Organ Meats Make Great Dog Treats

Organ Meats Make Great Dog Treats When the owners of a pet store for dogs saw the healthy, happy hounds at White Oak Pastures, they decided to call their new line of dog treats Farm Hounds. After all, Will Harris of White Oak (Vol. 37, No. 1) had suggested they start selling dehydrated organs and other body parts from animals raised and processed at the farm. “White Oak was doing things on a regenerative level that was eye-opening for us,” says Stephen Calsbeek, Farm Hounds. “They were unique with processing on site, but ever since, when we consider adding a new source, we look at where they fall on the regenerative scale and how the animals are raised.” Ten years later, they offer beef and hog ears, chicken feet and hog tails, hog snouts and more as chews. Other products include strips made from a ground mix of muscle meat, organs, blood, fat and bone, as well as organs themselves, hide rolls and even sprinkles to be added as a seasoning to dog food. Calsbeek and his co-owners had already transitioned from dog daycare and boarding to owning and operating Whole Dog Markets. They added the all-natural organ meat treats and chews to their retail products. Initially, they dehydrated them in a home kitchen and packaged them in the stores. That was 2015. Retail sales have expanded from the original handful of Whole Dog Markets to more than 800 around the country. “Our customer base is all over the place,” says Calsbeek. “A lot of people purchase our products for the transparent sourcing. Every package of organ meat has the name of the farm where the animal was raised.” He notes that dog owners are increasingly concerned about the quality of their pet’s food and treats. “They look at ingredients and what goes into the food,” says Calsbeek. “Beef liver is our number one best seller. Everyone knows the liver filters out toxins. Pasture-raised animals haven’t had to deal with the toxin-producing stress that feedlot animals do. That makes us unique as an organ provider. “Every farm we’ve added comes to us word of mouth,” says Calsbeek. One of the biggest challenges when working with farms of different sizes is managing supply. “A poultry producer may capture organs slaughtered for a couple of months, keeping them frozen until they have enough to fill a pallet,” says Calsbeek. “If something is out of stock, like chicken feet and chicken heads are right now, we don’t pressure our suppliers or find commercial alternatives. We simply let our customers know. We’re carving our own way. If you want a super clean source for your pet treats and food, we’re your brand.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Farm Hounds, 1600 Wilson Way, Suite 4, Smyrna, Ga. 30082 (support@farmhounds.com; www.farmhounds.com).

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