VitaPet Dog Treats Questions & Answers

Hi Lissa, Thank you for reaching out to us. If your dog is showing any abnormal signs (coughing, salivation, irregular breathing), or as after-effects (regurgitation, vomiting, diarrhoea etc) then we advise that you stop feeding these treats and once calm, offer them some water and a small meal of a high-quality food for them to eat only when they’re recovered and ready.

Just like everything else they eat, different dogs can respond to different foods in different ways, so speak with your veterinary team if signs are serious or of ongoing concern.

Alternatively, you can reach out to us directly for support on 0800738546 (NZ) or 1300 651 111 (AU) or you can email us at customer.services@masterpet.co.nz

Hi Linda, Thank you for letting us know of your experience, which we're very sorry to hear about. Your feedback has us very concerned as our products are intended to safeguard and improve pet health. If you're concerned about your pets health, we would recommend taking your Daschund to the vet. To follow through, support you in any way we can and have our team investigate fully, please contact Customer services on customer.services@masterpet.co.nz or ph 1300 651 111 (AUS) or 0800 738 546 (NZ)

Hi Nicola, we hope your puppy was ok yesterday, and we are sorry we did not see this post earlier. If your puppy had any issues after swallowing the treat yesterday, please do not hesitate to call our Customer Service team on 1300 651 111 and they will be able to assist you further.

Lucky cats sneaking those extra treats . I don't think it will be a problem but you could ring up a vet and ask advice if you have concerns and to ease your mind.

Hi Michael, While our products are created with the health and wellbeing of your dog as a priority, they aren’t ‘clinical’ or ‘prescription’ diets. This means that they may not be suitable to be fed to pets with specific health conditions like kidney disease. While we’re hopeful that VitaPet food & treats will prove beneficial, our diets are formulated to feed healthy pets. This sometimes includes the feeding of pets with known sensitivities or particular health concerns, but when diagnosed with an illness, it is critically important that you seek the advice of a vet, and that their recommendation is followed to manage the condition and improve the health of your pet. As our recipes are unique, exact levels of each ingredient is commercially sensitive information. For this reason, apart from the nutrient levels indicated on the product packaging, we can’t publish exact figures. But again, please refer to AAFCO nutrient guidelines.

We have a lot of pet care and health information on our website: external link , and welcome any further questions you may have about our products.

Hi Shona, thanks for getting in touch! We would advise to monitor her behaviour, if she shows signs of being uncomfortable or symptoms of vomiting/diarrhoea, we would recommend to seek your vets advice. We have chosen to manufacture these treats Thailand because dark meat is preferred over white meat in this country. This means that high quality breast meat is readily available. Our factories operate to the highest quality standards, and are tightly regulated. The result is a wholesome and healthy treat, at a fantastic value.

Hi Kara, that is quite a lot of treats! You may notice that they could have an upset tum by way of vomiting and/or diarrhoea from over indulging, if you notice that this seems to be excessive and you are concerned we would urge you to contact your vet for advice as well as contact our Customer Services on Customer.Services@masterpet.co.nz or ph 1300 651 111 (Aus)/ 0800 738 546 (NZ)

Hi Jenny is it the small rawhide chews or the large ones. What type of dog do you have? I have a maltese shitzu and 3 chis and they always just nibble the chicken off the chew and then chew on the rawhide. Maybe a larger dog might try and swallow it?

He's a lab cross staffi. He's only 13 weeks old. He tore a large chunk of and took of with it and swallowed it hole as I was trying to catch him. It was the lage rawhide chicken wraped bone. Not the small ones.

Hi Jenny, our rawhide is very digestible but just in case, keep a good eye on him over the next day or two while he digests the treat. If you see any changes in behaviour, vomiting or any toileting issues, please get in touch with your vet as soon as possible. Let us know if you have any questions or need further support!

Hi There, great question! We use sugar at very low levels in some of our treats to help hydrate the surface of the meat and keep our treats stable and moist. They are both natural ingredients and are used widely in both pet and human products. They are considered extremely safe, especially at these low levels. Sorbitol and sucrose are broken down to the more simple sugars fructose and glucose. Glucose is the preferred fuel supply for the brain and is a nutrient essential for life.

