WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO
In the Great Pandemic of 2020, we were locked up at home with a rambunctious 4 month old puppy, Sherlock (that’s him in the photo!) and 1.5 year old labrador-mix, Ares. We are passionate about pet nutrition, and want our dogs to live long, healthy lives, so we feed a species appropriate diet. Our dogs’ meal bowls are straight-forward and nutritious, as we feed whole foods raw or lightly cooked in a balanced meal. We wanted the same for their treats.
However, we quickly learnt that some dog treats and chew treats in the market that are branded as ‘natural dog treats’ were in fact, sourced from private label manufacturers (usually from overseas, or sometimes locally), which made us uncomfortable. We did not know the source and quality of the meats in these treats, and neither did the sellers we asked, who did not produce the treats themselves. They were merely resellers. Many dog treats were complicated and gimmicky, and made to look like human food, which is cute, but did not serve our needs.
We also realised that commercial dog treats from pet shops are filled with additives and preservatives (how else can they stay on the shelf that long?!), which are of no benefit to our pets (we found glycerine to be a main additive in many commercial treats to keep them soft!). We do not feed our dogs excessive carbohydrates (rice, peas, potatoes etc) as they don’t need it, and it piles on the pounds, and we wanted treats that were free of fillers so they get the most benefit from eating real meat as dogs are meant to.
We wanted real, raw, good quality products that we could use to treat our dogs, and be confident to put in their meal bowls.
So, we took things into our own hands. We sourced for quality human-grade meats and produce to make our own dog treats and chew treats. We did not want our dogs to eat better than us, they eat as well as we do, and that’s what we want for all dogs too.
We take a simple, honest, no-gimmick approach to dog treats, and strive for our treats to serve a purpose as well as be delicious, and importantly, nutritious. Quǎn Dog Treats can be used as an incentive to get pups to behave, a training reward to train them to be good dogs, a stress-busting chew, or a meal supplement/booster.
Quǎn Dog Treats is not ‘junk food for dogs’ – it is REAL FOOD for dogs and CAN form a part of their daily diet.
“We will never feed your dog what we do not already feed our own”
The QDT Promise
We want to raise the bar for dog treats in Malaysia (and Singapore!), and to educate pet parents about the benefits of feeding quality, natural dog treats and chew treats. Dog treats should be species appropriate, wholesome, nutritious and made with quality ingredients you can see. They should complement or even enhance and boost your dog’s diet so your dog can too enjoy a healthier lifestyle.
We don’t mind you asking if we make our own treats, because we can confidently say “Yes, we do!”
Our dogs eat the exact same treats your dogs do (each batch is rigorously QC-ed and the harvest tax is very real!), which is why we are confident to give you our QDT Promise.
Many dogs have enjoyed our natural dog treats and chews in Malaysia and Singapore, and even in the USA, UK and Brunei, and we want your dog to enjoy them too!
Welcome to Quǎn Dog Treats, we look forward to feeding your dog real treats for real dogs.
Sue & Ian with Sherlock, Ares & Zera
Co-founders & our Chief Tasting & Quality Control Officers
OUR MISSION & PLEDGE
Reliably sourced real meat & produce made fresh
We source our meats and produce from reputable local businesses, farms, butchers and importers, who sell and supply the same items for human consumption and to restaurants. We obtain the best possible quality lean meats and animal parts, while balancing out the cost, to ensure price accessibility for everyone. We never use off-cuts or discards or meat meal or meat dust. If it’s not good enough for humans, it’s not good enough for our (and your) pups!
Our meat treats and natural chews are cleaned of dirt & trimmed of visible fat before being dehydrated at low temperatures (70°C or lower) for long hours to allow raw meats to be portable, and to preserve the nutritional benefits of the meats. Where possible, we keep meat treats single ingredient and whole, so you know exactly what you’re getting, without any hidden fillers to add weight to your pup and to your treats bag.
We bake dog biscuits on low temperatures with minimal ingredients, and we intentionally keep them free from gluten, wheat, egg and dairy, so all pups can enjoy a fun, crunchy treat. Most of our dog biscuits are low-protein so dogs who cannot enjoy a high protein diet, have fancy treats too! No dog gets left behind! Ingredients used in our biscuits are prepared fresh with each batch to prevent oxidation and degradation of fresh produce.
We occasionally make fun items in our line up like crisps and cookies, but we differentiate ourselves by choosing not to include fillers in the form of potato, sweet potato or yams. We make them with 100% meat as much as possible for best benefits for your dog, and best value to your wallet.
We ensure that there are absolutely NO preservatives used in any of our products, which is why our products have a shorter shelf life than those sold in pet shops. (read more here) We absolutely DO NOT carry any products that have been produced by any other third parties. If we can’t source and make it ourselves, we will not offer it to you. Ever.
Our meat treats smell so good, you wish you could eat them! Technically, you could (we have!) but let your pup have the fun, yeah?
Treats for dogs of all sizes and ages
In April 2022, we rescued the littlest member of our family, Zera, a 4+kg toy poodle of indeterminate age, who was found abandoned, malnourished and required medical attention. After nursing her back to health, she quickly ingratiated her way into being a part of our family. Having never had small dogs before this, Zera has taught us so much about small dogs and their limitations.
With Zera and small dogs in mind, we carefully curate our treats to be suitable for dogs of all sizes and ages. We make chew treats in smaller sizes so smaller dogs & puppies can enjoy the same treats without overeating and without being overwhelmed. Zera is also the inspiration for our Quǎn Cares programme with Treatos.
Handmade in small batches
We produce all our treats in small batches daily in-house, to ensure they are delivered to you in their freshest quality. This commitment to freshness is why we do not retail our products in many pet shops or retailers, as that puts things out of our control, and may affect the integrity of the product. Have you thought about how long that pack of treats has been sitting in the pet shop? Even naturally produced treats have a shelf life, and in our tropical Malaysian weather, it isn’t as long as it should be.
When we venture into having a retail presence, our retail partners will be carefully chosen to ensure that they share the same vision, commitment and integrity we have towards pets, pet nutrition and care for the products they carry.
From August 2023, we now deliver to Singapore directly from our operations centre in Kuala Lumpur. This ensures that our friends in Singapore receive their treats in the freshest condition possible, without going through any third parties. This is in line with our mission and pledge to be in control of the quality of our products from the start till they reach your hands.
Dehydrating meats and chews is a long process, that we do not rush, in order to preserve nutrients in the meats. It takes hours (often days!) on low, gentle heat, to ensure that the products are properly dried. Baked goods are baked fresh daily.
All our treats are produced in-house from start to finish, and no finished product is sourced from third party suppliers. We are in full control from sourcing to packing, and we know EXACTLY what goes into our dog treats; and so do you, as there is nothing in there that isn’t already on the label.
FUN FACT: Quǎn (犬, pronounced quan3 or chu-en) is the Chinese word for ‘dog’
We are always developing new products so do check in on us regularly or sign up for email updates and follow us on Instagram @quandogtreats to stay updated on future products as we expand our product range.
AS SEEN IN
Retail outlets
- Lex’s Patio Pantry – Kapas Condominium, Bangsar
Our corporate partners:
- Kopenhagen Coffee (Mont Kiara & Bangsar)
- Noordin Mews Heritage Hotel, Penang
- PuppyTraining.my Kuala Lumpur
- Kura’s Krafts Craft Beer Bar Plaza Batai, Kuala Lumpur
We’ve been spotted and featured in the Media
- Lifestyle Asia – An online magazine with a guide to the good life
