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Start with the animal My mission is to help owners understand the animal in front of them, so feeding decisions begin with its identity, biology and function. At MADRA, the starting point is: Identity → Biology → Anatomy → Physiology → Behaviour → Function → Feeding → Nutrition That order matters. Before asking what should go into a meal, I ask what kind of animal we are feeding, how its body works and what feeding needs to allow it to do. Food is the delivery system. Biology

For most of my life in the animal industry, I thought I was learning about nutrition. Like everyone else, I started where the conversation always seemed to start. What should dogs eat? Which ingredients are good? Which ones are bad? How much protein do they need? Is one diet healthier than another? Whether the discussion involved kibble, raw feeding, home prepared diets or supplements, it almost always began with food. Looking back, I don't think that was because people lacke

I’ve always found it striking how differently we react to foods depending on their origin. Mention blueberries, kale, or spinach and people light up, seeing them as symbols of health and vitality. Mention liver, kidneys, tripe, skin, or a whole prey animal and the response often shifts to suspicion, as if these are somehow risky or old-fashioned. This makes sense in our culture. For decades we’ve been bombarded with the message that colorful plant foods are the gold standard

There is a common belief that dogs have changed dramatically over the last few thousand years. On the surface, that feels obvious. They look different, behave differently, and live in environments completely removed from anything their ancestors experienced. It seems reasonable to assume that because everything around them has changed, something fundamental within them must have changed as well. But that assumption quietly skips over a more important question. What kind of ch

Prevention has become a major focus in modern pet care. More owners are engaging with it, clinics are built around it, and the idea itself is simple enough, step in earlier and we avoid bigger problems later. On the surface, that sounds like progress. But if we’re honest, there’s a harder question sitting underneath it: why do we need so much prevention in the first place? Because prevention, in its true sense, should reduce the need for intervention over time. It should simp

There is a point in almost every conversation about feeding dogs where the discussion quietly shifts. It starts with the animal, what it is, how it behaves, what it’s built to do. And then, almost without noticing, it gets pulled into a different space entirely. Nutrients. Percentages. Ingredients. Studies. This is not accidental. It is where the pet food industry is most comfortable, because once the discussion is reduced to nutrients, the animal itself no longer has to make

Chicken has become one of the most demonised proteins in modern pet nutrition. Many dog owners now confidently state that their pet is “allergic to chicken.” This belief is often reinforced by veterinary clinics, online education, and increasingly, veterinary influencers on social media. One recent example comes from Australian veterinarian and social media figure Dr Will Maginness. He publicly stated that chicken is the worst protein to feed dogs and that he would not includ

This roadmap outlines what will be available at Madra Pet Wellness, when offerings will be released, and how the work will expand over time. It is designed to be transparent, realistic, and grounded in biological principles. This is a living document and may evolve as the business and education deepen. Core Focus: Species-Appropriate Nutrition Madra Pet Wellness is built on a clear foundation: Species-appropriate nutrition as the cornerstone of health. Throughout 2026 and bey

By Tristan Harris, Animal Welfare Consultant, MADRA We Think We’re Feeding Naturally, But We’re Missing the Deeper Truth More pet owners are awakening to the flaws of processed pet food. They are choosing instead the raw vitality of meat, bones, and organs. This shift to raw feeding honors a dog’s ancestral diet. It rejects the artificiality of commercial kibble. Yet, too often, raw feeding becomes a sterile routine. Ground portions, precisely measured, served on a clockwork

# The Truth About Pet Nutrition: Nourishing Our Animals Naturally ## A Call to Action for Pet Guardians The dialogue around pet nutrition is broken. It obsesses over isolated nutrients, percentages on a label, and the illusion of a "complete and balanced" formula. But in doing so, it misses the most vital truth. This truth is the very bedrock of what it means to nourish an animal: every aspect of their being, their evolutionary blueprint, their profound interaction with their

By Tristan Harris, Animal Nutritionist, MADRA In today’s world, the conversation around animal wellness, especially nutrition, has become deeply confused. What used to be a matter of biological fact has now been hijacked by emotional rhetoric, commercial marketing, and human ideological projection. I’ve had enough conversations, read enough comments, and witnessed enough misguided advice to say with confidence: We have lost touch with what it means to truly care for the anim