My dog Lyka like that: We tried a fresh dog food subscription
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When my partner and I were considering a dog, I had two conditions.
I wanted to get a small to medium-sized dog, and one that was a bit older and easier to manage. Naturally, we got a puppy with saucepan-shaped feet, who has grown into more of a horse than dog. He is honestly the best thing we’ve ever done.
Orion is a Bull Arab mix, and as a fairly flamboyant gay couple, not the type of dog most people expect us to own. He is a bit of a bloke, spends a lot of time camping with us in the bush, and his tastes are not terribly refined or discerning (think: scrounging for a scrap of sausage or some non-descript carcass despite our loud and consistent protests).
Approaching his eighth birthday, we’ve recently tackled a few health issues that have given my partner and I some paws (sorry) for thought. A decrease in games and zoomies and a major surgery late last year had us realising that our doggo is slowing down a little.
As he ages, we’re thinking about how we can help give him the best life for his remaining years, and keep him happy and healthy for as long as possible. That’s when we started to think about how our food-obsessed pup might enjoy something a bit more special.
So, when an invitation to try Lyka, a subscription delivery service that bills itself as Australia’s freshest dog food, landed in the HerCanberra inbox, dog-gone it, we were paws-itively intrigued.
After a consultation about Orion’s build, activity levels, habits and important details like his recent surgery, Lyka sent us a month’s supply of their fresh dog food.
Eagerly awaiting our delivery (super speedy despite being free) what arrived was an absolute smorgasbord of options for our spoilt boy. Probiotically enhanced, nutritionally-balanced and carefully portioned; Orion’s box of goodies included Wild Caught Fancy Fetchin’ Fish, Grass Fed Lip Lickin’ Lamb, Pig Twigs, Sardine Snaps, and his favourite, Mussel Munchies.
The results after two weeks? To be honest, I have never seen him so excited for mealtime. This dog is eating better than we are and loving every bite.
And even though we were careful to select grain-free kibble in the past, Lyka is giving Orion more than just a full stomach. Their meals are high in protein and low in carbs, which means stomachs are fuller for longer and moods are better regulated.
It’s made for a healthy life over shelf life, and you can smell and see the difference too. Where kibble is blasted at more than 200 degrees for long periods, effectively destroying most of the good stuff, Lyka’s meals are only lightly cooked to keep the good stuff in.
Best of all, Lyka doesn’t cost the earth. One of the issues I’ve had with a lot of food delivery services is the abundance of single-use plastic packaging. Pet food as an industry is not great at the best of times either, with a recent US study finding that pet food may equate to something like 2.9% of carbon emissions and up to 1.2% of agricultural land use.
Luckily, Lyka has perfected a sustainable approach, not only protecting cold food with fully compostable insulation made of wool, but also offsetting their production so thoroughly that they are carbon negative.
Funnily enough, Lyka was a brand my partner and I had been looking at but hadn’t yet taken the leap to sign up to their two-week trial. Now, despite the increasing cozzie livs, we’ll be finding a way to keep our bougie poochie’s foodie dreams alive.
You can sign up for your own pupper’s two-week trial at lyka.com.au – and get 20% using the code HERCANBERRA20.
