Whether you’ve reduced animal products in your life because of their environmental impact or for animal welfare reasons, it can feel contradictory to then feed meat to your dog. This was the dilemma faced by vet Lucy McKinna, who set about creating a sustainable vegan dog food to prove you can feed your pet in line with your ethics and still feel confident they’re getting everything they need to stay fit and healthy. Say ‘hello’ to a new breed of vegan dog food… Noochy Poochy . Noochy Poochy takes its name from its use of nutritional yeast, known as ‘nooch’, which, blended with other plant-based ingredients, gives it an irresistibly delicious cheesy flavour and aroma, without any need for dairy cheese. It’s more than just Noochy Poochy’s name and fantastic taste that makes it stand out from the pack however. Formulated by Lucy, a vegan vet, and John Murray, an animal nutritionist; the pair were determined Noochy Poochy would not appear on shop shelves until it was both a nutritionally complete food and surpassed requirements to make it the most comprehensive and delicious plant-based dog food on the market. The result is a vegan dog food containing select organic ingredients, a 28% protein content (higher than even most meat based dog foods), an impressive omega fatty acid 6:3 ratio of 4 to 1, and amino acids L-carnitine, DL- methionine and taurine. John and Lucy left no stone unturned to ensure Noochy Poochy met their demanding criteria and are now delighted to have produced a food of the very highest vegan standards… “One of the biggest dilemmas we faced when creating a plant-based formula was around vitamin D 3 , which is needed to ensure a ‘complete’ dog food. D 3 is usually obtained from sheep’s wool, but we found a cutting edge producer making it from algae. We wanted to test the vitamin fully, to ensure it remained stable in our formula, and we’re delighted to say the results came back positive and we can now state with confidence that we’re one of the only fully vegan dog foods on the market.” You don’t have to just take Lucy’s word for how good Noochy Poochy is, as it’s already achieved accreditation from The Vegan Society, PETA and The Ethical Company Organisation, amongst others. The brand’s ethics don’t stop at the food itself, with the packaging being fully recyclable and Noochy Poochy also available in a number of zero waste stores. Of course the real test is in the taste, which is clear from ‘client’ testimonials also hits the mark… Our hungry dog Bear loves Noochy Poochy. We tried to slowly introduce it into his diet but he went straight for it and never turned back… and it definitely feels good giving him a plant-based food! Ultimately Lucy hopes Noochy Poochy will provide a new generation of dog food to a new generation of vegan pet owners… “As more and more people choose a vegan lifestyle, so the demand for plant-based foods for pets grows. Noochy Poochy provides ethics driven nutritional excellence and we’re proud to hold such high standards, whilst providing a food that is tasty and delivers everything your dog needs to stay fit and healthy.” For more information, or to buy, click here.