Smack Pet Food 2023: Raw Dehydrated Food for Dogs & Cats

Jon Giller, CEO and Co-Founder of Smack Pet Food, has been a driving force behind the company's mission to provide wholesome, nutritious raw food for dogs and cats. With a background in health, nutrition, and cooking, his brother Michael’s dedication to improving pet diets has resulted in a line of products aimed at maximizing pet health, taste, and well-being. By formulating and manufacturing raw dehydrated food using innovative and holistic approaches, Jon and the Smack team have redefined pet nutrition. DeliveryRank finds out more.

Could you share more about the inspiration behind the founding of Smack Pet Food and how it all started with your beloved family dog, Zorro?

Our company was founded in 2007.  The inspiration for Smack Pet Food Inc. was Zorro, our family’s beloved family dog. When Zorro was diagnosed with cancer, my brother Michael (and our co-founder) used his interest in health, nutrition and cooking to help improve Zorro’s diet during his sickness. 

What was the turning point that led to the creation of your wholesome, nutritious raw pet food?

Although Zorro sadly succumbed to the disease, Michael realized that he had found his passion - creating wholesome, nutritious raw dog food to help all the other beloved family pets benefit from a healthier lifestyle. Our family created Smack Pet Food to honour Zorro’s legacy, and to help nourish other pets with a wholesome, nutritious raw food diet.

Smack Pet Food is known for providing convenient, nutritious, and delicious dehydrated food for pets. Can you explain the unique methods and processes you employ to create your pet food, and how it differs from traditional pet food products?

When formulating our foods, we went the direction of preparing them in line with holistic raw food diets which have been tested for decades, keeping in mind fat content and nutrient profiles. We did not want to add synthetic premixes to our food; we wanted to keep it natural, using nothing but whole foods. We work with an agrologist expert in animal nutrition to handcraft recipes, source Canadian-only, human grade protein ingredients, and  use a unique, 20-hour gentle dehydration process, which allows us to retain important nutrients while eliminating all pathogens. The result is a delicious, easy-to-serve food with a stable shelf life. This differs drastically from traditional kibbles, which often use lower quality ingredients, fillers, high temperatures that kill nutrients, and go stale easily. 

You offer organic superfood ingredients in your pet food. Could you highlight some of these superfood ingredients and their benefits for pets health and well-being?

We include the world’s best organic, non-gmo whole superfood ingredients that are proven highly beneficial for health as they are chosen for their antioxidants, their anti-inflammatory properties or just their nutrient-dense nature. This provides the nutrition required naturally, without the use of synthetics.

We use organic GMO-free spinach grown on Canadian farms. Recent studies have shown that glycoglycerolipids in spinach help protect the lining of the digestive tract from damage – especially damage related to inflammation. In a recent study, out of 9 vegetables, including kale, spinach was the only one to show evidence of significant protection against certain aggressive and early stage cancers. This is due to unusually high amounts of epoxy xanthophylls found in the leaves of spinach. Research of spinach has also linked improved eye-health and consumption of spinach, especially the reduction of macular degeneration and other age-related eye problems.

We use organic GMO-free coconut grown in the sunny Philippines. In traditional medicine, coconut is widely used to address inflammation, upset stomach, ulcers, skin infections, asthma, and more. Studies of coconut in modern medicine have proven that coconut can in fact help the body kill infections, viruses, fungi, expel tapeworms, lice, and other parasites. Coconut also helps improve digestion and increase the rate of absorption of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Coconut relieves symptoms of ulcerative colitis, stomach ulcers, reduces inflammation, and improves immune function as well as improves thyroid function.

Our organic GMO-free mangoes grown on certified organic farms in Mexico, are a delicious, low-acid fruit known to reduce the risk of cancer. They also contain a high amount of dietary fiber, improving the digestive health of your dog and also reduce the risk of gastrointestinal disorders known to occur in dogs with a low fiber diet. These dietary fibers also increase the rate of absorption of vitamins and minerals in a dogs' intestines. Mangoes' unique dietary fiber benefits are not shared with the dietary fibers of grains.

Your website mentions that Smack Pet Food is a cost-effective raw alternative with no recalls. What makes your product stand out from other pet foods on the market, and how do you ensure the utmost food safety for your customers and their pets?

When we think about natural diets for dogs and cats, raw often comes to mind first. Dehydrated would be the closest to actually feeding straight raw. Since we air-dry raw, whole foods using low temperatures, a high percentage of the amino acids, enzymes, vitamins, and minerals are not denatured or harmed resulting in high bioavailabilities compared to freezing. Dehydrated foods also better retain the foods natural colour and aromas therefore increasing palatability!

Bones are ground up very finely before being added to our food so there is no risk that an animal might choke on them. Additionally, you can feel confident feeding bone fragments to your dog, knowing that they are also a very important natural source of minerals. These beneficial minerals include calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium

The water activity level (measure of food safety) of our air dried meats are lower than the baseline required to inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria, parasites, and molds. The meat initially goes through a lethality phase during the beginning parts of dehydration, eliminating all pathogens. We take a lot of pride in our quality. As such, we test all the batches prior to leaving our facility. None of the foods that leave our facility for sale or resale have tested positive for pathogens or mold. Since we started in 2008, we have not had a single incident or recall.

During the dehydration process the meat goes through a lethality phase which eliminates all pathogens. The activity level is also lower than the baseline to inhibit the growth of bacteria, parasites and molds. We also test all batches prior to sending them out to ensure they are safe. It is highly unlikely you or your family would become ill but it is always a good idea to practice good hand hygiene especially when dealing with foods.

The Smack difference includes providing benefits for maintaining energy, vitality, digestion, and overall pet health. Can you elaborate on some of the specific benefits pet owners can expect when feeding?

Many Smack Pet Food customers first purchase Smack because their dog or cat is having health issues.  A few that come to mind are: energy of their pet, coat, joint, or gastrointestinal in nature.  The reason that our business has grown over the past 16 years is because our food has a positive impact on these pets' health.  We often hear about improvements in vitality, shinier and healthier coats, and healthier bowel functions.  

If you would like to find out more about Smack Pet Food, visit https://www.smackpetfood.com/