FAQs

Wheat is just one of a number of different cereals. The most common cereals include maize, barley, oats and wheat. Wheat free dog food means that it may contain other cereals, but does not contain any added wheat (or wheat gluten). Our Naturally 5 dog foods contain barley from our family farm. Barley has a low GI (glycaemic index) values which means it can help to stabilise blood sugar levels and as a result give that fuller for longer feeling. Importantly, barley does not contain any wheat gluten, which can often be the common cause of allergies in dogs. Our range of Wheat Free complete dog foods and dog treats are enjoyed by all dogs looking for delicious and nutritious foods – not just dogs requiring a specifically wheat free diet.

Grain free dog food means that the product contains no added grains (also known as cereals) – therefore it does not contain any cereals such as barley, wheat, maize, rice or oats. Our Gloriously Grain Free dog foods and our Naturally Complete dog foods use potato and/or sweet potato as a base, which is an easily digestible source of slow release energy and contains no gluten. It is perfect for dogs with sensitive tummies, dogs that have adverse reactions to cereals and a specific need to avoid grains, or simply if you would just prefer to feed your dog a grain free diet. Our range Naturally Complete grain free dog foods, our oven-baked Gloriously Grain Free dry completes, grain free dog treats and our Gloriously Grain Free wet complete range of dog foods are enjoyed by all dogs looking for naturally wholesome and delicious foods – not just those with a specific need for a grain free diet.

Gluten is a family of proteins found in grains. Gluten can be found in grains like wheat, barley, rye, spelt and products of these grains, for example, malt. Our Grain Free dog food – our grain free completes, treats, mixers and wet food – are therefore naturally free of gluten. We understand that the differences between wheat free, grain free and gluten free dog food can be a complex area – if you would like any advice or further information, our nutritionists are on hand to help. Simply call us on our freephone number 0800 0988057 and we would be happy to help!

While our entire range of wheat free and grain free complete dog foods are hypoallergenic and therefore suitable for dogs that have adverse reactions to these ingredients, it can also be fed as a nutritious and delicious diet for those dogs with no specific dietary complaints or requirements. All our recipes are created with the greatest of care – nothing unnecessary is added to the mixing bowl; just simple ingredients for delicious and wholesome nourishment. Our Naturally Complete dog foods, for example, are naturally free from grains and gluten but have been created primarily to give dogs a complete and balanced meal, made with high quality ingredients.  

At Laughing Dog food, our dog food recipes are single species, e.g. our Naturally 5 chicken dog food complete is just chicken meal and chicken oil; you wouldn’t therefore find any lamb or beef in the mixing bowl. We only use meals which are made of one species so we and our customers know exactly what is going into the mixing bowl. The meals we use are single species and are produced from animals, birds and fish that have been passed as fit for human consumption and meet our ethical sourcing guidelines. They include meat, ligaments, bone – only the tasty (and safe) parts a dog would naturally eat. Meals are a very important source of protein, calcium and phosphorous. We do not use any dry mixed meat meal which is meat and bones made from mixed species e.g. pork, beef, lamb, chicken. Either way – whether you use fresh meat and/or a meal, combined in the right quantities with other key essential ingredients, it will provide a complete and balanced meal. The dry meals we use are naturally preserved which we believe is best. It is a convenient and safe way for these materials to be used in pet foods and naturally in the wild dogs crunch bones and eat the innards as these are the tastiest parts. We believe that our recipes should reflect this. But it is true to say we are using parts of the animal we wouldn’t necessarily eat as humans – this is also really important for the planet – we know there’s only a limited amount of land that’s available for agriculture and finding sustainable protein sources is becoming more of a hot topic in the dog food industry.

This means that all of our meat sources e.g. chicken in our Naturally 5 chicken dog food is from that one species i.e. chicken. Therefore in our single species recipes you will never find that it has meat from one animal e.g. chicken, and an oil from another e.g. lamb. It would only ever be from the same protein source. That is why Laughing Dog food can be beneficial for dogs with specific adverse reactions as by introducing what is known as an ‘elimination diet’, you can isolate protein sources and can help to eliminate any foods which may cause a reaction in your dog. Our Naturally 5 range of completes can be even more beneficial to elimination diets as these special completes are only made with 5 simple ingredients.

