Are you a registered Canine Bakery? Yes, we are registered with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. We are proud to say that our treats have been randomly tested several times from the PA Dept of Agriculture and we have passed each time.
Your treats are homemade therefore they must be All Natural… This is the biggest misconception out there among pet parents about homemade treats. Ingredients dictate whether or not a treat is All Natural not where it is made. Most dog treat bakeries list their recipes not their ingredients, and because of this many consumers are misled that products are all natural when in fact they are not.
If a recipe contains ingredients that are processed, most likely this will no longer allow a treat to be considered all natural. While most of our undecorated treats are All Natural, our decorated treats are not due to the yogurt coating wafers, food coloring, and sprinkles that we use. Since there is a lack of regulations on government requirements for pet treat labeling we could most likely get away with the All-Natural statement on all our treats, but it is our choice not to. We would rather be straight forward and not mislead.
What type of flours do you use? We choose only to use the highest grade quality flours available in our treats. Both our Whole Wheat and our Unbleached White Flour are Unbromated CERTIFIED. In our Wheat Free treats we use a gluten free flour mix of Garbanzo Flour, Potato Starch, Tapioca Flour, Sweet White Sorghum Flour, and Fava. This flour mixture also produces a higher protein treat.
What is Xanthan Gum? We use this in our wheat free treats. Xanthan Gum is made from a tiny microorganism called Xanthomonas campestris and is a natural carbohydrate. It is called for in gluten free recipes as it takes the place of gluten in holding the dough together.
What type of Peanut Butter do you use? We use creamy peanut butter made only from roasted USDA, Non-GMO Peanuts. No added sugars, salt, or hydrogenated oil.
Do you use salt in your treats? No, there is enough natural occurring sodium in the raw ingredients there is no need to add more. We also look to eliminate it where possible by using salt free options. Most do not know that our pets can have high blood pressure just like humans. Some would argue that salt is acting as a natural preservative in treats, but this is not true. Adding a teaspoon of salt to a recipe does not act as a preservative at all, the amount needed to do so would be so high that the treat would not taste good.
Why use Carob?
Carob is a dog-safe alternative to chocolate. It does not contain Theobromine which is life threatening to dogs.
What should I look for when buying treats for our pet and how many can my dog eat? Become a label reader, educate yourself! If you do not understand what an ingredient is look it up. Be concerned with fat and try to keep your everyday treats lower in fat content. Remember these are TREATS. One to two a day. Special once a week treats like decorated items should not exceed 25% in fat. To much fat can also cause gastric upset. Canine obesity is a huge problem today. Dogs can become obese from a diet that is too high in fat, from over feeding, or from little or no exercise.
How long do our treats keep? Treats made from our regular peanut butter buscuit recipe, as well as all of our trates made from wheat free recipes will last 10 months. Each treat is labeled with an expiration date at the bottom. It’s best to store them in a cool cubbard or pantry. Our decorated treats have a yogurt wafer coating they can melt if exposed to warmer temperatures. They do not need to be kept in a dark place, but it’s good to note they certain colors may fade if exposed to light after a while. Our pupcakes are the only item that has a shorter shelf life of 10 days. We recommend feeding them to your dog by the expirtaion date or storing them in the fridge for up to 3 more days, or you could store them in the freezer for up to a month.
Your treats look like decorated cookies, can people eat them too? Yes! We get asked this all the time. Our products are meant to be a neat, unique treat for your dog, but all of the inredients we use are human grade and completely safe for people to eat! They are on the crunchier side though. We’ve even had people say they like to dip them in a glass of milk. Because we operate in a facility that uses peanuts, soy, dairy, and wheat, we don’t recommend them for those with any of these allergies or food sensitivities.