FAQ
All of our products are freeze-dried. This process removes moisture from the ingredients while retaining the flavor, texture and aromas. Because the product is not exposed to high temperatures and high pressure (e.g. extrusion), the ingredients keep their nutritional integrity. This allows Guardian, with our patent pending technology, to create a nutrient dense product at a fraction of its original weight.
At Guardian Pet Food Company we believe ingredients should be three things…Real. Simple. Honest. By providing high quality ingredients that are easily digestible and nutrient dense, we don’t need a deck of 40, 50 or 70 ingredients. Everything your dog needs comes from our 22 ingredients. And you won’t need the internet to know what they are or why they’re in our products. Click here to see why we include what we do. Additionally, since our products do not go through high temperature processing we are able to utilize fruits and vegetables to supply the appropriate amounts of vitamins and minerals.
Yes! Our Canine Food Bars contain all of the amino acids, vitamins and minerals that your pet needs in order to be healthy. All of our Bars are formulated for all breeds, Adult Maintenance. Guardian Pet Food Company strongly recommends consulting with your veterinarian to determine the proper feeding guidelines for your dog as their specific needs will vary according to age, activity level and environment.
Most food sensitivities that cause GI distress come from the grains used in the pet food (e.g. corn and wheat). MoRE Canine Food Bars don’t have any grains and are highly digestible. Because of this it most likely will not be necessary to transition your pet. This is why MoRE is an excellent option for the occasional adventures with your dog. As with any potential health concerns, we encourage you to consult with your veterinarian.
No. Unlike other freeze-dried products, you do not need to rehydrate the product at all. Just be sure to provide your dog with fresh water ad-libitum everyday.
Guardian Pet Food Company products are all freeze-dried which acts as a natural preservative for the food as the moisture that causes bacterial growth and degradation is removed. We also add in a small amount of mixed tocopherols (a natural preservative and source of vitamin E). Additionally, we nitrogen flush our packaging which removes oxygen, to keep everything fresh. While our product is good and retains it’s full nutritional values at 2 years, we suggest that the products are “best if used within 18 months”.
MoRE is completely balanced for everyday feeding(for adult maintenance and growth). Some people may choose to feed our Bars exclusively while others will feed them occasionally or while out on adventures, traveling or in any situation where a bowl of kibble just isn’t appropriate. Should you chose to feed MoRE bars occasionally, make sure you cut back on the amount of their regular food so your dog does not consume too many calories in a day.
For specifics, please refer to each product's "Typical Analysis" page. Since we believe in being transparent we provide out nutritional profiles on each product page. Additionally, we provide our profiles on an as consumed basis and on 1000 kcal basis. Lastly, you will see we provide pie charts to let you know where the calories in MoRE comes from.
Dogs get their energy from calories and calories originate in macronutrients: protein, carbohydrate and fat. All three macronutrients are needed or a healthy diet. The quality and digestibility of these macronutrients does matter; it refers to the amount that must be consumed by the dog in order to fulfill his amino acid requirements. The higher the biologic value (digestibility) of a macronutrient, the less that is needed in the food/diet. On each of our products, Guardian Pet Food Company shows the distribution of calories based on these macronutrients. This is showing you where your dog will get the calories/energy it needs for the day. Biologically, dogs use fat for energy as it is easily metabolized, protein for building and repairing cells and carbohydrates as a “stop gap” for easy access to energy. Excess carbohydrates are converted and stored as body fat or can reduce digestibility and be excreted as feces.
The simple answer is no. Unfortunately, the industry has focused on decimal point nutrition vs. grams of intake per day. One bar of MoRE weighs 57 grams (2oz). A MoRE bar that provides 35% protein would provide 58 grams of protein per 1000 kcal. AAFCO 2017 requires a minimum of 56 grams of protein per1000 kcal per day for growth (45 for adult).
The simple answer is no. Unfortunately, the industry has focused on decimal point nutrition vs. grams of intake per day. One bar of MoRE weighs 57 grams (2oz). A MoRE bar that provides 34% fat would provide 37 grams of fat per 1000 kcal. AAFCO requires a minimum of 21 grams of fat per 1000 kcal per day for growth (14 for adult). Unfortunately, these minimums focus primarily on omega 6-fatty acids. Our bars are formulated for the optimal levels of omega 6 fatty acids, omega 3 fatty acids and take into account omega6:omega3. This ensures your dog gets the proper levels to help support a healthy skin and coat and the energy they need to keep up with you on your daily activities with them.
Since we use freeze drying to make our products we are not required to utilize higher levels of carbohydrates. When kibble is extruded, the process requires carbohydrates (mainly starches) to help form and expand the kibble. Others may be using high levels carbohydrates because it is less expensive than the fat and protein sources they are using in their formulas.
No. Corn and soy are the most common sources of GMOs and neither of them are found in our products.
Patent pending is a legal designation or expression that can be used in relation to a product or process once a patent application for the product or process has been filed, but prior to the patent being issued. Since our MoRE bar is innovative and not your typical kibble, we wanted to make sure we didn’t have “big” companies trying to copy cat our product.
