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Raw Dog Food

Mountain Dog FoodFrom appearances alone, you can hardly blame some humans for looking longingly at the frozen raw Mountain Dog Food concoctions presented for their animals. Once thawed, Dean and Tracey Ricard’s product resembles steak tartare, something that Dean says would probably make a good, if bone-crunchy meat loaf.

Since its early success on the canine side of the street, Mountain Dog has moved to caring for feline clientele with the Mountain Cat line, in chicken and turkey varieties.

Business since the company’s inception in 2000 has been strong enough that the couple has outgrown its Tofield home lodgings and opened up plants in Edmonton and Port Coquitlam, B.C. Much of the success has been through word of mouth—both human and canine—as the couple does the rounds of the dog show circuit touting the benefits of the diet.

"We don’t have a huge advertising budget to attract the customer base that has developed," says Dean who has seen sales grow 20 percent per month."

Ultimately, of course, Dean is certain this business will satisfy more than what is now a niche trade.

"It’s already happened," he says. "We have more and more breeders of dogs, who are tired of being blamed for poor breeding decisions that are actually diet related. They’ve seen the change in the diet correcting many problems and have been starting the puppies on a raw diet at the weaning stage. They are then insisting that their customers feed only a raw diet from puppy-hood on."

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