups and sandwiches that you have probably eaten yourself.

Does your dog food contain wheat?
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Poor ingredients in some pet foods have caused many dogs to develop allergies to cereals and gluten. For these reasons, all Thrive dog food is free from cereals and grains. Where necessary, we’ll use small quantities of simple carbohydrates like potato, sweet potato or rice that are a bit easier to digest and hypoallergenic too.

What are the salt amounts in the range?
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We don’t add salt or sugars to any of our foods.

Why do you freeze-dry your treats?
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If you've ever tasted freeze-dried strawberries in breakfast cereals, you'll know how appetising they look and how impressive they taste. We’ve used this same technology to create a range of healthy freeze-dried treats for your pet.

Combining low temperature and low pressure for up to 24 hours, this extremely gentle drying method means the finished product changes very little in size or colour, although it will weigh considerably less. Natural flavours are enhanced and the nutritional content, including vitamins, is undamaged.

As dogs have taste buds that are much more sensitive than ours, you can understand why the flavour of Thrive treats really gets their attention!

What safeguards do we follow regarding animal welfare?
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We care about every single ingredient that goes into Thrive products, that’s why we have such short ingredient lists! As such, we insist on the highest welfare standards in respect of the care of all livestock.

Our products are either manufactured in compliance with current UK and EU animal welfare legislation, or where appropriate within the parameters of internationally recognised animal welfare organisations such as Red Tractor and Friend of the Sea. Our fish products are derived from sustainable sources. We have also been awarded ethical accreditation by the ‘Ethical Company Organization’.

What is our policy on animal testing?
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We do not believe in testing our products on caged animals and do not carry out invasive testing as our pet foods contain only pure ingredients.

All new Thrive foods are tasted by the human owners of Thrive first, and only then do we offer them to our pets and our friends’ pets to see if they like them. We can see no value to testing pet food products on animals that are not kept in a loving environment purely and simply as pets.

For your peace of mind, our pet foods are also tested by a number of independent outside labs and authorities to ensure they meet recommended nutritional guidelines.

How much should I feed my dog?
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Dog Feeding GuideIt is best to refer to our feeding guides for how much to feed your dog, however as a simple rule if you can feel their ribs BUT not see them, then they are about the right weight.

All living creatures are individuals and should your pet put on a little weight then cut back on the amount you are feeding them and increase their exercise levels. If your dog is losing weight for no apparent reason then always take them to the vet for a check-up.

All living creatures are individuals and should your pet put on a little weight then cut back on the amount you are feeding them and increase their exercise levels.  If your dog is losing weight for no apparent reason then always take them to the vet for a check-up.

How do I change my dog’s food? All in one go, or gradually?
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Dogs are very adaptable and are able to eat a hugely variable diet.

However, most dogs having been generally fed the same food every day, may with significant dietary changes cause your dog to have a few loose motions. 

Bearing this in mind it is sensible to gradually change your dog over to THRIVE foods over the course of a few days.

Should I add water?
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Having spoken to literally thousands of pet owners over the years regarding the best way to feed their pets all we can say is that opinions vary greatly.

There is no definitive guide, if you want to add water it will do no harm at all; but rest assured you can just feed your dog our complete products as they are, with no need to add anything else, but of course, as you know, always make fresh water available.

My pet needs a hypoallergenic diet. Is Thrive suitable?
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Allergic reactions are mainly in response to allergens like gluten, and specific proteins. Thrive food does not contain any wheat, dairy, soya or GM ingredients. Most of our food contains a single type of protein, but occasionally will contain protein from a similar species like salmon and tuna, or chicken and turkey. This way you can clearly see if our foods contain something that your pet is allergic to; we don’t hide our ingredients under terms like ‘meat or animal derivatives’. For this reason, Thrive foods are a popular choice for vets to use as exclusion diets when they are trying to determine what protein a pet is allergic to.

What is the Comfy Collar?
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Recommended by many vets, the Comfy Collar is a pet-friendly way to prevent your dog from biting, scratching and licking wounds, incisions or other injured areas. Unlike traditional lampshade collars, the Comfy Collar allows your pet to sleep and eat in a normal position, and enables them to see normally, making them feel more comfortable. Available in 5 sizes, it is fully washable and folds flat for storage when not in use.

Can I feed Thrive food to my puppies?
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thrive's Kind & Gentle treats are perfect for puppies. We will be expanding our range soon to include more puppy food.

When should I change from ‘puppy’ to ‘adult’?
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There is no hard and fast rule and we think it depends on the breed. Although small breeds live twice as long as very large breeds, the big boys actually take longer to reach their adult body weight. So check with your breeder and/or your vet for guidance.

Can I use your products to train my dog?
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Absolutely Yes!

This is where we started our business by making highly palatable, 100% natural treats for training. Vets then started using the products in the most stressful of all situations for a dog – the consulting room – and they worked brilliantly. So you can use our treats specifically for training.

Is your packaging recyclable?
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As the pioneers of pet treats packed in tubes, we focus on the components of our packaging being as close to 100% recyclable as is currently practicable, and where possible they are derived from recycled raw materials.

Where can I buy your Thrive products?
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Leading supermarkets, vets, pet stores, internet retailers and our website www.thrivepetfoods.com

I have another question; how can I get you to answer it?
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Chocking on food or treats.
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In the 20 years of thrive we have sold millions of packs and no creature has ever harmed itself on our products. Of course, las with kids, always be around when you feed them. As general scavengers dogs have learnt to eat anything and everything and to mostly get it down them and quickly. ….

What is the difference between Kind & Gentle & ProReward.
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Our Kind & Gentle dog treats are freeze dried. Our ProReward dog treats are Air Dried (chewy).

What is the difference between Kind & Gentle dog treats and the cat treats?
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Kind & Gentle dog treats are the same products as our thrive cat treats. Both freeze dried

Do you make a maxi tube of Kind & Gentle?
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We don’t make a maxi tube of Kind & Gentle BUT the cat treats maxi tubes are the same product and can be fed to dogs.

What’s in your dog foods?
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Our dogs are full of internal organs such as livers, kidneys & hearts. These parts are normally sent to landfill sites as we humans do not eat enough of them and pet brands do not use them as they are very expensive to process as they all need to be tested. We use them because they are the most nutritious parts of animals to feed to animals. Dogs in the wild will eat these parts first.

Just email us at info@thrivepetfoods.com and Paul, Anthony or one of our team will get back to you with an answer.