When Adrian Wilkinson, Director of FourFriends Pet Foods, turned up to exhibit his Otterhound Flo on the breeds’ Discover Dogs stand at Crufts, he had no idea his dog would end up being a TV star.
The Otterhound is an old British dog breed. It is a scent hound and is currently recognised by the Kennel Club as a Vulnerable Native Breed with around 600 animals worldwide. The Otterhound is a large, rough-coated hound with an imposing head. Originally bred for hunting, it has great strength and a strong body with long striding steps.
This makes it able to perform prolonged hard work. The Otterhound hunts its quarry both on land and in water and it has a combination of characteristics unique among hounds; most notably an oily, rough, double coat and substantial webbed feet. They have a nose that can track in the mud and water for many hours..They have extremely sensitive noses which make them inquisitive and perseverant in investigating scents. They are friendly dogs with a unique bass voice.
Adrian has been interested in showing Otterhounds for a number of years and it was his interest in these dogs that led him to set up FourFriends Pet Foods in the UK. This Swedish brand is synonymous with quality ingredients. Only the muscular parts of the chicken, gently dried to meat meal are used in the dry complete food range. Up to 92% of the total amount of protein in both the dry and wet food ranges comes from animal origin. The range uses chicken, lamb, duck, wild boar and turkey - and in some products, a combination of them.
A well known botanical plant, Aloe Vera is a key ingredient in FourFriends complete food recipes. Used for centuries around the world, Aloe Vera is crammed full of amino acids, vitamins and minerals making it one of nature’s most effective cleansers. It is especially effective in the cleansing of the dog’s or cat’s intestine. It is also great as an anti-inflammatory. Being rich in minerals like calcium, magnesium, zinc, selenium and potassium it is excellent for the skin and coat.
Many dogs have intolerance to vegetable protein, or gluten as it is known when it comes from cereals. FourFriends is completely free from gluten. Derma Coat, Lamb, Wild Boar & Turkey dog foods are grain-free - only potato is used as a source of carbohydrate.
All FourFriends products are manufactured in accordance with Formula Security Scandinavia, guaranteeing the quality of each product. Customers also have access to excellent advice from FourFriends own pet nutritionist, Meri Hakkarainen in Sweden.
Adrian concludes: “At FourFriends we have genuine interest in animal health both in Sweden and here in the United Kingdom. We know what's best for your animal! The idea of FourFriends is to make a food that makes your cat and dog healthy, strong and radiant - from the inside out because we know that stomach and health go hand in hand. We only use high quality raw materials and there is no ingredient in the recipes that is unnecessary such as fillers. Dogs are carnivorous animals, i.e. carnivores and we have taken that into account and have a lot of muscle meat in our recipes. Because we love all dogs, we add Aloe Vera – a natural ingredient that is kind to your pet.
“We feed our own dogs on the range and it helps to keep them in tip top condition. This is particularly important now as Flo has become a TV star although she was more interested in having a snooze on set than being a diva.”
