Akela sponsors the British Flyball Association!

Flyball is the fastest-growing dog sport in the UK and Akela Pet Foods Ltd is proud to sponsor the largest flyball association in the world (outside the USA) – The British Flyball Association.

We know flyball is an intense, physically demanding, high energy sport and your dogs are athletes who need the finest 5-star nutrition. The quality of their food is vital for consistent top-level performance. Packed full of protein, Akela is the fuel of winners, which makes the BFA and Akela a winning combination.

Win the race – flyball is fast and fun!

Akela offers bespoke grain-free recipes in frozen raw food, dry kibble, cold-pressed, wet tinned food and healthy natural treats. We support the cage-free policy and ethically sourced ingredient provenance. Our food meets FEDIAF guidelines to help ensure your dogs have long, healthy, active lives and receive a carefully balanced diet with valuable nutrients to improve energy and performance.

Packed full of protein, Akela is the fuel of winners!

Akela fuels these flyball winners (owned by Chris Cronin)

Akela is the first brand to include joint support and prebiotics in raw dog food. Our flavoursome blends of human-grade ingredients are easily digested and offered at the best possible price. Made in the UK using fresh British meat, liver, heart, tripe, offal, edible bone and cartilage from Red Tractor farms. Full of essential amino acids, superfoods, vitamins and minerals to keep your team at the top of their game.

Akela is a 5-star best value complete working dog food made with no ‘nasties’ for the perfect balanced diet. Our recipes are tailored to keep your canine athletes in prime health and fitness. Akela is pleased and excited to sponsor the BFA and we’re hopeful that together we can spread the word and make a difference within canine nutrition.

Akela changes lives!

Akela is honoured to sponsor another litter of FASD Dogs managed by Ali McCormick. Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) is a term used to describe the permanent impacts on the brain and body of individuals prenatally exposed to alcohol during pregnancy resulting in a spectrum of physical, emotional, behavioural and neurological characteristics.

Ali is a member of the Akela breeder club and breeds these incredible dogs to assist children with FASD. She has recently bred her third and final litter between FASD Labrador bitch Star and FASD Golden Retriever Sparky.

Play time with the pups

One of many Akela breeder club benefits is that Akela provides complimentary puppy packs for each puppy, and to further support Ali and FASD Dogs UK, Akela also sponsors each FASD assistance puppy with a generous discount on all Akela orders for their lifetime.

‘We are thrilled to work in partnership with Akela – only the best for the best!’

FASD Pup Bear with his Akela Puppy Pack

The dogs are deliberately bred as ‘Goldadors’ to benefit from both breeds qualities and loyal nature. The dogs are all registered assistance pups in training and give much-needed support to their new best friend and their family.

“These dogs are raved over! I give them the very best start in life. They have the best of everything and the best food.”

Ali with adorable FASD pup in training Bear

“These dogs really do change lives!”

“They ooze quality! Just look at them!”

There are over 30 FASD dogs across the UK, all bred by Ali, changing lives, all sponsored by Akela.

Ali with photos of her FASD Dogs

Ali is also beginning a new initiative by training two puppies that she hasn’t bred herself to try to expand their support network to even more families in need of these fabulous dogs. Good Luck Ali!

Treat of the Week – Fish & Seaweed Bites

😋 Treat of the Week – Fish & Seaweed Bites 😋

🐶 These super crunchy fish-shaped treats are made from 90% premium quality White Fish and 10% Organic Irish Kelp Seaweed. Fish is the perfect low-fat, high protein treat packed full of natural yummy benefits. The natural source of omega 3 & 6 helps to: enhance a glossy coat, improve joint mobility, heart health and make eyes sparkle! 🤩

⭐️ 100% natural premium quality fish and seaweed treats
⭐️ Made with hand-harvested organic Irish kelp seaweedSeaweed Bites
⭐️ Boosts the immune system
⭐️ Grain and Gluten-free
⭐️ Low in fat
⭐️ High in essential fatty acids
⭐️ High in protein and nutrients
⭐️ Hypoallergenic – suitable for sensitive tummies
⭐️ Free from additives and preservatives
⭐️ Healthy natural dental aids
⭐️ Big crunchy fish treats: 5cm long
⭐️ Made from fresh fish exclusively sourced from Marine Stewardship Council approved sustainable fisheries 🐟😋
⭐️Suitable for all breeds and ages

🐶 Buy packs of 200g and 1kg from £5 👍https://www.wholeprey.com/akela-dog-treats/akela-dog-treats-fish-bites-with-seaweed.html

Small & Mighty

We are so pleased to welcome another agility pack member on board – although this time we think we may have hit the record for the smallest agility member we will likely ever get!

Little Skye, and her mum Naomi had a massive 2016 and the 2017 will likely be even bigger. Here is a little bit about the little pooch in the words of her mum:

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skye_2016
“I adopted Skye from a breeder at 4 months old – my first ever dog. We did the usual 6 weeks of puppy training which was very frustrating and took 6 weeks to teach her “down” so I tried a have a go agility session which she took to like a duck to water and the rest is history! We started foundation training from 6 months of age and full training from 12 months. Our first competitions were from 16 months (independent shows and uk agility) and 20 months kennel club shows – which was May 2016.

Skye is one of the smallest dogs competing on the uk circuit at agility at just 20cm high and 2.5kg weight. Her agility name is “The Star in the Skye” and her nickname is the flying hamster.

image1 (5)To this day she has never come home from a show without a rosette, some placed and some just a clear round. She always has a good attitude to work and just loves agility. I am very lucky to have such a special dog who is always so ready to please. Against all odds (and much larger dogs!) she has recently won into grade 4 at kennel club at the kennel club international festival and has very nearly achieved her silver agility warrant, having only achieved bronze in June. I have to remember she is only just 3 years old and I have high hopes for our future agility career.”

Sam and her pack join the Akela team

As our sponsored pack continues to grow, Sam Bowman tells us a little about herself and her dogs:

Ollie_1“I am 32 years old and work in the Software Industry. I have a 4 year old daughter, and 9 dogs (plus cats, a parrot and some small pets!) I started in agility approx. 4 years ago. I am now also a KC judge for agility, and a measurer. I currently run 2 dogs, Patch, my 4 year of rescue JRT, and Ollie my 2 year old rescue. I have Oscar who will start competing later in the year and 14 week old cocker spaniel Brook who will start her foundation training shortly.
Patch
I first found out about Akela last year when Patch qualified for the Dog Agility Rescue League (DARL) finals at Grade 1/2. He went on to win the final and I was lucky enough to win a bag, from that time on I have fed it to my dogs and they all do extremely well on it, what is especially nice is my very small dogs can have the Small Paws and they do not choke which they have done previously where the kibble is too large. Patch also qualified and placed 10th at the UKA Grand Finals last year. This year we are aiming to now get his final wins to Grade 6.

Ollie is very very talented, but very hard work, he is a wild child and has had a couple of jumping wins and last week won an agility at Derbyshire Premier Show, he is very fast and is having to learn to work his brain as fast as his legs. Next year we will be focusing on Crufts qualifying classes.

Oscar

Oscar is still a pup and will be able to compete in agility at 18 months at KC shows. He was bred to be a ratter but his breeder was unable to keep him.
Brook

Finally we have Brook, a 14 week old Cocker. She loves her Fish Feast! She will be starting foundation agility very soon but before then will be doing some filming for a TV commercial, what a star!”

Darci, Bingli & Abbi Join the Pack

Our sponsored pack is expanding again – when we heard this lovely story we could not help but share it with you. Here is Abbi’s story:

“After switching my dog Darci over to Akela a year ago, I wanted to share her success story.

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Darci is a two year old cockapoo who after a precarious start with us at 8 weeks has come through and thrived. She has always been a fussy eater and had a delicate tummy after a nasty bout of colitis when she first came home. I was changing her food every couple of months after she would go off it and always seemed lacking in energy. After speaking with one of your representatives at Dogs Unleashed last year, I switched her to Akela and have not looked back. She eats it with gusto every meal and it has greatly improved her muscle tone and fitness.

Image-5She currently competes in canicross and agility and is a great advocate for the life a poodle cross should lead.


She recently “won the Kennel Club Starters Cup Semi Final at the International Agility Festival and will be going to Discover Dogs in October to compete in the final! She only starting competing at Easter and has reached grade 3 now as well as almost having gained enough points for her Agility Warrant Bronze.
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Last winter she appeared in magazine, Dogs Today for her canicross exploits and was supporting the needs of poodle cross breeds for a high activity lifestyle.

