If you’re one of the many dog lovers in the city, you might have heard of Woofabix and its beautifully designed baked dog treats made from 100 per cent natural ingredients.
The brand is the brainchild of Caroline Lovell, who started dabbling in making dog-friendly snacks after her pet started having health issues.
We chat with Caroline to learn more about the genesis of Woofabix, the process of making the tasty goodies and her advice to fellow canine lovers.
Incidentally, Woofabix will be at the Pet Festival on 15th March at du Forum on Yas Island.
Abu Dhabi Talking readers attending the event are also in for a treat courtesy of Woofabix so read on to find out more.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I am British and I grew up in beautiful city in Hampshire in the south of England surrounded by countryside, horses and dogs.
I have been an expat for 15 years, first living in Spain then moving to France, where we renovated an old farmhouse.
I came to Abu Dhabi in January 2015, following my husband who was already working over here.
Our three dogs Mono, Bailey and Lewis joined us in Abu Dhabi the very next day.
I’m not a big city girl, having worked in London, I didn’t love the hustle and bustle so life in Abu Dhabi has suited me perfectly.
I live in Al Raha Beach with my husband, our daughter Hattie who is three months old and our dog Mono who is 14 years old. In 2018 Mono was awarded Dubai’s oldest pet.
Can you please tell us more about Woofabix and what led you to come up with it?
Soon after arriving in Abu Dhabi, our yellow Labrador, Bailey, developed many allergies and we needed to do a food elimination diet including all treats.
I found it hard to find any healthy and natural treats. Many had ingredients, which were less than desirable – my boys deserved better so it got me thinking.
I mentioned to our veterinarian that I was thinking of creating my own dog treats. We chatted about different ingredients. I sought the advice of an animal nutritionist and did an awful lot of research into natural ingredients with potential health benefits.
Within a month, I had sought out a selection of ingredients, had custom cookie cutters made and I was baking treats for my precious pooches. Friends started to ask me to make treats for their dogs, too.
This is when I realised that I wasn’t the only person who wanted the best for their dogs.
Word of mouth spread and I was encouraged to bake more and attend pop up markets to sell Woofabix. The first market was superb and I sold all my stock.
Woofabix has been a huge hit with the dog owners of Abu Dhabi and continues to be so, now across the UAE.
For special occasions, we even make dog birthday cakes and ‘Woofins’ – beautifully decorated Woofabix muffins for dogs.
We are a UAE registered business with a commercial licence.
What makes your dog treats unique?
We add nature’s own supplements to each of our Woofabix flavours because nature’s supplements can help avoid, control, treat and remedy ailments.
So, we create treats with health benefits, something tasty without the addition of salt, sugar, colours or preservatives.
Our treats are made with natural ingredients. Our recipes are unique and designed by us. We also get them checked by veterinarians. We have even developed a range of grain-free treats due to some of our furry friend’s allergies.
Our dog birthday cakes and Woofins are made to order so we can even change our ingredients and create recipes for dogs with allergies.
In terms of making them, how do you usually do the treats?
We spend a lot of time in the kitchen. We start with our flour base, we add our primary ingredient for example – freshly baked pumpkin, then we add some of nature’s own supplements, such as cinnamon, ginger, turmeric or parsley.
Next, we mix in our other ingredients until we have our dough. We roll out our dough and using our custom-made cookie cutters, cut each individual bone shaped treat to size before baking them for 45 minutes.
What are your bestsellers?
Oh, that’s a tricky one. With our mixed bags we include all our flavours: Crunchy Carrot, Green Apple, Pumpkin Paws, Peanut Butter and Beefy Bites.
Our Beefy Bites are probably our most popular, or maybe the Peanut Butter? You would have to ask your dog what they think.
Why is it important for dogs to get food that is best suited for them?
Your vet would always the best person to guide you on the most suitable diet for your pet.
There are some amazing brands of pet foods on the market now, many with natural ingredients, we love to see this.
We believe that dogs don’t need anything artificial in their diet. They certainly don’t need certain chemically treated products or products with added sugar.
We never add salt, sugar, colours or preservatives to any of our recipes. Our dogs have always loved carrots and that’s their after breakfast treat, every day.
They have never had to have any dental work and their teeth are just beautiful, even at the amazing age of 14.
Any advice to pet owners, especially dog owners when it comes to feeding their pets?
We always recommended talking to your vet about feeding your pets. We choose to stick to what we know best and that’s making our tail wagging treats.
The German Veterinary Clinic (GVC) in Khalifa City stocks a range of Woofabix and will happily help advise you on the best foods for your pets.
Always check the labels and know what you are feeding your precious pooches. There are many human foods, which are poisonous to dogs.
Are you going to be at the Pet Festival?
We have been baking all week and can’t wait to attend The Pet Festival again this year!
We love meeting our dog customers at this event, because most of the time we just get to meet the humans,
If you mention Abu Dhabi Talking, we’ll give you *10% off on Woofabix products on the day! We’ll see you there.
For more information, visit facebook.com/woofabix or instagram.com/woofabix. For order or enquiries, contact [email protected]
*Subject to availability
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