When purchasing a complete dog food, not only is it convenient but you can be sure that your dog is getting all of the nutritional requirements it needs in terms of protein, fat, carbohydrate and fibre levels as well as essential vitamins and minerals (just like us when we eat; we need a balanced diet). Sometimes, unless you know you have all of the additional components, just feeding meat and biscuit mixer can lead to an unbalanced diet for your dog. On our mixer meals, you will find our nutritionists’ feed guidelines which provide advice for quantities of mixer to be fed with Laughing Dog’s wet food  (please keep in mind though that the feeding guidelines on the mixers are only approximate guidelines – requirements can vary according to the age, breed and size of your dog). Depending on what type of wet food you are feeding (e.g. if you are feeding your dog raw meat, tripe, cooked meat) your vet or veterinary approved nutritionist will be able to advise further as to the correct quantities of mixer for your dog’s diet. Our range of baked mixer meals provide the perfect accompaniment to our grain free wet complete dog foods or alternative types of wet food you choose to feed. We advise mixer with meat because it is a complementary food rather than a complete kibble.  This is to give additional texture to the food and also additional carbohydrate especially if a dog is active. Please be advised that we can only provide a guideline on how much wet food and mixer to feed when you are feeding Laughing Dog (wet and dry) recipes only. This is because we know what the exact composition of these recipes. Our mixers are a complementary pet food only.

Our Traditional Mixer Meal has been endorsed by the Canine Epilepsy Support Group and is the perfect addition to your dog’s mealtimes.

Here at Laughing Dog we recommend gradually moving your dog over from what you currently feed to one of our complete dog foods. Some dogs are more tolerant to change than others but as a guideline we would recommend that you start to mix in a small amount of Laughing Dog with your dog’s current food, then gradually increase it over the course of a week until you are feeding it 100% Laughing Dog.

At Laughing Dog we pride ourselves on ensuring that our packaging is of the very best quality to keep your four-legged friend’s food as fresh and tasty as the day it was made in the bakery. The packaging that contains our Naturally 5 dog food completes, our Naturally Complete dog food range, our  wet dog foods and our mixer meals bags are all 100% recyclable. Our Laughing Dog treat bags (our 125g dog treats) are made with 100% recyclable ready packaging.

Absolutely – all our dog treats, dog food and mixers are GM free.

Yes, all of our Naturally 5 dog food range bags are 100% recyclable.

Yes , our Naturally 5 dog food recipes have been formulated free from wheat, wheat gluten, soya and dairy. There are no added artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. Our limited ingredient dog food recipes have been carefully formulated to be hypoallergenic dog food recipes.

Our Laughing Dog wet dog food is suitable for all dogs aged 6 months and more.

Our grain free hotpot and casseroles are suitable for our four-legged friends that are aged 6 months and older. As with any complete dry or wet dog food we advise to wean your dog slowly from one food to another.

As with any complete dog food, it is not necessary to feed any additional source of food when using a complete food as it means that contained within the dog food are all of the nutritional requirements needed by your dog. However, should you wish to feed our Gloriously Grain Free wet complete  dog food alongside our dry complete dog food  to give some variation into your dog’s diet, we would always recommend reducing the recommended feeding guideline quantity of the dry complete and replacing it with a little wet food. You could either do this in the same meal as feeding the dry complete or you could feed a wet meal, for example, in the morning and then a dry meal in the evening. However, if you choose to do this, we would advise that you seek advice from a veterinary approved nutritionist to ensure you are feeding your dog a balanced meal. If you have any dietary concerns about your dog or are worried it may have an allergy or intolerance, please talk to your vet for further advice.

You don’t need to add water to our mixer meals (the crunchy biscuit has lots of benefits for your dog’s teeth due to the scouring action of the baked texture), but if your dog prefers this then go ahead! In fact, by mixing water into the biscuit you create a very tasty porridge – it’s a perfect start to any morning, and also ideal if your dog has no teeth. Our mixer meals for dogs are a complementary dog food only.

The meals used in our Naturally 5 dog food recipes are single species, ethically sourced and meet human grade standards. Meals are a very important source of protein, vitamins and minerals. No mixed meat meal is used, which is dry rendered form of meat and bones from mixed species of meat.

Absolutely! Unlike most dog food brands in the UK, Laughing Dog makes all of its dry dog food, treats and mixer meals right here on the family farm. We even use many of our own ingredients!

