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Treat Of The Week – Superdog Kitchen Strawberry Jelly Mint Tart

Strawberry Jelly Mint Tart

The Wong Dogs could hardly believe such beautiful-looking tarts were available exclusively for dogs! As such, I had Gwen Tan of Superdog Kitchen make a Strawberry Jelly Mint Tart.

Besides knowing the boys will gobble every slice they are given, I was partially attracted to its rich colour. Honestly, looking at the pictures, could you fault me?

Upon opening the box, the Superdog Kitchen Strawberry Jelly Mint 9-inch tart was revealed. I loved how it was sturdy and nicely formed (picture above) with a comfortable-looking brown crust. Even when serving up the slices to Cory and Cole, it did not crumble into a sad-looking mess – something I cannot say the same for many other tarts: even human ones.

The Strawberry Jelly Mint Tart uses minimal ingredients and contains fresh strawberries, agar powder, wheat-free and gluten-free flour, garbanzo bean flour, butter, honey and eggs. Further research on what garbanzo bean flour is revealed it to be made of chickpeas and are rich in protein, dietary fibre and a good source of iron.

Close my eyes and pray that my owner allows me to eat soon.

Taste-wise, a small nibble revealed a strong burst of strawberry flavour – proving that Superdog Kitchen are no stingy poopers in the ingredients section! Also, just inspecting the tart up close revealed.

“The Strawberry Jelly Mint Tart was a fun idea that I came up with. I do know of some dogs that dislike fresh fruits so making it into jam seems tastier for them. Additionally, topping it with mint enhances the flavour too,” says Gwen.

Even after their second slice, Cory and Cole were still begging for more. Sorry boys, it ain’t tea time every day for you. Till Gwen does a low-fat and low-calorie version of her Superdog Kitchen tarts for you, you will have to wait till special holidays and birthdays!

Oh wait, pet-friendly venue, Paw Pet-radise Café stocks their homemade tarts and the Mango Ice Cream Tart and Strawberry Vanilla Ice Cream Tart are hot favourites, selling out fast over the weekends!

ON SUPERDOG KITCHEN

“There is a need for dog owners to know what they are feeding their pets!” That is what Gwen Tan of Superdog Kitchen told The Wong Dogs what inspired her to start the business. Starting out with a partner, this entrepreneur also said that it is high time that the image of canine food is reimagined to be more enticing, “It need not be just what is seen and sold at pet shops. Pet owners can shop for their dogs as well as do their grocery shopping.”

In fact, Superdog Kitchen is so particular about how their products affect their pets that they have special considerations for dogs with allergies and have a custom order form on their website where customers can tell Gwen more about their dog so that something unique and safe be created for their precious furkid. “In fact, one of our products named Bruno’s Bento was inspired due to a particular canine who doesn’t eat anything but lamb and Cai Sim. This was also one of my biggest challenges to make a birthday meat tart for him but Superdog Kitchen did it,” she says.

Besides baking up a storm in the kitchen, Gwen makes time to attend as many events as possible such as the previous SOSD’s Pack Walk and the pets magazine picnic party. These events also allow Gwen to introduce new products where she gamely gave me a portion of Watermelon & Coconut Water for Cory and Cole. “Coconut and watermelon water can keep them hydrated on a hot day. Coconut water has natural electrolytes while chilled watermelon adds a certain sweetness, prompting dogs to munch on the fruit.

When asked where Superdog Kitchen sources their ingredients from, Gwen gamely said that everything is bought from NTUC Finest due to their relatively small size, “It just does not make sense to buy in bulk from a supplier yet. Of course, we hope this changes when we expand.” She also adds that Superdog Kitchen’s philosophy is simple – genuine, honesty, sincerity and ethics. “We never hide what goes into our food. We love how our customer always tells us how our tarts look like what they get in the restaurant,” says Gwen.

Moving on to future plans for Superdog Kitchen, it was surprising to hear that they have not even turned one! “Our anniversary is coming up so we do have some stuff in the works. For now, we hope to educate and change the way dog owners feed their pets and getting them to be more conscious about their dog’s health,” says Gwen.

Emma the Singapore Special and Marco the Golden Retriever enjoying a tart. Credit: Superdog Kitchen

For more information, you can visit their website here or their Facebook page for more details.

Labels: coconut oil, dogs, homemade, miniature schnauzer, mixed breed, pet cafe, pet treats, superdog kitchen, tarts, treat of the week

❤ "Treat Of The Week – Superdog Kitchen Strawberry Jelly Mint Tart" was Posted On: Friday, 25 July 2014 @02:27 | 0 Wong comments ✿

Treat Of The Week - Absolute Plus Coconut Oil for Pets

A couple of months ago, I started to realise that Cole was having extremely flaky skin. Each scratch saw his black coat covered in flakes of snow-like dandruff. Even the vet-approved shampoo made the situation worse and I was desperate for a solution. After getting opinions from a couple of friends and pet food nutritionists, I was introduced to the idea of feeding him coconut oil to alleviate Cole’s symptoms.

Cole's jet-black coat at the side.

With coconut oil being a rich source of medium chain essential fatty acids, his skin started becoming more moisturised and his coat gleamed like never before. A side effect was also the absence of what I would like to call “big dog smell” and I kept thinking he did not need a bath (though after two weeks, he sure needed one). Upon the advice from a couple of dog breeders, I also started applying it to his coat and the compliments to how Cole looked was endless. It was also during this time that I realised many homemade pet treats and bakeries also added coconut oil into their products.

As for Cory, this little tyke has somewhat of a weak stomach, puking once in a while. But after being fed coconut oil for two weeks, he has not vomited since.

There have also been claims that coconut oil reduces the risk of cancer but have not been fully researched yet. Some experts have also told me that coconut oil is ideal in boosting a dog’s metabolism and keeping their weight under control. However, a couple of veterinarians advise against giving more than the recommended dosage as it could result in unhealthy weight gain - especially for inactive dogs.

THE WONG DOGS REVIEW

Okay, this is not really a treat where I can decide when to give the boys. I truly believe that coconut oil should supplement a dog’s meal. With so many benefits, it is hard to withhold it from them – especially when they get so excited during meal times.

Cory and Cole recently started their daily intake of Absolute Plus Coconut Oil for Pets from B2K Pet Products and I can definitely say in the case of Cole, he is more excitable for his meals now. Yes, that bugger of a Singapore Special has a slightly spoiled streak and has been known to reject dry food when he is not in the mood. Due to the weather, I also realised a couple of hot spots on Cole which disappeared in a day when I applied Absolute Plus Coconut Oil for Pets.

Besides the expected gleaming coat and better digestion, I used the coconut oil to moisturise both Cory and Cole's paws due to them walking onpavements more often than soft grass.

A side effect I realised is Cory being more agile than usual. Due to his minor limb issues, he tends to “rabbit hop” now and then. A little research unveiled that coconut oil is able to alleviate certain cases of arthritis and could possibly have contributed to his recent level of activeness.

Unlike their previous bottle of coconut oil, Absolute Plus’s contains raw virgin coconut oil, cold-pressed and 100% organic. This means I have ease of mind that Absolute Plus Coconut Oil is a rich and premium choice which has not been bleached, deodorised or refined. Also, it being cold-pressed allows the coconut oil to be produced via a heat-controlled environment, allowing it to retain the nutritional benefits which are otherwise compromised due to high temperatures.

For more information on where you can buy Absolute Plus Organic Coconut Oil for Pets, click on the picture below: