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Move over Hemsley sisters, there’s a new healthy eating duo in town: the Houndsley Brothers. Preaching the benefits of clean eating, you’ll perhaps be surprised to learn they’re not the latest YouTubers to jump on the trend. They are, in fact, a pair of adorable black spaniels.

That’s right, clean eating for dogs is the latest trend to sweep the petcare category, fronted by the glossy-coated duo. They are heading up Forthglade’s Clean Eating for Dogs campaign, which was launched in August 2016.

“The Houndsley Brothers and the Clean Eating for Dogs campaign are a simple way to raise awareness of what to look out for when buying petfood, provide more details on ingredients and also advice on feeding,” says Patrick Horton, commercial director, Forthglade. “Around 10% of dogs are allergic to grain. Just as grain-free is growing within human food, it is growing within dogfood.”

Forthglade isn’t the only one concentrating on grain-free goodness for the nation’s furry friends. Pooch & Mutt, which added Grain Free Dog Treats to its range earlier this year, boasts naturally powered pet health. Harringtons also launched Hypoallergenic Dogfood while Butcher’s rolled out gourmet brand Cuffleberry & Co wet dogfood.

“The grain-free trend goes beyond the lifestyle choice that it can be for some humans, and is more rooted in reduced bloating and therefore fewer upset tummies for dogs,” says Helen Barr, UK sales director at Lily’s Kitchen. “For cats, grains don’t provide a nutritional benefit to them as they haven’t evolved to eat grains. Natural is a shortcut for many owners to health and therefore this trend is still prevalent in petfood and we expect it to stay for the foreseeable future.”

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