Square Pet – This is one of my favorite food brands!
I would imagine you might be surprised to see that I have chosen to write about a company that makes kibble and canned food. I am not, in general, a fan of processed food. The reality is that processed foods are popular and not going away so I might as well share why I think this brand is better than the rest.
Not all of us have the time or resources to cook for our pets or feed raw diets. This company offers diets that are simply formulated and minimally processed. The company is owned and operated by a veterinarian so they also offer some formulas for medical issues such as kidney disease. Their diets have never contained legumes and they use my favorite fiber source, miscanthus grass!
Dry dog foods that contain high levels of legumes pose a risk for heart disease in dogs. I have seen several cases of this problem first hand. I have eliminated all legumes from my dogs diets and all foods I sell at the clinic. I also love miscanthus grass as a fiber source in dog and cat food. This is too long of a subject matter to include today but insoluble fiber is extremely important for gut health and miscanthus grass is the best fiber source in dog food. When I first opened my “holistic” clinic I tried to recommend and offer only the highest quality minimally processed foods available. I only offered freeze dried diets, frozen raw diets, frozen lightly cooked and dehydrated diets. For clients with the time and willingness I also provided and still provide recipes to make the food themselves. As time progressed I realized that for myself and many of my clients home cooking or feeding expensive raw diets is just not alway achievable. So I went “on the hunt” for a high quality processed food that we could all feel good about feeding and one that we can all afford, I found it.
Why It’s Better
Square Pet is made by a company founded and run by a veterinarian.
Dr. Atkins understands the hurdles the average person faces when wanting to feed their pet a high quality, minimally processed diet. Dr. Atkins spent a couple of hours with me via a zoom meeting back in 2021. He was very forthcoming and sincere about the formulations and processing of his foods. I originally sought out his company because it is the only company making a diet based on eggs, the most perfect protein source! I wondered for years why no one in the pet food industry focused on eggs as a protein source? I eventually assumed they were too expensive, but then, I discovered Square Pet.
I analyzed the ingredients and the company’s ethos and decided to reach out. After our meeting I realized I was in love with all his formulations. I have been carrying his food in my clinic ever since then and have not been disappointed. One of the foremost reasons I like this food is that it is cooked at a very low temperature. Most kibble producing companies use conventional extruding systems and set the temperatures for cooking at about 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Square Pet makes an exceptionally small kibble which allows him to set his cooking temperatures much lower at 210 degrees Fahrenheit. Just as a comparison, average dehydrated foods are dehydrated at about 160 degrees. So this “kibble” is cooked at temperatures just above dehydrating and akin to
cooking in your kitchen. This means the high quality ingredients you see on the label are still what is in the bowl due to very minimal processing. The small kibble size also means it is much easier for your dog to digest and absorb the nutrients.
Where to Buy Square Pet
If you want to try Square Pet for your own pet we carry most of the formulas at the clinic! Otherwise, you will find the full line of his foods at Chewy.com.
Dr Hunter’s favorite formula and best seller is Ideal Digestion for all
those dogs with “intermittent diarrhea” or “sensitive stomachs.”
