Latest News from Burns Pet Nutrition

Dear chickens...

Our Penlan Farm free-range hens produce so many eggs that we have been able to set up roadside stalls and sell any we don’t need for our Penlan Farm moist dog food directly to the local community. The egg stalls are very popular as our customers know that the eggs are fresh, tasty and come from really contented hens. We use secure honesty boxes for the money and this week we found a little something extra in one of them; a lovely thank you note from a little girl called Mollie who is obviously as happy as our hens.

Burns Penlan Farm Range

One or two people have complained that the Burns Penlan Range doesn’t represent good value because there isn’t enough meat in it

The desire to feed a high proportion of meat is founded on two widely held misconceptions. The first is that because meat is good for dogs, more must be better. This is a fallacy which is fostered by some members of the pet food industry, especially in the USA (“The first ingredient is meat!”) and by BARF enthusiasts who try to persuade us that dogs are carnivores when they are not, they are omnivores. High “meat” inevitably also means high fat and high protein.

I started Burns Pet Nutrition on the principle that to achieve optimum health, dogs should be fed in a certain way i.e. on a diet similar to a home-made diet of brown rice, meat and vegetables in the proportion of a third of each. A diet high in meat is not what Burns is about. Our prepared foods are intended to be low in fat and protein and high in complex carbohydrate and this is achieved using whole grains and vegetables as well as meat. A high meat diet is only appropriate in certain limited circumstances e.g. underweight or very active dogs which have an increased energy need. When I first introduced the complete food, I was worried that a commercial food would not give as good results as home-made but surprisingly they were better. I think this was because clients at home were putting too much meat in the mix and not enough brown rice and vegetables.

The second misconception is that a high-meat diet is “better value” because meat is an expensive ingredient. Non-meat foods such as grains and vegetables are often described as “cheap fillers”. In general, the “meat” which is used in most pet foods is inexpensive because it is a waste-product of the human food industry. It is mostly non-muscle tissue. This may not be inferior from a nutritional point of view but it is not meat as commonly understood. In many moist foods the “tasty meaty chunks” are actually formed pieces which look like meat but consist of soya.

This is not true of Burns foods which are designed to promote health rather than reinforce accepted opinion.Brown rice is an expensive ingredient yet it forms the basis of most Burns foods. The Penlan range uses organic brown rice and, depending on the variety, lamb heart which is ordinarily eaten by humans or organic chicken. The vegetables are grown by us. Local people who eat them say that they are superior to those sold in supermarkets. Likewise the free-range eggs which are used in the Penlan Range. These are expensive ingredients compared to those used in most other pet food brands. The overall quality of the Penlan Range is actually much better than that eaten by most humans.In addition to promoting pet health, the core values of the Penlan Range are local employment, minimal environmental impact and high farm animal welfare standards.

I accept that not everyone shares these values but that is what Burns is about.

Venison and Brown Rice - Update

Due to ongoing problems with the supply of venison meal for our Venison & Brown Rice we unfortunately anticipate the current stock to run out again shortly. We are doing all we can to stabilize future stock levels but, as we are unwilling to compromise on the quality of ingredients, we ask that our customers continue to bear with us.

For advice on alternative products please contact our friendly Nutritionists.

Nutritionists Helpline:

Nutritionsits Helpline: 0800 083 66 96
Chat Live with a Burns Nutritionist
E-mail: nutritionists@burnspet.co.uk

Little Hen Rescue

Little Hen Rescue is a not for profit organisation run by volunteers which is based in Norfolk. They regularly save battery, barn and free-range hens which are nursed back to health and rehomed and to date they have rehomed over 23,000 hens!

Burns Pet Nutrition is committed to animal welfare and our own contented free-range hens enjoy life in small flocks with access to pasture and stimulus rich surroundings.

Recently Little Hen Rescue’s trailer crashed when they were bringing a full load of newly rescued ex-battery hens back to their sanctuary. Unfortunately some of the hens died in the incident but the majority survived and are now being cared for at their Norwich base.

This not-for-profit organisation is in desperate need of financial help not only to care for the hens but also to help replace their trailer and vehicle which were both written off. Burns has made a donation to their funds and if you would like to do the same you can find their details through this link: www.littlehenrescue.co.uk

Burns Helps Hounds for Heroes
(article posted 29/03/2010)

Hounds for Heroes is a new charity, founded by Gulf War veteran Allan Parton, which will provide assistance dogs to provide help and practical support for Armed Forces and Emergency Services personnel who have been injured in the course of duty. Fundraising is currently underway for the Puppies on Parade Appeal in order to raise the initial £100,000 needed to purchase and train the first five dogs. Hounds for Heroes ethos is about enablement, independence and an enhanced quality of life for injured personnel.

Burns Pet Nutrition was proud to host the official launch of Hounds for Heroes on its stand at this year’s Crufts and will be working with the charity on an ongoing basis. To help offset some of the charity’s costs Burns will be providing free food for the assistance dogs for the first two years. Burns recently waived all postage costs for British Forces overseas customers and this new partnership will allow the company to offer further support to British military personnel and their canine companions. Read more...

Burns Champions K9 Capers
(article posted 26/03/2010)

K9 Capers provide the exciting animal show at Folly Farm in Pembrokeshire. With their mixed breed team of dogs, trainers Vicky Shelton and James Coxon perform their thrilling display at this popular visitor attraction throughout the school holidays. Both Vicky and James compete at the highest levels in agility and obedience and train their dogs using only the kindest and most positive methods.

Burns is pleased to sponsor K9 Capers and will be making sure that all the dogs receive the best possible nutrition to keep them at the top of their form throughout the season. We hope that K9 Capers will be able to join us at Burns’ Dogs’ Day Out on Sunday 19 September in Pembrey Country Park.

www.k9capers.biz

Sixty Plus Surfers Competition Winner
(article posted 05/03/2010)

Congratulations to Sarah Williams of Wilmslow, Cheshire who was the lucky winner of our Doggie Bag Competition over on www.sixtyplusurfers.co.uk

This month on Sixty Plus Surfers you can enter our latest competition to win a Kitty Bag containing 4 x 500g Burns Real Food for Cats, a Burns Cat notepad and a Burns fleece blanket. Good luck!

British Forces BFPO
(article posted 03/03/2010)

To offer our support to the British Forces, we have decided to waive the current delivery charge of £13.60 per parcel.

With immediate effect, all British Forces customers with a BFPO address who place orders directly from us (www.burnspet.co.uk or 0800 018 1890) for delivery to a BFPO address will be charged the cost of the food only.

We believe that by waiving the delivery charge this goes someway to helping British Forces customers to feed their pet a healthy, nutritious diet.

Many Tears Animal Rescue
(article posted 20/01/2010)

For several years Burns has actively supported the work of Many Tears Animal Rescue as well as other animal welfare charities around the country. We have provided substantial financial support to Many Tears and free food for all the dogs in its care for the last three years. During this time Many Tears has gone from strength to strength and we now feel that the time has come for us to provide support to other rescue centres. Read more...