Okay, it will come as no surprise that this industry is as exceptionally diverse as it is full of details specific to animal parts, and we know it can be difficult to find great quality treats at decent prices. We also know that meeting margins that are healthy for your business and competitive in the marketplace can be “challenging”, to say the least.

If your goal is quality and value, we are here to share some inside information; if price is your only driver, you may want to proceed with caution and really know what you are buying. You don’t want to pay a fortune, but you do want a great product, and this is where things get blurry.

Contrary to mainstream belief, all animal parts are NOT the same. You may have noticed in this industry that prices and quality of dehydrated animal parts vary tremendously.

Why does this happen?

Here is a basic checklist to consider when choosing dehydrated treats for dogs, this will help you be able to identify great products and hopefully avoid getting caught with poor quality merchandise.

Origin

Country of origin and how the raw materials are handled at the beginning of the supply chain matters immensely in the making of a great product. Any mishandling at this point would become a nightmare that carries over into the rest of the processes, compromising not only a single batch, but the integrity of an entire shipment.

Food for thought; great products don't only speak about the products themselves, but also about good manufacturing and trustworthy suppliers. At Zenta Pets, we make sure we source our raw materials from the best, most premium origins and we work only with top of the line raw material suppliers in every country we operate. Developing partnerships with our suppliers is key to us having a “hands on” approach from the initial, raw material stages to the end finished product. 

Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)

Protocols regarding how the treats are made matter, and this is no joke. When any food products are manufactured in a substandard way, mostly by unlicensed factories, this can open the door for issues that damage the industry as a whole, putting our furry friends at risk along with any person that comes in contact with the materials throughout the entire “journey” of the product, from inception as raw material to the final consumer. Making sure you buy from a professional manufacturer is not only ensuring your own product, but also preserving the industry, the “good actors” and their work forces.

Manufacturers don't always give enough attention to the most important part of the process, which is when the treats are in their raw stage. At Zenta Pets, we have a simple but effective “rule of thumb” when entering into a relationship with a raw materials supplier that we always ask ourselves; “does this company produce consistent high quality, well managed, human grade raw materials?”

This is paramount to our company’s beliefs and practices. 

Color and Odor

Much has been said about odor and color of animal parts, what is good and what is bad. This can be a bit confusing for an untrained eye (and nose), and not a surprise; after all when parts are all you do, it is all you know. When you are looking for a well produced sustainable product in animal parts, you want to see a natural brown, food type color; it could be lighter, it could be darker, but any weird colors, could indicate the use of harmful chemicals or additives that some unprofessional manufacturers sometimes use to cut corners and remove strong odors that come from wrongly handled raw materials.

Truth be told, dogs prefer a treat that has some odor; this is called “palatability” in industry lingo. But make no mistake, our furry friends sometimes can’t distinguish between a product that has its natural odor (more or less), from a product that the odor comes from being poorly manufactured (and the risk that it carries). This becomes our “duty and responsibility”, as conscious human beings, to be intentional about what we are buying and letting into our lives and our pet’s lives.

At Zenta Pets, how is it that we have uber consistent fresh products using ONLY water to clean them prior to dehydration? Well, it's not easy to be honest, not cheap either. The ONLY way of producing a treat with outstanding quality, avoiding the use of non-natural agents, is to make sure that very little to no time passes between production stages.It is not rocket science, sometimes you have to do what is right above what is convenient, and this is one of our core values. We decided long ago that we were going to be the best at this, and we achieve this by making sure products are cleaned, trimmed, and dehydrated all while they are super extra fresh!

Obviously we could not have done this without the support and trustworthiness of our suppliers, who work with us every day to ensure that our materials are delivered on time and meet all of our expectations…..KUDOS to them!

Beware of Amateurs

New players come to the market all the time. Is that bad ? no it is not, as long as we can protect the integrity of our industry. Because single ingredient treats are always in high demand, there are unscrupulous players that enter the market with substandard products and practices with the sole purpose to make money, and very little real knowledge of the industry.
In an informal investigation we did within the industry regarding “legitimate” manufacturers, we came to the realization that many of the suppliers that say they are manufacturers, are actually NOT. In conclusion, be careful of the many “posers” that are out there.

At Zenta Pets we manufacture at our own facilities in South America and USA, following manufacturing practices second to none. We ship the products ourselves to our own distribution centers, and have been doing this for a very long time. We maintain full control over the whole supply chain, which provides us with a great advantage, and offers us full visibility through the entire process….and we take a lot of pride in this!

Now that we told you all our secrets, (not really), feel free to email or call us anytime to learn more about Zenta Pets products and why we are simply a great choice when buying dog treats.