Decoding Pet Nutrition: A Talk with Chateau Canine
When it comes to taking care of our furry friends, we want nothing but the very best for our pets. It's with this mindset that companies like Chateau Canine, born out of a need for better pet food and products in Beijing, came to be.
After years of research and observing firsthand the impact of different foods on dogs and cats, the founders of Chateau Canine ensure that their pet food is nothing short of what they'd want their own furry friend to consume. We recently had the chance to speak with the folks behind Chateau Canine to debunk some common misconceptions about pet nutrition.
Q
What inspired you to found Chateau Canine?
A
Looking back as far as 2013 we were hunting around for pet services for our own dog, anything relating to advice on behavior, training, diet and nutrition, even just good quality snacks and toys. At that point in time, even in a city as big as Beijing, the pickings were pretty slim. I had friends overseas who had done training courses to become certified, and I knew that if we wanted the best for our dog, we had to invest the time and effort into our own research. Three years later, we incorporated Chateau Canine in Beijing as a foreign and domestic joint venture, and off we went!
Q
What strategies does Chateau Canine employ to ensure the safety and nutritional value of the pet food it offers?
A
It sounds simple, but we don't sell anything that we wouldn't want our own dog to use or eat. While we were running our boarding kennels from 2016 to 2021, we were doing around 3,000 feeds per month. As all our guests brought their food from home, and with so many repeat guests over the years, we had the opportunity to feed hundreds of different types of food. This gave us the chance to directly witness how different foods worked with different kinds of animals not just in the short term, but also the long term. If we were doing 3,000 meals a month, you can imagine how much poop we saw, right? Many folks know that your animal's poop is a good identifier of general health and it is one of the markers we advise owners on regarding food choice.
Q
As a certified animal trainer and owner of Chateau Canine, how does your experience influence the choice of ingredients in pet food?
A
Ingredients are critical, obviously. Knowing what dog food manufacturers use to build up their product into what your furbaby is eating every meal, every day is a bit of a minefield that, to be honest, the average owner has a low chance of navigating with too much success. For example, we sometimes have owners tell us the poop is great and they are happy with the food they are using, but they are feeding a product with Zeolite clay as one of the ingredients. Zeolite clay is used to stop diarrhea, so it's not surprising that a dog taking this day in day out has well-formed poop. The right question to ask is: Is that supplement hiding other issues?
Q
How does the evolving pet culture in Beijing impact the pet food industry and Chateau Canine's approach to it?
A
The last decade has seen huge changes in the pet industry not just in Beijing, but all across China as well. There are thousands of new products on the market, some awesome, some ordinary, some downright appalling. We see our job as helping you navigate through those options. We have no affiliations or products of our own, so that gives us a level head to just pick out the gems, the good products that don't cost the earth that we would want for our own pet.
Q
What are some common misconceptions about pet food nutrition that you often encounter?
A
I guess the biggest fallacy out there is that dog kibble helps to clean your dog's teeth. This is a good one, and I don't know where it started, but it is wildly inaccurate. It's just like telling a child that if they have a crispy cookie then there's no need to brush their teeth!
Prescription diets are another one. It's helpful to be on a vet prescription diet for a short term, but if your furbaby is at an old age and has a chronic disease, a prescription kibble isn't the best option for them in the long run. It's just like no human doctor would ever advise you to only eat protein bars if you were diabetic.
Q
How do you advise pet owners on choosing the right food for their pets?
A
In a nutshell, we ask a lot of questions. Every animal is unique, from different daily calorie requirements through to allergies and intolerances and health concerns and, of course, simple things like the flavor they prefer and your own budget. What a lot of people forget is that what you feed your dog or cat is what they eat every meal of every day and, outside of treats, makes up 90 percent of their diet. Finding the right solution for them is important to make sure that all their dietary requirements are being met. We are more than happy to provide free consultation to pet owners on what to choose.
Q
Are there specific dietary needs for different pets that Chateau Canine takes into consideration when cultivating its pet food options?
A
We select our range of pet food to accommodate different dietary needs, for example for weight management, food allergies and intolerances, low-carb options, freeze-dried options and ideas for super picky pets; for treats, we tend to select the most natural ones without additives and chemicals.
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