Sucrose is a sugar which comes from sugar beets. It is added as natural humectant, which helps keep the product moist so it can retain its lovely tempting chewy texture. Again, sucrose is used in very small amounts in our product (lower than in most human foods), and is considered extremely safe and we adhere to and exceed the AAFCO standards.

We hope this helps!

Thanks for reaching out to us. Our Milky sticks are suitable for your puppy. As with any treats, we recommend supervising your pet incase they get into any difficulty.

Hi Lisa, Great question! We are unable to dictate the way that all of our pooches decide to eat each treat, but giving them a thorough chew and breaking them down is what we’d like to see, hence supervised feeding is best. These treats are 100% digestible, so it is safe to eat, provided that the way that they eat is kept in mind (e.g. not swallowing whole).

The VitaPet team

Hi there, How digestible is the rawhide stick? I gave one to my dog and he was chewing through, but then after 10-15 mins I noticed it's all gone. I'm not sure if he's broken it down to smaller pieces or whether he's swallowed it whole, he's a relatively small dog (8kg), so I don't think he would be able to swallow it whole, but let's assume he did. Would this just pass? I am monitoring him and he looks to be fine.

Hi Andy, our rawhide is very digestible however we always recommend supervising your pup while they're chewing on these and removing any pieces that look like they could be swallowed whole, especially if your pup is an enthusiastic eater! Continue to monitor him, and if you have any concerns at all please get in touch with us at Customer.Services@masterpet.co.nz or ph 1300 651 111 (Aus)/ 0800 738 546 (NZ)

Hi Drosia, great question! Treats can be given daily, but we recommend sticking to feeding guides that are provided on the pack and ensure the amount of treats you give are limited to 10 to 15% of your pet's daily calorie intake.

What if VitaPet products are toxic to pets and long term affect causes kidney & liver failure???

Hi Sandra, We want to reassure that every single one of our treats is safe. Our rawhides are made from the middle layer of the animal hide. Through a process which involves lots of water baths, the tough outer hide layer is removed (this is used for leather). The very soft inner layer is also removed, and this is used for food or cosmetics. The remaining layer of hide is washed and sanitised. Once this is done, the rawhide is carefully hand-rolled into shapes and knots, before being put through a drying oven. The drying step makes the rawhide hard, and ensures the rawhide remains bacteria-free.

At VitaPet, all our rawhides are manufactured under very strict quality control measures, to ensure pets are only fed the best. To enable that, all our products undergo rigorous inspection by our Quality Control team, and we also undertake regular independent auditing of all our facilities.

Rawhides are a safe low-fat treat option and they are long-lasting, so they can keep dogs occupied for hours. We always recommend choosing a rawhide of the appropriate size for your dog (to encourage chewing rather than swallowing) and always supervise your dog when eating rawhide.

We hope this info helps, but please reach out if you have any more questions or concerns.

Kind Regards, The VitaPet team

Thankyou very much for your reassurance ,it has eased my mind now knowing they are safe process you go through thankyou

Hi Sandra, no problems at all! Please let us know if you have any further questions :)

Hi there, I'm interested in the above post for the same reasons. Another concern I have is the process that's used in washing and sanitising the rawhide. Are any chemicals (like bleach) used in the processing of the Vitapet rawhides? And if so, which chemicals please? Thank you in advance.

Hi there, I'm interested in the above post also for similar reasons. Can you please tell me if any chemicals are used during the washing and sanitising process you mention above (eg bleach)? If so, please could you let me know which ones. Thank you in advance.

Hi Juliette, we understand your concerns! At VitaPet, we will never use treatments involving bleach, formaldehyde or arsenic. We also require that all our products are tested and free of heavy metals. Our rawhides are made from the middle layer of the animal hide. Through a process which involves lots of water baths, the tough outer hide layer is removed (this is used for leather). The very soft inner layer is also removed, and this is used for food or cosmetics. Once this is done, the rawhide is carefully hand-rolled into shapes and knots, before being put through a drying oven. The drying step makes the rawhide hard, and ensures the rawhide remains bacteria-free. I hope this helps!