Many of our Laughing Dog food recipes use a delicious combination of both. Our new Naturally Complete dog food range is made from fresh chicken, salmon and lamb as well as chicken meal, salmon meal and lamb meal. We do not use any mixed meat meal  – meat meal is mixed meats e.g. pork, beef, lamb, chicken – and this dry ‘mixed’ combination is not used in our recipes. Instead we use single species meals e.g. in our Naturally Complete Chicken dog food, we use fresh chicken and chicken meal. The only animal protein you will find in this recipe is from our tasty free-run chickens! All meals that we use are produced from animals, birds and fish that have been passed as fit for human consumption and meet our ethical sourcing guidelines.

The only salt you will find in our Laughing Dog food is what is naturally contained within our raw ingredients. We do not add any salt to our recipes. Our dog treats are also formulated free from salt.

Absolutely not! There is no added sugar in our complete dog foods or mixer meals. There is no added sugar in our Sleep Tight, Fruity Paws, Fish & Tricks, Teeth & Gums or Cheesy Bites dog treats.

All of our wheat free and grain free dog food comes with an on pack feeding guideline which takes into consideration the size of your dog. Feeding requirements can vary due to age, breed and lifestyle of your dog, so please keep in mind that this information is simply to use as a guideline. You can also find this information on each of our product pages under the ‘feed guide’ tab. If you have any questions, please contact us on 0800 0988057 and our nutritionists will be happy to advise. All our Laughing Dog treats packets come with a suggested feeding guide on the side of the bag.

Feeding a raw diet means providing a diet of raw food for dogs made up of raw meat, offal and raw bone, along with other ingredients such as fruit, vegetables, oils, nuts and seeds. The Pet Food Manufacturer’s Association (PFMA) provide some very important guidance regarding the safe feeding of raw for dogs. If you are feeding raw and would like to provide some added crunch, our mixer meals are the perfect accompaniment to raw diets. Naturally oven-baked, there are no added artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. We provide our traditional 1936 recipe which is 100% British wheat, as well as our naturally wheat free and grain free ranges. Slowly baked to be gentler on digestion, the mixer meal biscuits are extra crunchy and crispy, which means they also help to keep teeth clean and breath fresh too. Our mixers are a complementary pet food only (as opposed to a ‘complete’ dog food). We advise mixing with meat because it is a complementary food rather than a complete kibble.  This is to give additional texture to the food and also additional carbohydrate especially if a dog is active. If you are feeding a raw diet, please seek advice from your vet or a veterinary approved nutritionist to ensure you are feeding a complete and balanced meal. Every dog is individual and a vet or nutritionist will be able to advise on the correct amount of raw and mixer to ensure your dog is eating a complete and balanced meal.

While our entire range of wheat free and grain free treats are hypoallergenic and therefore suitable for dogs that have adverse reactions to these ingredients, our treats can also be enjoyed as part of an active lifestyle for those dogs with no specific dietary complaints or requirements. All our dog treat recipes are created with the greatest of care – nothing unnecessary is added to the mixing bowl; just simple ingredients for delicious and wholesome nourishment.  

Hypo-allergenic food is food that is formulated for one of three reasons: to include a limited number of ingredients, to include new and novel ingredients which dogs may be less sensitive to, or as part of a prescription or veterinary diet. Dogs can suffer from adverse reactions to certain foods such as wheat, maize, dairy, soya. It is uncommon for dogs to naturally be allergic to these ingredients and is more often the result of their common use within many dog foods which dogs then become more frequently exposed to which causes these reactions. These allergies can not only cause problems internally, but also externally in the form of itchy skin and ears. All of the Laughing Dog food wet and dry complete ranges are hypo-allergenic, with each ingredient being carefully selected by our nutritionists for its specific benefit. Our range of complete dog foods contain no added wheat, dairy or soya and the full range is made with GM free ingredients. This is the same for our slowly oven-baked treats and mixer meals apart from our Traditional Mixer Meal in the Adult and Puppy & Small dog variations which does contain wheat. Laughing Dog complete dog foods avoids corn and wheat, and alternative meat proteins are used in our products; for example duck and lamb, which are less likely to cause an allergic reaction. By using single source meat proteins in our dog food recipes it helps reduce the number of variables being added into the diet. Our limited ingredient range of dog food, Naturally 5, is made with just 5 simple and nourishing ingredients and is naturally free of wheat, wheat gluten, soya and dairy. Our new Naturally Complete range of dog foods is made with carefully selected ingredients to ensure for a complete and balanced meal with a clean label. This range of dog food is formulated free from grains, wheat, gluten, soya and dairy. Laughing Dog complete dog food is easily digestible, has no added artificial colours, flavours or preservatives, contains low allergy proteins and is wheat gluten free. It also contains essential antioxidants such as vitamin C and E to help maintain the health of the dog along as well as many more goodies to help your dog stay full of vitality (please see our ingredients list on each product page).

