Disclosure: this blog post is part of a paid partnership with HUG Pet Food. We’ve trialled the food for several weeks prior to accepting to write this review to make sure we were happy to promote it. See end of the article for a 30% off code. Words & opinion are my own.
Dogs are le best and deserve le best, and we don’t like to compromise with His Royal Lowness’ welfare and food. One thing that baffles me is that the advice is for us humans to eat less processed food (because it is best for our health), yet when it comes to dog food some tell you quite the opposite.
Marcel has been fed raw food (the complete kind of meals that are prepared in advance and balanced) for nearly five years now and we couldn’t be happier with this. It’s very important to us that he gets the best food, however I’ve become increasingly aware of the facts that its provenance is not always clear, bone content (which some dogs including Marcel are not super tolerant to, so we need to control it) can be rather all over the place, and the packaging is often not that great for the environment.
Marcel would scoff down anything (hence the “food critic” tag) but has a rather sensitive tummy, so what “comes out” is a very good gauge of the quality of the food he eats.
Le Brand
I first heard about HUG Pet Food a few months ago, from a friend and fellow London dog owner Stephanie whose pup Tika (@tika_dalmatian on Instagram) has a sensitive tummy too. Stephanie said that she is very happy with the quality of the food and the subscription service, which is "the only reliable subscription they have" in their own words.
It’s a new type of complete meals for companion animals (dogs and cats) developed by veterinarians and nutritionists that is available online, via individual orders or as a monthly subscription (with a discount) so there is no panic about running out. The meals are delivered to your door, frozen, and the food can be served fresh or gently cooked (in the microwave or on the stove).
HUG Pet Food is prepared using human grade, ethically sourced British cuts of meat (minimum 79%), the finest seasonal ingredients and added minerals, organic herbs and super nutrients such as Antarctic Krill (known to be the most effective ingredient to deliver much needed omega-3 and choline, which are critical for brain and heart health, strong muscles and joints, and to help prevent liver disease). The bone-free* recipes (which include free range chicken, grass-fed beef, outdoor-reared pork and lamb) do not contain preservatives or added fillers such as grains and legumes.
The meals are fast frozen in individual servings to preserve goodness, flavour and nutrients, and can be simply thawed and served straight from the pack, briefly heated directly from the container, or cooked up at home – just like a ready meal, full of goodness for your fluffy companion animals. They are also safe to be stored alongside the humans’ food!
Another great draw for me is that the packaging is entirely recyclable (the film can be recycled with plastic bags at collection points and the lids and cardboard tubs - the latter being made of FSC paper - can go in the recycling bin). Even the box and ice packs they are delivered in can be recycled (down to the water in the ice packs which can be used to water plants).
Le Conclusion ?
HUG stands for “Honest Uncompromised Goodness” and it certainly is that! As you can see in the pictures Marcel, who always says that “life is too short - like his legs - to compromise” is captivated by the food and, having trialled the meals (lamb, beef and pork) for a few weeks now (served fresh in his case), I am pleased to report that he’s thriving on it and has had no digestive problems!
His humans have been thoroughly appreciating the quality and convenience of the meals, and his digestion agreeing with it, together with the convenience of the deliveries, storage and portioning, and the fact that we can finally recycle all of the packaging for his food!
Le Discount
If you fancy trying it for your dog (or cat as they also have cat recipes), we have a code to share with you: “LeCorgi” will give you a 30% discount off your first order via https://www.hugpetfood.co.uk/ .
I'd love to hear your thought if you use or try HUG with your companion dog or cat, in the comments here or via @lecorgi on social media!
*at the exception of the working dog range, not tested here, which contains bone and cannot be cooked.