B Corp is the term used for any for-profit entity that is certified by the nonprofit B Lab as voluntarily meeting higher standards of transparency, accountability, and performance. This includes things like fair-trade, sustainability and trying to make the world a better place. Unfortunately, not all companies have these things in mind and simply look for profit.
As part of being a B-Corp, we are always looking for ways to be sustainable. By sourcing our ingredients in the USA, we avoid large shipping fees and our carbon footprint tied to fossils fuels from shipping overseas. Additionally, freeze-dried foods weigh less than half that of other foods (e.g. wet foods contain 75% water). This means a lighter weight product and lower consumption of fossil fuels and energy. Lastly, we have partnered with Terracycle to ensure we can recycle our packaging.
Yes. Guardian Pet Food Company uses less overall packaging materials due to the size of our products. While this not only lessens the impact on material usage, it also lowers the emissions from lighter weight shipments. Guardian has also partnered with Terracycle in order to offer all of our customers the ability to return used packaging so that it can be properly recycled.
We use liver in our products for several reasons. The first and most important is that the liver of animals is high in protein, vitamins and minerals that are essential to the well being of your dog. We use liver rather than pre-mixes of synthetic vitamins and minerals. The second reason is that dogs find liver to have an irresistible taste.
We formulate for complete and balanced nutrition. By utilizing multiple protein sources we are able to avoid supplementing synthesized trace nutrients like amino acids.
No, our product is not cooked. Our products are freeze-dried in order to preserve the nutrients that naturally occur in our ingredients. The freeze-drying process also retains the flavor, texture and aroma of the ingredients. We flash freeze our products after mixing and then place them in the freeze dryers where sublimation occurs. This is where the moisture is taken from a solid state and converted directly into a gas.
All of the ingredients in our products are grown and/or raised in the USA and Canada. We do NOT use any ingredients from China.
Yes! MoRE Canine Food Bars are over 90% digestible and are very nutrient dense (6300 kcal/kg). Because of this, your dog will require less food and will utilize more of what is fed than with other diets.
Our Whole Prey Treats are a single animal protein sourced product that contains real meat, hearts and livers. You will never find fillers, natural or artificial flavors or fillers. They are available in Turkey, Chicken and Beef. Similar to MoRE we freeze dry our treats to lock in the nutrition and maintain the flavor.
Yes. Flaxseed is commonly used in dog foods as a source of alpha-linolenic acid.
We only perform research trials on dogs as it relates to the nutritional levels, palatability and digestibility of our products.
We test all of our finished goods as well as our raw materials to deliver proper nutrition and to ensure food safety. We are a USDA audited and third party audited facility to adhere to Current Good Manufacturing Practices Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations Part 111. We also audit our suppliers to ensure our high quality standards are met even before our manufacturing process begins. No finished products will be released unless it tests negative for salmonella and listeria. Want more detail? Click to learn more.
MoRE Canine Food Bars are formulated to meet the nutritional values established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profile for Adult Maintenance. We suggest feeding one Bar per 25lbs of body weight daily. A dog’s specific needs will vary according to age, activity level and environment. Be sure to always provide fresh water in a clean bowl and supervision when feeding.
No. Guardian is free of all artificial ingredients. In our MoRE Canine Food Bars we use a blend of mixed tocopherols which are made up of vitamin E.
No. All of the meat ingredients we select for our products are raised without the use of antibiotics and growth hormones. Additionally, Federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones in poultry.
Yes. None of our formulas include high glycemic foods like corn, rice, or added sugar. We use several complex carbohydrates that provide for a slower release of nutrients into the bloodstream. These ingredients, along with higher levels of protein and fat, create high levels of satiety.
Yes. If for any reason you or your pet is not satisfied with our products, we will accept a return and credit you for any product that is returned within 30 days of your purchase. Unfortunately shipping charges will not be refunded. If you purchased our products from one of our retail partners, please bring the unused portion back to the retailer for a full refund. We will then credit the retailer once the return has been processed.
Our Standard Shipping is FREE and our Expedited Shipping rate is $9.95. Guardian Pet Food Company sells our MoRE products in full cases and our WHoLE Prey and No Prey Treats are sold individually and in case quantities. We do our best to turn orders around as quickly as possible. Most customers will receive their order within 2-4 days of order placement.
The MoRE Canine Food Bars are individually wrapped in light blocking packaging and, have a nitrogen flush prior to sealing in order to remove any excess moisture. Any of our unopened wrappers will allow for a 2 year shelf life of our freeze dried bars. We’ve yet to see anyone have an opened package last for very long but if you need to store it, keep it in a cool, dry place until you are ready to feed it.
As tested by a third party lab, our Canine Food Bars were shown to be more than 90% digestible. For example, if your dog eats one 2oz MoRE Bar, it has been shown that 1.862oz will be digested and used by the dog. This leaves 0.138oz in fecal matter. Over the course of one year, that ends up being just over 3lbs of waste. If your dog was to eat a traditional dry kibble with 80% digestibility (today’s diets on average are between 60-90%), their daily feeding requirement will vary based on their food but on average it will be about 10.5oz. This leaves 2.1oz in urine and fecal matter. That’s over 45lbs of waste in one year!