FAQs

We may be new to you, but The Pet Pantry has been serving North Carolina and the entire country since 2005. We deliver millions of pounds of foods to thousands of customers every year. Rather than spending lots of money on advertising (like our competitors), we let word of mouth communicate our quality and customer service.

No, we are an LLC. We are a local business, and we are the one and only!

We take a lot of care and effort to blend a “super premium” product. Our foods are naturally preserved, fresh, contain no sugars, no dyes, no chemicals or pesticides, have yucca, kelp and contain many ingredient upgrades and are cooked by people who care about the quality of what they’re making. We’re happy to show you the advantages of our products compared to what you are currently using. Good Dog magazine (a consumer report on the pet industry) rates us as having “high quality and excellent performance”. The Whole Dog Journal rates our Holistic line a “TOP RATED DOG FOOD”.

When it comes to your pet’s health, feeding lower quality food is just not good enough. We know quality nutrition promotes good health. We’ve all heard “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” At The Pet Pantry, not only can we provide you with quality nutrition, but we could actually reduce your cost per feed. As with people, proper nutrition shows the most results late in your pet’s life.

YES! That’s because we don’t spend millions on national advertising, middlemen, or expensive storefronts. We can also save you money over most grocery store brands because higher quality nutrition means you feed less of our product. This also means you will have less to pick up in the yard and will be providing your pet with a healthier life!

No problem, just give us a call and if at all possible we will make a special delivery. We take our responsibility to you and your pets very seriously and do not want anyone to go hungry!

Reading an ingredient label and trying to understand what it all means can be overwhelming. We want to help breakdown the difference between “meat meals,” “meat by-products,” and “wet meat,” and let you know why we choose meat meals as a primary source of protein. When browsing our recipes, you’ll notice our formulas feature an animal-sourced protein meal as the first ingredient. This is intentional because meat processed this way offers an advanced nutritional advantage to your pet. So, what is “meat meal?” According to AAFCO, (the Association of American Feed Control Officials) the formal definition of meat meal is the rendered product from mammal tissues, exclusive of any added blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents except in such amounts as may occur unavoidably in good processing practices. In other words, it’s the protein in rendered form, so most of the water & fat have been removed to make a concentrated protein/mineral ingredient. The main advantage to a meal is that it’s approximately 300% higher in protein than wet meat. That’s why we choose animal sourced meals over wet meat. At The Pet Pantry, we never use animal by-product, which is the non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals. It includes, but is not limited to, lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, livers, blood, bone, partially de-fatted low temperature fatty tissue, stomachs and intestines that freed of their contents.

Many formulas contain organic ingredients. While not 100% organic, all formulas follow the organic concept and are made with antibiotic-free meat meal proteins, with no added hormones and all grains are pesticide-free.

It depends on what issue your pet is facing. Please talk with us and we can see if we might have a blend that would be appropriate. We will provide you with all of the nutritional information and you can discuss this with your Vet. We do not want you to take your pet off of a prescription food without consulting with your Vet.

Making the choice to serve your pet a wet canned food or a dry kibble is a personal one – meaning it’s up to you & your pet. There’s no right or wrong choice. To help you make the best decision for your family, we’ve compiled a list of advantages for each pet food type. Kibble A convenient feeding option (no refrigeration needed & easier storage) The process of chewing a dry kibble provides various oral health benefits A more economical friendly choice Dry kibble creates less waste than canned food Canned Food Canned foods tend to be more palatable, even for picky eaters High-moisture content can help keep pets hydrated Pets with chronic dental problems may find wet food a perfect solution Many pet parents feed a combination, using canned food as a topper on the dry kibble base.

We choose to use only natural preservatives that not only preserve the food but come with added health benefits for your pet. Our combination of mixed tocopherols, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid on our panels), Rosemary Extract and Vitamin E preserves the food and also provides additional antioxidants that scavenge free radicals and prevent cell damage.

Although we see dogs get very excited over the flavor, there are some that prefer a softer kibble (especially if you have fed them a soft kibble in the past). We suggest adding a little warm water to the kibble. This helps to release the aroma of the food and will soften the kibble. We do recommend feeding dry kibble to help with their teeth and gum health. For puppies specifically: * Definitely add warm water to soften the kibble for their puppy teeth. When puppies are teething they may be shying away from hard food. * A puppy’s tastes preference is sometimes determined by the diet fed to the mother. For example, if the mother was fed a lamb diet…the puppy may be inclined to prefer a lamb puppy food.

All of our dry kibbles are made to our specifications, ingredients and recipes by Ohio Pet Foods. Their plants are USDA, AIB and APHIS inspected. We work with only American companies. We only work with small companies that are as concerned about quality and your pet’s health as we are. Unlike many dog food companies, we are proud to tell you who makes our food for us. We take quality control very seriously. We start by specifying that all ingredients are human grade quality. All of the incoming ingredients are sampled and tested before being allowed into production. Our food is made to order in small batches to ensure you are getting some of the freshest food available. All Pet Pantry blends meet AAFCO feed trial and/or Nutrient Profiles.

The Pet Pantry does not do any testing on laboratory or caged animals, or do we have a kennel facility or cattery. Members of our Breeder Advisory Council, using their personal pets, normally perform nutritional and palatability tests.

You can order anytime on our website or by calling (919)303-1990. We deliver all around the Triangle Monday – Saturday and the Triad on Tuesday and Thursday, and you do not need to be home to get a delivery. We can also bring by many other items like biscuits, canned food, or treats so we can be your one stop shop!

Brown rice is full of natural fiber that supports our pet’s digestive system. It’s also an excellent source of complex-carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Brown rice also benefits the heart thanks to vitamins A & D. This superfood also contains minerals and vitamins essential to our pet’s health, including calcium, iron and riboflavin.

We understand many pet parents and pet lovers are concerned about the news surrounding a potential link between certain dog recipes and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). With more than 40 years of experience working with select ingredients, we understand legumes (such as chickpeas and lentils), grains, and potatoes are complex carbohydrates. If a formula is made up of too many complex carbohydrates, then certain health conditions may appear due to issues with digestibility. Vegetable proteins also lack the quantity of taurine, which is needed to aid in proper digestion, stabilize membranes around the nerves, and assist in cardiovascular function. Animal proteins, however, are proven to have a greater source of taurine. In order to have an increased risk of DCM from feeding a grain-free diet, the diet must have a higher percentage of protein sourced from vegetables than from meats. Our company ensures our recipes are formulated with more meat proteins. The governing body that sets nutritional standards for pet food sold in the United States, The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), currently does not enforce a minimum taurine level in dog formulations. This is primarily because dogs naturally synthesize taurine. AAFCO does require a .10% minimum taurine level for cat foods, and our inclusion rates surpass this requirement.

We are proud to work with 20+ Animal Rescue groups in our area and make regular donations through our H.E.A.L. program. To learn more please click on Programs on the top menu bar and select H.E.A.L.