Combining a love for our animals and good nutrition!

Why Moonlight Natural Pet Store

Shinji photo

We have always been passionate about animals and good nutrition

To us, our dog Shinji is a family member. Moonlight Natural Pet Store was born out of our desire to have a place where our furry kids could socialize while ensuring they obtained the best in nutrition and quality pet care.

Our story started when we first met. She would (and still to this day) drive on the highway and shout “hi cows, hi horsey!” every time we drove by a farm. It was a little bit disconcerting for Eb as he was raised around animals but had never met anyone so ecstatic about animals. A few years later, we fell in love with a dog that we named Shinji and our every waking moment since has been about giving him the best food and to do all we can so that he is healthy and happy. That included not leaving him at home alone for long periods of time so we could work or go hang out with friends.

His only flaw is like most of our furry companions, they do not live as long as we want. We’d rather not waste a moment! ~ Jo and Eb

Shaped by experience

When Shinji came home with us, he came with a starter bag of "puppy food" kibble, which we now know included inferior ingredients such as poultry by-products and corn gluten meal. Like most first-time dog parents, we trusted that all pet food would be made with the best quality ingredients and didn’t ask questions.

Shinji started becoming itchy around this time and we researched and chose several premium brands of grain-free dry dog food, since we believe in good nutrition in our lives so why not the same for our new family member. A year or so later, with this premium brand of dog food, Shinji was excessively chewing and licking different parts of his body.

We went to our vet but felt like our veterinary care was more transactional than helpful. We changed to a holistic vet and months of testing followed as we sought ways of mitigating what we found out were allergies.

We switched him to raw dog food over six years ago and combined with desensitization shots stabilized his allergies. Ever since Shinji started eating quality raw food for dogs, we noticed that his coat was shinier, teeth cleaner, and he had less body odour. His environmental allergies are still a matter of constant work.

Based on our research and experience talking to holistic vets and a clinical pet nutritionist, we decided to carry a large selection of the best in all-natural, high quality raw pet food at our pet store, Moonlight Natural Pet Store, and make the option of feeding raw as economical and convenient as possible. We aim to be the best Vancouver pet store for all your raw pet food needs!

Our first bag of dog food contained

Poultry meal, Corn meal, Dried Beet Pulp, Lots of Synthetic Supplements

June 2007

Summer 2007-2009

What we thought was the
“best grain-free dog food”:

Fresh Meat,Identifiable Meat Meals Potato, Fruits & Veggies Few Synthetic Supplements

Why is he having allergies?
Feeding a dog raw meat seems to make sense

Some time in 2009

Since 2009

What we feed our dog now:

Whole Prey Raw Meat (including organs and bones, ideally from non-medicated, organic, or grass-fed animals) Fruits, Veggies, and Wholesome Ingredients

Why do we call it a 'dog cafe?'

Why do we call it “dog cafe” instead of a pet store? As most pet owners know, it is a pain to not be able to take your ‘Fido’ everywhere in the city! Most of us live a very busy life, juggling work, house work and social life. We often run into situations where we want to bring our dog or adventurous cat to hang out with friends, but get turned away by the “no pets allowed” policy in most indoor places. If you want to catch up with some friends in cold weather or the patio is not an option, forget about bringing your dog or ad- venturous cat along! For dog owners who already work full-time, it’s always heart-breaking to have to leave your dogs at home...

That’s why we wanted to provide a pet-friendly cafe environment where you can do all the things you want with your pet –meeting friends, working on your laptop, studying, reading or just simply getting out of the house for a change! As part of the raw pet food store, there is seating area with free wi-fi and a library, so that you can chill out and potentially meet new people and pets! We’ve also sourced the best in locally-made Vancouver pet supplies and products from artisans in Yaletown, East Vancouver and other parts of Vancouver!

Drop by our downtown Vancouver pet store in Yaletown (close to Gastown) and see the local gems we have found from and around Vancouver for you and your pets!

Moonlight Pet Store

Our commitment at Moonlight Natural Pet Store is to source the best in all-natural, free-range, non-medicated meat from ethical suppliers whenever possible. We will keep up with our suppliers to ensure that the food we obtain is from sustainable and healthy farming practices. It is not enough to ensure that the food is as close to whole prey as possible; it should also be high quality food and not trims.

To this end, we’ve stuck to our core beliefs and brought in the best Canadian raw pet food such as Carnivora, 3P Naturals, Red Dog Deli, BC’s Best Pet Food, Natural Instincts and the best US raw pet food such as Primal Pet Food and Steve’s Real Food. For those looking for freeze-dried raw pet food or dehydrated we stock K9 Natural and Ziwi Peak. Our treats are freeze-dried and dehydrated and a lot are Canadian!

We chose not to bring in too many kibble brands as we believe that dogs and cats do better on raw, canned or cooked diets. However, for those looking for kibble, we brought the best kibble brands which have low to no synthetic ingredients and are whole foods. Nature’s Logic, Carna4 and Grizzly Salmon kibble fit this profile. Our Wellness Cat Food and Weruva cat pouches are for the wellbeing of your cat.

As we believe your pet’s health is from inside out, we carry an extensive line of natural dog and cat supplements from Adored Beast, NaturPet, Olie Probiotics and fish oils as well as kelp oils from Nordic Natural, Grizzly Pet Products and Biologic Vet to help with your dog or cat’s skin and coat. Our line of joint supplements for aging/senior pets is also extensive.

Our sourcing extended to quality rain jackets for the Canadian dog during our Fall, Winter and Spring rains or snow. We carry RC Pet jackets, Canada Pooch, Eco-Pup and Hurtta to mention a few. Once your dog is wet, we suggest our carefully selected paraben free, natural dog shampoos and conditioners like Black Sheep Organics, K9 Kelp and Earth Bath.

For those looking for pet carriers either airline-approved or just for trips in the city, we carry great carriers like Sleepypod and Bergan. We also have a huge number of dog beds and cat beds for your Vancouver dog. (Please note, there will be NO delivery on Day Month Date. Sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for understanding.)

Store view
Store view

Lending a Paw to Vancouver Rescues

We believe that loving and caring for a pet makes us better people. We are committed to working with rescues in and around Vancouver to ensure that rescued cats and dogs can find a loving home. Our goal is to emphasize “Adopt don’t shop” and build a Vancouver community aimed at supporting rescue efforts. Follow us on Facebook for more on how we are working with rescues. If you are a rescue organization and want to work with us, please contact us at contact`at`moonlightpetstore.com or 604-559-3680.