ARLINGTON, WASH. — Primal Pet Food Group’s brand Himalayan Pet Supply launched a new line of long-lasting dog chews on Dec. 9. The chews are easily digestible and made with all-natural and limited ingredients.

Himalayan Corporation originally debuted its Himalayan-style dog chews in 2008, which lead a nearly $80 million cheese dog chew market in the United States that has continued to see double-digit growth, according to Himalayan Pet Supply. The company was acquired by Kinderhook Industrics, LLC in August 2021, alongside Primal Pet Foods, Prairie Dog and Holistic Hound. Today, the combined companies make up Primal Pet Group.

Himalayan-style cheese chews have recently increased in consumer popularity as pet parents continue to seek out more safe and natural alternatives to traditional rawhide products.

The brand’s new long-lasting Unhide chews are formulated with cheese, antler powder and vinegar.

“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 recognizable ingredients when developing our new Unhide chew, which is safely made without any chemicals, formaldehyde, bleaching or binding agents.”

Himalayan Pet Supply partnered with Oklahoma State University’s Biosystem & Agricultural Engineering lab to test the digestibility of its new Unhide chews.

“Typical rawhide chews are not easily digested and could last for several months in a dog’s stomach, which might cause gastrointestinal issues,” said Prakash Poudel, DVM, Ph.D., animal scientist and research and development director at Himalayan Pet Supply. “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.”

Photo courtesy of Himalayan Pet Supply

Himalayan Pet Supply opened a new state-of-the-art production facility in Arlington in March to help aid in the production of its new chew line, as well as its other products. The facility doubled the brand’s overall square footage and production capacity. It is Safe Quality Food (SQF) certified and meets high quality standards set by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

Prior to the new facility, the brand’s operations were spread throughout several small buildings in Mukilteo, Wash.

“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 chews are available in three sizes: Small for dogs that weigh less than 30 lbs, Medium for dogs that weigh less than 45 lbs, and Large for dogs that weigh more than 45 lbs. Himalayan Pet Supply recommends that customers purchase chews that are long enough to fit between their dog’s paws to ensure a long-lasting chew time. The brand’s Unhide chews also include a “Chewmeter” on product packaging to help customers select the right chew for their dog’s individual size, age, chewing rate and habits.

Unhide chews are available at neighborhood pet stores for $8.48 to $19.98.

Read more about new pet food and treat products.