Husse Pets: Healthy and Happy
When Jenny Wheale was a little girl, she never had a pet. Because her family travelled often, her parents thought it would be impractical and unfair to have a cat or dog. When she grew up and her partner, Paul, suggested they get a cat, she jumped at the opportunity. The rescue cat they chose from the RSPCA became a beloved part of the household.
“He was my world, I loved him to bits,” Jenny remembered. “We called him Ruiz, after a favourite author called Carlos Ruiz Zafón, and we had him for five or six years. Then, suddenly, in January 2015, he passed away as a result of heart disease. It was really quick; he had seemed so healthy and it broke my heart.”
Jenny had always been interested in nutrition for humans, and started to look into the animal equivalent, and how lifestyle – and quality of food – can have an impact on heart health for pets as well as people.
As a result, Ruiz’s sad death led to Jenny starting her business – and her mission to provide local pets with the healthiest food you can get.
“The more I looked into pet food the more horrified I was by the quality of the ingredients that most of the major pet food brands use in the UK,” she explained.
“We knew we couldn’t live without a cat in the house, so we took in two kittens from Cats Protection, and I made it my mission to find the healthiest food I could for them. That’s what lead me to Husse.”
Husse – pronounced ‘who-say’ – was launched in Sweden in 1987. Founded by vets, the brand’s guiding principle is to provide a better quality of life for animals by putting the best quality of product they can into their pet food, for dogs, cats and horses.
With a UK HQ in London, the company has franchises across the country, providing personal service to customers and delivering pet food free to your door.
“I was completely won over by the Husse approach,” Jenny said. “We offer a range of more than 300 products – dry food, wet food, health supplements, toys, bedding, bowls and so on.
“But the core business is dry food because it’s best for the optimal health of an animal. The idea is to provide a formula of food that is specific to your pet, looking closely at what the needs of animal groups are.
“You tell us about your animal, and we will recommend the best food option based on the needs of your animal, it’s that simple.”
Jenny says the benefits of using Husse food become clear to customers very quickly: “Our clients comment that it improves the skin, coat and eyes of their pets, and Husse’s research shows that it helps organ health and digestive health. In theory, you should see lower vet’s bills, fewer trips to the vets, and an extended life of the animal.”
Husse say that in conventional dog and cat food, a lot of the product is made up of poor-quality carcass meat, with plant proteins often used in place of meat proteins.
“A lot of people don’t realise it, but the majority of products that you see in the supermarket have got hardly any meat in, especially cat food,” Jenny said.
“Cats are obligate carnivores, so their only diet requirements from nature is meat. The majority of products for cats in the UK are only 4% meat and the rest is filler to bulk it out. Husse food is made mainly from high quality animal protein, which sets it apart from other products in the market. The right balance of vitamins and minerals also go into their food.”
Another handy benefit of Husse’s quality ingredients is that, as a result of a cat or dog digesting more of their food, there should be less poop for owners to deal with after nature calls.
“This is an important factor, particularly for dog owners,” Jenny said.
Won over by the Husse way of feeding animals, Jenny launched her own franchise in October 2018, delivering food to local customers from her Great Barr base and providing personal advice and service. It’s growing steadily.
“It’s a very enjoyable thing to do and, as an animal lover, it feels great to be doing a job that improves the lives of animals,” Jenny said.
“We offer free nutritional advice, free trials and free delivery for the lifetime of your pet and all our products are made from natural, healthy, high quality ingredients.
“Husse products are free from poor-quality fillers, contain no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives and no genetically modified ingredients in order to provide optimal nutritional benefit to every cherished pet.”