What is air dried food?

We catch up with The Innocent Hound to find out more....

This story began when Chloe and Justin Heaton adopted their first lurcher, Bongo, the inspiration behind this remarkable business.  The Innocent Hound is a family run pet food manufacturer based in Wetherby. In their human-grade factory, they specialise in crafting award-winning, air-dried dog food and treats.

What is air-dried dog food?

Air-drying is a simple and gentle method of removing moisture from the ingredients, whilst protecting the flavour and nutrients.  It requires very little processing and no high temperatures, resulting in a delicious and nutritious food.  The Innocent Hound’s food is the closest to raw feeding as you can get, without the need to freeze, defrost or soak it.  It can be stored at room temperature and is ready to serve from the pack.  This food is the perfect solution for dog owners who want the convenience of a kibble but with the health benefits of raw food.

Using choice cuts of British meat and healthy fruit and vegetables, the food offers dogs a highly digestible, great tasting, healthy feast.   The grain-free recipes contain freshly prepared, raw meat, sourced from British farms with some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world, or fish from MSC accredited suppliers.

The ingredients are carefully combined and handcrafted into the different formats to make food and treats. The products are made in small batches with minimal processing, by a skilled team of production perfectionists.

The Innocent Hound has developed a bespoke drying system that is quite unique.  It uses a cool and gentle air-flow, below 40°C, for up to 7 days, to carefully remove the moisture from the raw ingredients.

The finished products have a texture similar to a chorizo – soft and meaty, rather than dry and crunchy.  The foods are sliced and packed ready to send to lucky innocent hound’s all over the UK.

The Innocent Hound’s air-dried food won a prestigious award for “Best Dog Food Product” shortly after launching, as it offers a new solution to dog parents.  For those that like the idea of feeding raw food, but for whatever reason it is not feasible, this air-dried food could be the answer.  It is extremely convenient - it does not take up any room in your freezer and you don’t need to remember to defrost it; it’s easy to take on holidays, and most importantly, you can be sure you are feeding your innocent hound a healthy and nutritious diet that they will adore.

The company is committed to supporting dog rescue charities.  Their zero food waste policy means that food is regularly donated to rescues across the UK – in the last year that has been over 1,000kg of tail-wagging food!

The Innocent Hound’s air-dried food is suitable for puppies and adult dogs.  There are 7 flavours available, all of which are single protein, grain-free and the packaging is 100% recyclable. 

To find out more visit the innocenthound.co.uk