This terrier inspired chicken pops

Laddoo weighs in on the treats

It was when her two-year-old Yorkshire Terrier developed itchy skin, that Priyanka Khera realised it had to do with the flavouring in dog treats that she fed him. "We couldn't offer them to Laddoo anymore. So, he was eating food we were eating, and that wasn't good for him either," Khera, 23, remembers. She decided she'd have to step into the kitchen to find a fix. What emerged from the exercise is Laddoo's Cakery, a small outfit that provides gluten-, sugar- and preservative-free treats for dogs and cats.

Khera, whose family owns three restaurants in Delhi, decided to teach herself baking before she got into the thick of administering the business. "Back then, there was more being burnt in the kitchen, than cooked," she laughs. Discussing the project with a group of veterinarians helped her prepare a list of good and bad foods for animals. After trying permutations and combinations, research resulted in the drafting of the following menu: Biscuits in flavours of peanut butter, chicken, cheese and paneer; chicken jerky; savoury chicken and cheese pops; and doughnuts and cupcakes in peanut butter and chicken flavours.

Priyanka Khera and Laddoo

Every new treat Khera made, she'd feed Laddoo and her cat, Fifi. "Laddoo hated the mix fruit cupcake I made. His favourites are chicken pops and the jerky. Fifi likes the chicken cupcakes and cheese pops. I discovered that although the perception is that cats like fish, they are in fact, fond of chicken."

Khera, who divides her time between Delhi and Mumbai, has received positive feedback from pet parents. Those hesitant to try fancy-sounding snacks, now say their pets finish a box in a jiffy. "It's healthy, so you don't have to feel guilty if they eat it. I personally witnessed a change in Laddoo's health since I stopped packaged foods. He doesn't have the itching, and his digestion is better." Khera's treats are priced between R100 and R450 and home delivery is available. Orders can be placed @laddooscakery on Facebook and Instagram.

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