Image-9Last summer we completed the Coast2Coast trail from St Bees to Robin Hoods Bay, camping the whole way and completed the 192 miles in 13 days. We also raised over £1200 for charity during the hike.
I have recently adopted a rescue cockapoo called Bingli who was given up for resource guarding. I have been doing lots of work with him and have found that after switching him to Akela, that his possessive tendancies have subsided and he is a lot more focussed when training. He had his first canicross training session last week and I am looking forward to racing with him in the future. I have also begun foundation agility with him and have high hopes for him here also.
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Your food has worked wonders for my mini pack and I want to thank you for that.”
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New Sponsored Pack Member – Selena Bray

Selena Bray has achieved continual successes with multiple dogs, of different breeds and sizes spanning over a few decades.

Selena started using Akela for their five strong team of competitive dogs and two retirees about a year ago after struggling to find a suitable food for all her dogs.

Selena1There’s a mixture of different breeds in the Bray household, including two Border Collies, an Australian Kelpie, two miniature poodles and two working cocker spaniels, and all but one (who is currently a few months old) are highly regarded in the sport of agility

They compete at the top level in the sport, qualifying and winning a vast amount of finals over the years, including those at Crufts and Olympia, also holding ‘Agility Champion’ status too.

The health and wellbeing of dogs is very important to Selena, training and asking her dogs to perform at their best takes a lot of energy and diet is paramount to any active pet.

Selena said ”since trying Akela we’ve never looked back!”

We look forward to hearing more about Selena’s success during 2017.

Pledge for Pippa – Stop Alabama Rot

Jessica Worthington recently got in touch with this pledge, which we felt we should share with our pack. Grab a coffee and take a minute to learn a little more about Alabama Rot.

What is CRGV?
Cutaneous and Renal Glomerular Vasculopathy (CRGV or ‘Alabama rot’) is a serious disease which has only recently been recognised in dogs in the UK. It causes lesions on the skin and occasionally in the mouth, which can look like bites, sores, wounds or stings. Some dogs go on to develop life-threatening kidney failure. Any age, sex, or breed of dog can be affected. The disease has been under investigation by Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists (working closely with a number of other organisations) for as long as the disease has been in the UK. Many possible causes, such as common bacterial infections and exposure to toxins, have been ruled out.

CRGV is a disease caused by damage to blood vessels of the skin and kidney. It causes tiny blood clots to form in the blood vessels which blocks them and can ultimately lead to damage of the affected tissue. In the skin, this causes ulceration; however, in the kidney it can lead to severe organ dysfunction (kidney failure). CRGV has not been seen in animals other than dogs. Owners of dogs affected by CRGV have not been affected by this illness in these cases.

CRGV- The facts
CRGV has been known since the late 1980’s in the USA. Since 2012 there have been 94 confirmed cases across the UK including in the New Forest area where the disease first became apparent. Unfortunately the disease cannot be confirmed unless a fatality occurs. The definitive diagnosis of CRGV is made by histopathological assessment of the kidneys at post mortem.

The cause at this time remains unknown but investigations are ongoing, an environmental cause for this disease is considered possible but it has not been proven with testing to date. Recent work by the senior curator of herbology, from the Natural History Museum, suggests that plants are an unlikely trigger for CRGV. Since 2012, more CRGV cases have been seen between November and May than between June and October, suggesting a possible Winter / Spring seasonality.

Treatment Options
CRGV is treated symptomatically. Skin lesions are usually managed with antibiotics to stop secondary infection and daily blood testing is indicated to check kidney function. Patients usually undergo intravenous fluid therapy to help support the kidneys during their hospital stay. Urine output is monitored and urine is tested to check protein levels. If evidence of kidney injury becomes apparent then there are various treatment options, many of which are very invasive and high risk. Treatments include
• Plasma Exchange- A process in which the patient’s blood is removed from the body, separated and plasma removed and replaced for donor plasma.
• Plasma transfusions- In which donor plasma is infused into the circulatory system.
• Dialysis- Which uses an artificial device to clean the blood of waste products.
Unfortunately despite numerous treatment options prognosis is still very grave. If a patient with CRGV develops kidney injury there is a ninety percent fatality rate.

