After 13 years in the US, v-dog, an environmentally sustainable pet food brand, has announced their plans to expand internationally. The new international sister company, named v-planet, will reflect v-dog’s ethical and sustainable values.
V-planet will launch with vegan kibble, a formula featuring plant-based ingredients like pea protein, lentils and quinoa, which require fewer natural resources than meat-based counterparts.
The new sister company will also share the same branding and design as v-dog, featuring the signature leaf-eared dog. V-planet will be made and packaged in Canada and expanding across the globe through distributors that will make the kibble available in pet and grocery stores.
Along with the v-planet announcement, v-dog also decided to celebrate Earth Day with an early product release. The Blueberry Wiggle Biscuits are available for purchase.
The vegan dog treats are grain-free, non-GMO, and made with superfoods like coconut, kale, buckwheat and blueberries. Blueberries are a good source of vitamins C and K, antioxidants and dietary fiber. This is the second v-dog Wiggle Biscuit flavor to debut.
Other vegan pet food trends
Dr-Chew, a dog treat brand owned by Landy Corporation, offers vegan sweet potato dog treats and snacks that are European Union, Canada and Japan certified organic.
The treats are made of fully peeled, cooked and air dried sweet potatoes, which provide a chewy texture that promotes gum and teeth health in dogs. These vegan dog treats provide an alternative to meat-based rawhides and grain based biscuits. Sweet potatoes are rich in beta-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin B6. They are also high in dietary fiber, low in fat and calories, and a good source of potassium, calcium and iron.
The treats are samples and inspected by US FDA, Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Australia Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS), and the Agriculture Department of Japan.
In addition to sweet potatoes, fava beans (Vicia faba) may become another novel pet food ingredient in dog food formulators’ grain-free or plant-based protein arsenals. Scientists ran an experiment to understand how dogs’ digestive systems handled fava beans, also called faba and broadbeans, at various proportions in dog food.
“It appears fava beans were well tolerated at all levels tested and only influenced digestibility at higher levels,” study co-author Greg Aldrich, PhD, Kansas State University grain science professor and Petfood Industry contributor. “The dehulled fava beans in our study processed well in extrusion. They would be a solid contributor as an ingredient choice in modern pet foods.”
