Himalayan Pet Supply, a leading brand in the Primal Pet Group portfolio, launched Unhide, a long-lasting, all-natural chew that is easy for a dog to digest. This new hard chew is made with three simple ingredients: cheese, antler powder, and vinegar, which acts as a natural preservative.
The company introduced the original Himalayan Dog Chew in 2008 and established a nearly US$80 million cheese chew category in the U.S. that continues to experience double-digit growth. In recent years, hard cheese chews have become a popular choice among pet parents looking for a safe and natural alternative to rawhide for their dog.
“We’ve always been focused on producing the highest quality cheese chews for dogs that meet the strictest standards for quality and safety,” said Suman Shrestha, founder and president of Himalayan Pet Supply. “We carefully selected a short list of recognisable ingredients when developing our new Unhide chew, which is safely made without any chemicals, formaldehyde, bleaching, or binding agents.”
Highly Digestible Dog Chew
Unlike traditional rawhides, the Unhide chew is easy for a dog to digest. Animal Scientist and Himalayan’s Research and Development Director, Prakash Poudel, DVM, PhD, partnered with the Biosystem & Agricultural Engineering laboratory at Oklahoma State University to better understand how long it would take for a dog to digest the Unhide chew.
“Typical rawhide chews are not easily digested and could last for several months in a dog’s stomach, which might cause gastrointestinal issues,” said Dr. Poudel. “Our third-party researchers created gastrointestinal juices that mimic what would be found in a dog’s stomach, applied them to the Unhide product and confirmed that a dog should fully digest most of the innovative chew within 24 hours.”
New State-of-the-Art U.S. Production Facility
In March, Himalayan Pet Supply opened a new, state-of-the-art production facility in Arlington, Washington. The company’s U.S. operation was previously spread across several smaller building in Mukilteo, Washington. With this move, Himalayan doubled the square footage of its U.S. factory and doubled production capacity. The facility is certified for its rigorous safety and quality standards by The Safe Quality Food (SQF) Program and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
“We have 120 employees in our Arlington facility who put a lot of care, attention, and hard work into every chew we make,” said Jill Flores, Operations Director for Himalayan Pet Supply. “Like many of our hard cheese chews, the new Unhide product is made by hand so we can achieve its unique shape and ridged texture.”
Unhide Innovation
The new Unhide product is available at neighbourhood pet stores in three sizes: Small (for dogs 30 pounds and under) with suggested retail price of US$8.48; Medium (for dogs 45 pounds and under) with a suggested retail price of US$12.98; and Large (for dogs 45 pounds and over) with a suggested retail price of US$19.98. When selecting the ideal size for a pet, make sure the chew is long enough to fit in the dog’s paws while they chew on the top. Himalayan includes a “Chewmeter” on all packaging to help pet parents select the right alternative chew based on a dog’s chewing rate, age, and habits.
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