What's on the menu for the Madhouse pooches? (Brown's Dog Food review)

I spend ages every week telling you about what the humans are eating at The Madhouse, sharing menu plans, recipes and globe-cooking experiments, but what about the four-legged residents? Well, for the last few weeks, they've been trying out a range of dog food from Brown's Pet Range. It was a brand that I wasn't aware of so I went to investigate further. They explain : "Our products are sourced and produced in the UK with our roots in the local community employing local people, with local knowledge to make distribution and the selling of our products a good experience for all. [...] When your pet starts eating our product, you will trust the special care we take to ensure the consistency of each product. Brown’s Pet Range is designed very much with Pets in Mind."

We received three different tubs to try out, to represent the different foods Brown's have on offer - Puppy & Breeder Complete (a specially blended formula made for puppies and young dogs or for pregnant and lactating bitches, designed to meet the nutritional needs of growing dogs - 29.2% protein, 14.5% fat); Health & Activity Complete (for young and grown-up dogs with normal to high activity level - 26.9% protein, 14.7% fat); Light & Sensitive Complete (the perfect blend of vitamins, minerals and nutrients for sensitive, grown-up dogs with low activity level, overweight or for senior dogs as well as dogs with stomach and skin problems - 18.7% protein, 7.4% fat). All three varieties are produced with MacroGard® (a natural beta-glucan which strengthens your dog´s immune system), Vitamin C & E and Selenium.

As a human, it didn't smell particularly appetising when I opened the tubs and, when I poured some in the feeding bowl, the Madhouse dogs, Didou and Vicky, came over, gave it a disinterested sniff and wandered off ! I think they were just holding out to see if I had anything more interesting though because they soon came back and chomped away happily. They didn't completely empty their bowl, so maybe it's more filling than their usual food ?

The Madhouse dogs are used to eating dry food but the Brown's dog food does seem drier than their usual kibble, which I'd describe as semi-dry (if you squeeze it between your figures, you can squash it slightly, whereas the Brown's food is dry like biscuits). This didn't seem to worry the dogs, although they did always go for a drink afterwards - the label says that the food can be eaten dry or served lightly moistened with warm or cold water. 

I can't say I've noticed any difference in their health or general well-being but that would probably need a longer trial. I did notice that their poo seems more compact and less smelly - sorry for the details, but if you're a dog owner who cleans up after your pet, it's important !!

star rating : 4/5

RRP : £2.99 for a small 520g tub, £9.99 for a medium 2kg tub, £18.99 for a large 4kg tub, £34.99 for a 12kg bulk sack

for more information : http://www.brownsdogfood.co.uk/

Disclosure : I received the product in order to write an honest review.