Dog Treats That Care About Sustainability “Nose To Tail Dining”

Sustainability is a genuine concern for everyone, and we’re no different at Bow Wow. While we always make our treats with your dog’s health and wellbeing at the forefront of our minds, we’re also mindful of minimising wastage.

We want you to feel good about treating your beloved pets with sustainable, safe, nutritious and tasty snacks, which is why we prepare your dog’s favourite snacks with ingredients from whole animal products.

“Nose-to-tail dining” in your dog treats

In the world of human dining, nose-to-tail has become increasingly popular. What is “nose-to-tail”? Quite simply, it’s leaving nothing edible on the butcher’s block, which is not only great for the environment, as meat production is a massive cause of CO2 emissions, but it’s also great for our nutrition.

And in the case of our dogs, not only are they capable of digesting more of the nutrients contained in the whole animal than we are, but they also prefer these by-products over the cuts of meat humans choose.

So it’s a win-win situation feeding your dog the highly nutritional, valuable by-products they love.

So, how large an impact do pet products have?

Research from the University of Sydney has shown that pet food contributes up to 30% of the environmental impact of global meat production. That’s a lot, so any changes we can make in feeding our pets can make a significant difference.

The good news is that dogs gladly eat, and even prefer, the cuts of meat that we call by-products. Wild dogs have been eating bones, livers, spleens, and hearts for thousands of years. Dog treats and food made from by-products provide our pets with the nutrients they need while reducing food waste and the need for excessive meat production.

What are the nutritional benefits of animal by-products?

You might be surprised to hear that the majority of healthy vitamins and minerals, as well as healthy fats, are actually found in the cuts of meat that humans shy away from. So, including them in your dog’s diet will make for a healthy, happy pup.

Rich organ meat from kangaroo and beef by-products has a large amount of the essential nutrients that your dog needs, like rich proteins, vitamins, and minerals. And as a tasty treat, give your dog a long-lasting beef bully stick which will keep them happy and entertained for hours and supplement their nutritional needs.

By-products from chickens are a great source of healthy fats and proteins to keep your pet energised and in tip-top shape. To allow your dog to exercise its natural desire to chew, rawhide chews are a great snack. And best of all, these tasty treats use animal products that would otherwise be discarded.

Pork bones are a great source of calcium, while pigs ears are packed full of protein and omega acids to keep your dog’s teeth clean and coat shiny.

But when it comes to feeding our pets healthy, nutritious meals, in Australia, we’re facing a mounting problem – where do we get the protein?

Protein from non traditional sources

While it may sound less than ideal to us, dogs have a different opinion. Many companies around the world have recently been trialling pet food made with alternative protein sources such as crickets, mealworms and black soldier fly larvae.

If you can get over the yuck factor of your beloved pooch eating insects, there are considerable benefits to supplementing your dog’s food with them. Insects are a great source of protein and contain essential amino acids and many vital minerals.

For the planet to sustain an ever-increasing population of humans and their pets, changing our thinking and accepting insects as a source of essential protein may well be something we need to consider.

Sustainably sourced ingredients are something that we care deeply about at Bow Wow. We will continue to research and work with sustainable sources of protein so dogs and their humans can have a guilt free, treat time.