FDA-APPROVED HANDCRAFTED DOG TREATS MADE OF PURE YAK MILK

By Athar Parvaiz

Visit ORGANIC SHOP by Pure & Eco India

Pet-pampering is now achieving new heights in India! Thanks to the new economic order, there’s a new fixation on serving the emotional and health needs of pets, particularly dogs.

Exemplifying this devotion to pets, a Bengaluru-based entrepreneur has set up an organic treat brand, Dogsee Chew, to cater for the growing demand for quality foods and snacks for dogs. Bhupendra Khanal, director of Khanal Foods, promoter of Dogsee Chew, says, “I have always been a dog lover and wanted to provide Indian pet owners with a range of treats that were human grade and devoid of additives—being both tasty and healthy at the same time. Thus was Dogsee born.”

Dogsee Chew has a network of over 6,000 farmers across India, Nepal and Bhutan, who handcraft the Chews locally. The Chews contain the milk of free range yak found in the hilly regions. The chews are later brought to a sourcing centre in Darjeeling and approved products are then transported to the processing and packaging unit in Bengaluru

Tartar can lead to Premature Death in Dogs

“Dogs inevitably face oral issues as the food they eat is not hard enough to either clean their teeth naturally or strengthen their gums. They also develop liver problems due to the high intake of chemicals and low quality ingredients in pet foods and treats. Both can contribute to premature death in dogs,” explains Khanal.

Dr Narendra R, chief veterinarian, Bangalore Pet Hospital, agrees. “The problem with unclean teeth is not only that of odour and aesthetics. With tartar comes bacterial accumulation, which in turn leads to gum decay,” he says. According to him, the dog’s teeth will start to fall out in the early stages of tartar build up which, he says, is a big red flag.

“In the advanced stages, the bacterial accumulation from tartar build up leads to internal diseases that can shorten life span and cause great discomfort towards the dog’s senior years. A medium sized dog’s lifespan is 12-14 years but most pet dogs die at between 7-10 years of age,” the doctor adds.

“Dogsee Chew is the answer to both these problems. It is high quality, human grade and additive free. The chews contain over 2,000 mg calcium per 100 gm, making them a rich source of natural calcium for dogs. Dogsee packs a variety of vitamins, making it an excellent multivitamin source; minerals like magnesium, phosphorous, zinc and manganese also strengthen Dogsee,” says Khanal.

Khanal has shared an SGS laboratory report with Pure & Eco India attesting his claims, besides also sharing an approved test certificate from the Shriram Institute for Industrial Research, indicating that the Chews contain 59.2 percent protein per 100 gm. “But even though the product is made from milk, the lactose content is equivalent to that of curd. Milk has lactose content of 8 to 11% but our product has about 0.9% lactose only,” he informs.

How Dogsee is Made

Dogsee Chew has a network of over 6,000 farmers across India, Nepal and Bhutan, who handcraft the chews locally. The chews contain the milk of free range yak found in the hills above 3,000 metres of height. They are later brought to a sourcing centre in Darjeeling, West Bengal, and approved products are then transported to the processing and packaging unit in Bengaluru.

Conscious pet owners are lapping up the treats. “The response has been amazing; much better than we expected,” Khanal beams, revealing that Dogsee is now geared to launch human grade cookies, which have been designed after extensive R&D.

The mandate of Dogsee Chew, according to Khanal, is to provide human grade and natural foods to pets. “We strongly believe that dog food should be human grade and the only distinguishing factor should be taste. Never quality. I personally eat with my dog. We eat separate things but there is no sense of revulsion or disgust towards his food. I never wash my hands after touching his food,” Khanal concludes.

Thrice as tough as rawhide bones and thereby offering rigorous teeth cleaning, Dogsee Chew products are sold online and are widely available at pet shops and veterinarian clinics across the country. Currently the only pet food product to be FDA (Food & Drug Administration) approved in the country, Dogsee secured angel funding of Rs 2 crore by fellow dog lovers— Renu Balyan and Jyotsna Bapat—in July.

Dogspeed!