We use high quality ingredients in our grain free wet dog food, including succulent chicken, lamb and duck, farm-grown vegetables and a blend of botanical herbs. All our grain free wet dog food recipes are single species recipes, naturally free of gluten and grains. While every effort is made to ensure that our wet food does not contain any bones, due to the raw ingredients that are used, it is natural to sometimes find some small bone fragments and slightly larger pieces of potato, carrot or pea in our wet foods. All ingredients that are used in the recipe are ground prior to mixing using a plate fixed at 5mm, also all raw materials received from our trusted suppliers is specified to 5mm.

If your hamper has an oven-baked biscuit bone inside it, we advise that you allow 7 working days for delivery.  This is because our biscuit bones are made freshly to order. Once they have cooled from the ovens, our artisan bakers will hand-decorate them especially for you. We know it’s a little bit of an extra wait, but we hope you’ll agree that it’s worth it! In order for us to keep our carbon footprint to a minimum, if you purchase a hamper or personalised bone at the same time as ordering dog food, we will deliver your item together as one package.

If you choose one of our hand-decorated baked biscuit bones which can be personalised, we advise that you allow 7 working days for your order. This is because our bones are made freshly to order. But we think you’ll agree that they are worth the extra wait!

Our Laughing Dog oven-baked dog mixer range is baked slowly to form a crunchy and crisp kibble. As a result, dogs have to take more time to crunch its crispy form which not only slows them down when they are eating but also helps produce a scouring action to help keep the teeth and gums clean and healthy.

We know that pet parents want a label that they can easily understand, and as a maker of pet food we pride ourselves on ensuring that all of our ingredients are working hard to provide a clear benefit – in other words, you won’t find any unnecessary ingredients or additions, just a clean label! Our nutritionists have worked hard to select ingredients which provide a complete and balanced recipe for healthy digestion, immunity, joints, teeth and bones.

Whilst we are very proud of our oven-baked dog food range (we’ve been oven baking since 1936), we recognise that this process is much slower than the more conventional methods, and is therefore much more costly. To make a baked dog food free from wheat gluten and suitable for running down our production lines, it takes at least 2 years of testing (our grain free baked mixer meal took 4 years, for example, as this was completely gluten free). Naturally 5 enables us to create a premium product with all the wholesome goodness of  oven-baked Laughing Dog but at a more accessible price point for our pet parents and their four-legged friends. It’s also important to note that sadly oven-baking can sometimes cause lots of dust, which is a feature not all of our customers like with our naturally baked ranges. In addition, the kibble size and shape is very limited with baked foods. In contrast, our Naturally 5 range offers a very unique and dust-free kibble shape, suitable for all dogs. Laughing Dog will always have baked ranges though – many of our dog treats are naturally oven-baked, and our mixer meals are also baked too. To find out more about why not all of the Laughing Dog Food range is oven-baked dog food, head to our blog.

Whilst we are very proud of our oven-baked dog food range (we’ve been oven baking since 1936), we recognise that this process is much slower than the more conventional methods, and is therefore much more costly. To make a baked dog food free from wheat gluten and suitable for running down our production lines, it takes at least 2 years of testing (our grain free baked mixer meal took 4 years, for example, as this was completely gluten free). Naturally Complete and Naturally 5 enables us to create a premium product with all the wholesome goodness of  oven-baked Laughing Dog but at a more accessible price point for our pet parents and their four-legged friends. It’s also important to note that sadly oven-baking can sometimes cause lots of dust, which is a feature not all of our customers like with our naturally baked ranges. In addition, the kibble size and shape is very limited with baked foods. In contrast, our Naturally 5 and Naturally Complete range offers a very unique and dust-free kibble shape, suitable for all dogs. Laughing Dog will always have baked ranges though – many of our dog treats are naturally oven-baked, and our mixer meals are also baked too. To find out more about why not all of the Laughing Dog Food range is oven-baked dog food, head to our blog.