This year we have been talking a lot about Kylo’s diet. Not knowing how old she actually is and worrying she might be quite a bit older than we think because of her increasing amount of white hairs, age was quite the concern for us and whether or not she is getting the right nutrients. Unable to originally find out her date of birth, we are going by her Microchip date and that would mean that she is at least 6 this coming March, at least!
We also face the problem that Kylo has quite a sensitive tummy so changing foods can mean a few weeks of problematic poos and she over produces stomach acid so she has to have food in her stomach at set times throughout the day to ensure she doesn’t puke bile.
Anyway, not long after we had been discussing this, a sponsored post popped up on my Instagram for Tails.com. Which is weird because I never searched for any tailored food things on my phone, we just spoke about it within earshot of my phone. Further proof that phones are collection data by listening to our conversations, eek!
I had a look into them and they seemed legit and I really liked the fact that the plans are all put together and tailored by vets and nutritionists. Plus, the introductory offer meant that I got 24 days of wet food, 2 weeks of dry food (although that ended up being more but I’ll talk about that later), and one week of dental dailies for a grand total of £11.20, how could I pass up on that?! And I was quite happy to see that there was an option for dogs with sensitive stomachs, so Kylo’s blend is for sensitive stomachs, active nutrition, calorie control and a small amount of senior nutrition. It also has ingredients in there to promote a healthy coat and healthy bones.
The senior thing is quite important too, unlike your standard supermarket brands, Tails.com won’t make you switch from “Adult” to “Senior” overnight. They adjust your dog’s blend gradually age they age and they cater to breed specific issues and health conditions, which is great for that extra peace of mind as a dog parent.
At the moment, aside from her sensitive stomach and epilepsy, Kylo is in fantastic health. She is her ideal body weight and she has great muscle composition but I like to keep on top of things as much as possible to stop my anxiety.
Lets have a look at the food now.
The food trays come in boxes of 8 and we seem to have 5 different flavours; Shepherd’s hotpot with lamb, vegetables & rosemary, Slow cooked stew with beef, rice & vegetables, Country Casserole with chicken, potato & green beans, Hearty casserole with beef, pasta & carrots, Fish stew with cod, rice & carrots. Although I have seen on the website that they have 15 different recipes and so maybe they will rotate those as we get our deliveries.
They come in sealed, foil containers that have 2 different sizes and what you get will be determined by your dogs portion size. Kylo has a 300g portion each night and those containers/portions work out at 85p per 300g portion.
The food looks, well, like dog food but there are actual chunks of veg and pasta and rice in there. It isn’t just all blended into a mush like most standard dog foods. They still stink as much as other dog foods though.
Their wet food is all slow cooked, balanced and nutritious recipes. They have a natural source of fatty acids for coat health, they are enriched with essential vitamins and minerals, free from artificial colours, flavours and preservatives and they have high quality protein for excellent body condition.
The dry food we got was based on 2 scoops of their measurement cup I-9 which we quickly realised was way too much food for Kylo in the morning so we adjusted it over a few days to just the right amount. This meant that the amount of food we ended up having was extended to more than the 24 days of wet food, so it was even more of a bargain.
Kylo is now on the portion of 2 scoops of H-7 which is about right for her. Their tailored dry food helps reduce plaque and tartar build up, provides a high nutrient content and have rigorous quality standards.
Kylo has had daily dental treats in her diet since we got her and we do our best to look after her teeth. She is very picky when it comes to these though and will sometimes refuse to eat them if she doesn’t like them. But we thought we would try these and see if she liked them. Unfortunately, she wasn’t fond of them but we kind of knew that might happen, so we have gone back to the Pedigree Dentastix that she loves.
But these Dental Dailies reduce plaque and tartar, have a star shape to give teeth a good scrub, have no artificial colours or flavours and have no added sugar, they are made with chicken and enriched with vitamins, so these might be a good fit for your pupper if they are picky/fussy.
With your first order, you will get a scoop that has measurements on it and you will have a sheet of paper which tells you which measurement you should use for your dog and how many scoops. As I mentioned, we got one scoop with our first order, but then we received a call to check how we were getting on with the food and to make sure that everything was correct. When I explained about the portion size being to big, the adviser adjusted our plan and on our next order we received an updated scoop with new measurements. The adviser also told me how I could change the portion sizes online if I needed to.
One thing I also like is that they send you an email to let you know when they are about to start preparing your next order and you can push this back a few days if you need to. We had to do this on our last order because we still had a fair amount of food left. It was easy to do and it pushed it back about 5 days meaning we received it right when we needed it.
On our second order, we received a free collapsible dog bowl that is great for when you are on walks, and a free poo bag holder that came with a roll of 60 poo bags, just hook these both onto the lead and you’re pretty much set. We also bought some extra poo bags too and these bags are massive and super strong, plus they are 100% biodegradable. But also, everybody loves freebies.
All in all, Kylo’s transition between foods has been as expected, if not a little bit longer, we had a few extra weeks of loose and extra smelly poops but we are now back to normal. We have noticed that her coat is looking a lot shinier and feels softer and she has definitely had a lot more energy since we started. One thing that we have also noticed is that her poops are much more frequent and we are now up to 3-4 poops a day. Don’t worry, we have checked and this is normal and healthy and they are all normal.
We have also had only 1 occasion of her vomiting bile since we started on this food, although this is not down to the food alone but with a structured routine of food and treats.
The service has been fantastic and their customer service is friendly and helpful. I can find no fault with them at all.
At the current meal plan Kylo is on with Tails.com, it currently costs us £44.66 a month, which is a little bit more than we were spending on dog food before but it’s worth it to see her so energetic and to know she is healthy. The price will differ for everyone based on the size of your dog, what your meal plan is and if you are buying any of their snacks and treats or poo bags.
If you fancy giving this a try for your pup, enter code CHRIS72C for 1 month for free (with £1 delivery). It doesn’t say it but I think this is just for 1 month of the tailored dry food, wet food would be extra on top but would still be a great price to try for the first month and see how you get on.
:)x
