Meat Chews
Natural dog chews – how to choose the right one?
The PET industry is clearly shifting toward natural, single-ingredient products - a trend consistently highlighted by the American Pet Products Association in its industry reports. In such a competitive environment, transparency is no longer a marketing add-on. It has become a requirement.
What are natural dog chews?
Natural dog chews are animal-based products that can complement a dog’s everyday treat selection. Unlike many products with a uniform shape or texture, natural chews come in a wide variety of forms and structures. Mily Group offers both antler chews and natural chews made from pork and poultry.
Our pork range includes whole pig ears, pig snouts, pig ear strips, pig ear inners, pork diaphragm, pork skin rolls, pork stomachs, pork skin strips, pork rib strips, pork lungs and many more. Our poultry range includes chicken gizzards, chicken necks and chicken feet.
How to choose the right chew for a dog?
There is no single chew that is suitable for every dog. When choosing a natural chew, it is worth paying particular attention to three factors: the size of the product, its texture and the dog’s chewing style.
- Dog sizeSize is particularly important when choosing larger or more demanding products. Whole pig ears are an example of a chew described as being primarily suitable for medium and large dogs. Pig ear inners, on the other hand, have a more compact format and may be suitable for smaller and medium-sized dogs. Pork skin strips are particularly suitable for medium and large dogs and dogs with a stronger chewing style, while pork lungs have a light, crunchy texture and can be divided into smaller portions.
- Hardness and textureNatural chews can have very different textures: some are light and crunchy, others are firm and flexible, while others are dense and require more intensive chewing. A good example of a lightweight product is natural pork lung. It has a porous, crunchy texture and can easily be divided into smaller portions. Pork skin strips, on the other hand, are denser and more demanding to chew. Pork skin rolls have a compact, chewy texture and a format designed for longer-lasting chewing. This means that when choosing natural treats, it is worth looking not only at the product name, but also at its physical characteristics.
- The dog’s chewing styleEvery dog may use a chew in a slightly different way. Some dogs prefer shorter, lighter snacks, while others are much more interested in products that require longer chewing. That is why it is useful to offer several different formats. This makes it possible to match products to different dogs rather than limiting the choice to a single type of treat.
Natural pork chews
Pork offers a wide range of natural formats. Pig ears have a firm, crunchy and slightly chewy texture. Pig ear strips are a more convenient, portionable alternative to whole ears, while pig ear inners have a more compact size. The range also includes pork skin rolls and strips, stomachs, diaphragm, lungs, rib strips and other natural animal parts. This makes natural pork chews a highly diverse product category.
Natural poultry chews
Natural poultry chews are a good alternative to pork products. Chicken gizzards have a firm, pleasantly chewy texture and can be offered whole or divided into smaller portions. Chicken necks are crunchy natural chews containing bones, cartilage and connective tissue. Chicken feet have a light, crunchy texture and naturally contain cartilage and connective tissue. The variety of these products makes it possible to create an offering suitable for dogs of different sizes and preferences.
What about antlers?
Natural dog chews are not limited to meat-based products. Antlers remain an important category of natural chews and can complement an offering of pork and poultry products. For a supplier or pet food brand, this creates an opportunity to build a broader and more diverse category of natural dog treats.
What should you consider when choosing natural dog chews?
A well-structured natural chew offering should include different product sizes, levels of hardness, textures, formats, chewing durations and types of raw materials. It is also worth paying attention to the quality and consistency of the supplier. For brands, pet stores and distributors, it is not only the individual product that matters. The ability to build a stable and diverse product range is equally important.
Natural dog chews – a broad product category
Natural chews can be much more diverse than the category name alone might suggest. Ears, strips, rolls, lungs, stomachs, necks, feet, skin-based products and antlers create a broad range of products with different characteristics. That is why, when choosing a chew, it is worth looking not only at what it is made from, but also at its size, texture and intended use.
Mily Group is expanding its range of natural dog treats by combining antler products with natural pork and poultry chews. This broad product selection allows B2B partners to build a diverse offering tailored to the needs of different dogs and the requirements of different markets.
