Natural..Holistic..Human Grade..Organic Treats, But what does this mean ?

PET TREATS ARE A SERIOUS BUSINESS THEY AREN'T JUST CUTE AND FUN…….

Holistic…Natural…Human Grade….

These are all terms used so often to describe Pet Food and Treats …. But does this make them ok for our fur babies???

The answer is a resounding NO!

We at L’Barkery are guilty of, and do use the term “Human Grade. That is to describe the quality of the ingredient, that it’s the best there is…. that it’s not a throw away, left-over, can’t use it for anything else but our pets type ingredient.

We are always eager to try and see new treat company’s wares. Not just for my own information but also to give my own fur baby (as she just can’t live on L’Barkery alone). Those that know us well know I purchase diverse types of treats for our girl Blade from several unbelievably passionate local treat vendors.

There are at present, many small home-made treat companies that make and sell outstanding healthy treats for our fur babies. But small business treat companies seem to be popping up everywhere, some disappearing when they realise the work, effort and cost, that goes into making and sustaining a healthy pet treat company. But the scariest thing is…. that a lot are NOT telling you exactly what’s in their products (some seem to not even know themselves). This is only a small percentage, but they can effect so many of our fur babies.

Making and or on selling healthy Pet treats is not as easy as it seems, firstly you should have a basic knowledge of what the pet can and cannot have. One would think this would be easy, as we can google anything these days. But it seems that some are even too lazy to do this, given what I have seen of late. When you decide to make or on sell pet treats to the public, for their precious ones, I believe that you take on a greater responsibility than just having fun and making your own fur baby a treat at home. The public is requiring us and trusting us to ensure the health and safety of their loved ones.

Just recently I was at a market and came across one of these new vendors…

I obviously checked out their Facebook page and shop…. apparently, they make all their own treats, they are human grade, holistic, beneficial, entertaining etc etc all the right words used to make them sound great….

I was also given a sample of some of their range of treats and became more shocked and disturbed by what I saw.

They were using a finished product that yes was and is intended for humans (hence their human grade claim) but the ingredients used in these products can have disturbing side effects not just to humans but more so for our pets. I went further to make sure I wasn’t incorrect in my thoughts.… hmm let’s see what the ingredients are; enhancer 621 (otherwise known as MSG) … water…polyphosphate (water purification chemicals used to correct problems caused by inorganic groundwater… E450 (synthetic salt also used in detergents) E120 red food colour extracted from insect. Wheat, sugar, wheat starch, salt and Crab flavour, fish (which we do not know) tapioca starch and E160 (red bell peppers or paprika). Doesn’t sound good for humans let alone a Pet. They don’t make this product they merely bought a human product did no research and dehydrated it….

Organic...hmmmm, well it is illegal firstly to call your product organic if you are not certified organic. It is a costly (that’s why organic certified products cost so much more) and this is a long-involved process with many requirements inspections and hoops to jump through. I give high fives to those that have gone through this process. Buying Organic products and using them does not make it an organic finished product. You need it grown organic, transported organic. Cooked organic (and 95% of ALL ingredients in the recipe need to be organic) and the list goes on. So next time you see organic ask if it is certified.

Now the word ‘Holistic’ is this a marketing ploy when it comes to pet treats? Well the answer is that it can be. There is no definitive meaning for the term ‘Holistic’, so some companies use it as they wish because its sounds good, so it must be good right. Wrong! What you need to do is read into the label and look past the title to find out what holistic means for that product and maker. The term Holistic in general, should represent that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Only natural ingredients are used. No chemicals or artificial anything. No antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, dyes etc. use of whole grains, fruits and vegetables. No processed parts or by-products of ingredients. The ingredients chosen for the recipe are selected to benefit the animal. They are not used merely to entice your pet to eat something they normally would not like sugar.

I’m writing this blog to make consumers aware of looking closely at treats (even ours), it’s not just about… does my pet find

it tasty?

We all know the benefits of eating a healthy diet. Make sure to read the label and not just go for the best sounding name, the most attractive packaging or look at how many social media followers they have.

Please don’t turn away from local treat vendors there are some unbelievable passionate people making these treats with love and care that will enhance your pet’s life.

BUT…. Ask questions

Do they make them?

Do they use local or imported products or ingredients?

If imported where from?

Do they know what’s in their treats and are they knowledgeable about them and the benefits of them? (not just one word answers)

Ensure ingredients are listed. (don’t accept I don’t list ingredients because people will copy, recipe and ingredients are 2 different things)

Get recommendations

You wouldn’t buy a product for yourself if you didn’t know what you were eating.... So why would you do it for your pet !!!!!