Pippa’s story
I lost my beautiful dog Pippa to this cruel disease on the 15th December 2015 after an innocent, fun walk in the woods with my other dog Molly. They both developed skin lesions but 4 days later Pippa started to show signs of kidney damage.

Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists referred her to the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals (RVC) for Plasma Exchange, plasma transfusion and Dialysis treatment. Despite intensive and aggressive treatment, the disease had taken over and she could not be saved. My dogs are my absolute world and this disease has left me truly, truly heartbroken. I am without my baby girl and Molly is without her sister.

Fundraising
A few weeks at home living without Pippa urged me to start fundraising to help develop research into this relatively unknown disease. I do not want any other dog owners to feel the heartache that I am living with.

All money raised will be donated to The Alabama Rot Research Fund. Research into new diseases requires a lot of funding. This pays for the development of new diagnostic tests, investigation of the causes of the disease and ultimately the development of more effective treatments which could help numerous dogs in the future.

Pippa’s charity facebook page is ‘Pledge for Pippa. Stop Alabama Rot’
For information regarding the charity and disease www.arrf.co.uk is that best place to go.

Clash of the K9s -An Intro to this Worldwide Sporting Dog Event

Recently some of our sponsored pack members entered “Clash of the K9s”, a fantastic event where borders and breed are no boundary. Keeley, one of the Sporting Dogs England team tells us about the event:

“Clash of the K9s is a large organised event spread across several countries where any breed can compete, there are 5 disciplines the dogs have to complete.

Track mill; track mill is a very basic discipline, it’s a continuous string held high from the ground attached to 2 wheels on poles and a bag tied to the string, the handler uses a peddle or remote to move the bag around in the air so the dog runs back and forth, the distance of each run is 100 ft or about 30 mtrs, they do this for 7 mins and each run counted, your score is how many runs the dog gets in 7 mins.

A-Frame
A-Frame
A-Frame and long jump are disciplines that more people are familiar with as they are common at agility events although the way we score a-Frame is how many overs in 60 seconds and the dog has to complete 3 rounds. The dogs score is all 3 A-Frames together. Long jump is how far the dog jumps in 7 mins divided by the dogs body height and then X 10,

High Jump Canine Athletics
High Jump
Then we have high jump where the dogs have to jump up and grab a toy, they get 7 mins to get the best height they can, the distance jumped is then divided by the dogs body height and then X by 10.

Lastly we do tug of war where dogs are paired with dogs of similar ability and weight, each dog gets a toy and they hold on for a max of 20 mins, points are scored for how long (up to a max of 20 mins) a dog will hold on for.

The competition isn’t generally for your average pet dog; all the dogs that compete are trained to a high standard of fitness and ability.
Sporting dogs England who are sponsored by Akela took part in the event and placed well worldwide against 168.
We are hoping this competition gets bigger every year, all breed events are rare and it is even rarer to have a competition in several countries on the same weekend with live results.”

For more info on the competition visit: http://www.clashofthek9.com

Yet More Akela Fuelled Agility Stars Join Our Sponsored Pack

After feeding Akela and seeing the benefits for her agility dogs, Blyth approached us for sponsorship for her and her dogs. With such a great record at just 19 it was hard to say no. We will let Blyth introduce herself…

“My name is Blyth Fox, I am currently 19 years old and studying at Solihull College. Studying Animal Welfare and Behaviour foundation degree through Oxford Brookes.

Akela Sponsored Member Blyth Fox
Akela Sponsored Member Blyth Fox

Akela Sponsored Member Blyth FoxI currently own two dogs. My first dog is Rosie a five-year-old Jack Russell Terrier. Rosie is my first agility dog. We started training when she was 15 months and after a year we competed at our first show. In one season, we went from grade 1 to grade 7! We have now been competing for three years. Within these three years we have made the YKC agility at Crufts three years running and in 2017 we gained second place in the senior jumping. Last season we came third in the Adams show off jumping cup final. We have also attended the UKA finals for two years.

Akela Sponsored Member Blyth FoxMy second dog is Roo who is a 20-month-old Working Cocker Spaniel. He had his first show in January and won up to grade four. He is still very young and has a lot still to come! “

We look forward to seeing Blyth’s future developments and wish her all the best for 2017.