Petsmont Buddy Guard vs Pets Are Kids Mushroom Chews
One goes in like a treat. One goes in like food. The difference is everything that has to be in a chew to make it a chew.
Read this bit first
We make one of the two products on this page. That is a real bias and you should hold everything below against it.
So here is the rule we set ourselves: every claim about Pets Are Kids is a number or a sentence from their own product page. No invented weaknesses, no column of red X marks. And there is a section near the bottom called where they beat us, because in a few specific ways they do.
A chew has to be a chew first
Start with the honest part: chews solve a real problem. If your dog treats every mealtime addition as a negotiation, a supplement they take like a treat beats one they refuse. A jar in the cupboard delivers nothing at all.
But it is worth understanding what you are trading for that. A soft chew has to hold its shape, stay soft on a shelf for months, and taste good enough that a dog volunteers for it. That requires a chew base, binders and humectants, and all of that occupies physical room in the serving.
Every gram of a chew that keeps it soft and tasty is a gram that is not mushroom. That is not a criticism of chews. It is just what a chew is.
A powder does not pay that cost. Buddy Guard is nine mushroom extracts and nothing else — no base, no binder, no flavouring, no sweetener — because a jar with a spoon does not need to hold together or taste like bacon.
It is also why beta-glucan percentages are so rarely published on chew products. Pets Are Kids does not publish one for their Mushroom Chews. Buddy Guard guarantees 37%+, third-party verified on every batch.
The one question worth asking about any chew
What percentage of this chew is actually mushroom, and what percentage is the thing making it a chew?
If the answer is not published, you cannot know. And without it, you cannot compare a chew to anything — not to a powder, not to a capsule, not even to another chew. The mushroom list on the front tells you what went in. It does not tell you how much.
Pets Are Kids uses a named turkey tail extract in a seven-mushroom formula with turmeric, made in the USA with stated batch testing. Those are all real, checkable things and we are not disputing any of them. The figure that is missing is the one that would let you do the arithmetic.
and published — Buddy Guard
Pets Are Kids Mushroom Chews
in Buddy Guard
Side by side
| Petsmont Buddy Guard | Pets Are Kids Mushroom Chews | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Unflavoured powder | Soft chew |
| Mushrooms | 9 organic extracts | 7 mushrooms plus turmeric |
| Beta-glucan % | 37%+ guaranteed, third-party verified | Not published |
| Non-mushroom ingredients | None | Chew base, binders, flavouring |
| Added calories | Negligible | Yes — a chew is a treat |
| Dosing | By actual body weight (¼ tsp / 25 lbs) | By weight band, in whole chews |
| Cats | Yes — cat dose on the jar | Formulated for dogs |
| Ease of giving | Mixes into food; warm water for picky dogs | Taken like a treat — easiest on this page |
| Guarantee | 90 days, opened jar included | Varies by offer |
Scroll sideways if the table is cut off →
The calorie line nobody counts
A chew is a treat with a supplement in it. For a large dog on two or three chews a day, every day, for years, that is a standing daily calorie addition that most owners never enter into the mental ledger.
For a senior dog it matters more than it sounds. Keeping an older dog genuinely lean is one of the highest-leverage things you can do for their joints, their heat tolerance and their energy — and it is undone quietly, a few calories at a time.
Buddy Guard is half a gram of mushroom extract per 25 lbs. It does not compete with dinner and it does not need to be counted.
And about the picky eater
This is the real reason people buy chews, so let us deal with it directly rather than pretending it away.
Buddy Guard is unflavoured, which means it does not announce itself in a bowl of food the way a flavoured powder does. Most dogs simply eat it. For the ones who hesitate, the fix that works almost every time is a splash of warm water stirred into the powder before it goes on the food. It turns into a light gravy, and dogs who reject dry powder on kibble take it without pausing.
It costs you nothing to find out. The 90-day guarantee covers an opened jar — if your dog refuses it, you send it back and get your money regardless.
Petsmont Buddy Guard
- Mushroom extract only — no chew base, binders or flavouring
- 37%+ beta-glucans, published and guaranteed
- Nine organic mushrooms, fruiting bodies only
- Dose scales precisely to weight, not to whole chews
- No meaningful calories added to the day
- Dogs and cats, one jar
- 90 days money back, opened jar included
Pets Are Kids Mushroom Chews
- Seven mushrooms plus turmeric, with named turkey tail extract
- Beta-glucan content not published
- Chew base and binders occupy part of every serving
- Taken like a treat — the lowest-friction option here
- Made in the USA with stated batch testing
- Formulated for dogs
Where they beat us
Getting it into the dog
A chew is easier than a powder. Full stop, no caveats. For a genuinely impossible eater, or for a household where someone else does the feeding, the easiest product to administer is the one that gets given every single day — and consistency beats concentration.
No measuring, no spoon
Count the chews and you are done. No scoop to find, nothing to spill, nothing to explain to a dog sitter. Travel with them, board your dog with them, hand them to anyone.
Doubling as the treat
If your dog is getting a daily treat anyway, a supplement chew replaces it rather than adding to it. That reframes the calorie point above — and it means the supplement gets used as a reward, which some dogs respond to well.
So which should you buy?
- Your dog has refused every powder you have ever tried — try the warm water trick once. If that genuinely fails, a chew is better than nothing.
- You want to know the beta-glucan number you are paying for — Buddy Guard, because it is published.
- Your dog is on a weight plan — Buddy Guard, unless the chew is replacing an existing treat.
- You have a cat as well — Buddy Guard. The chews are formulated for dogs.
- Someone else feeds your dog most days — a counted chew is harder to get wrong than a measured scoop.
- You want to be able to send it back after trying it — our 90 days covers an opened jar.
Worth one try before you re-order chews
Unflavoured powder, a splash of warm water, and a guarantee that covers the jar even after you have opened it.
Petsmont Buddy Guard
Nine organic mushroom extracts. Fruiting bodies only. 37%+ beta-glucans, guaranteed and third-party verified every batch.
- Beta-glucans37%+ guaranteed
- Mushrooms9 organic extracts
- Other ingredientsNone
- Guarantee90 days, opened jar
Questions people ask before switching
My dog genuinely will not eat powder. What now?
Can I mix the powder into a treat instead of the food?
How many calories does Buddy Guard add?
Do I need to stop the chews first?
How long before I notice anything?
Is it safe alongside medication?
The rest of the Petsmont lineup
The same standard applied to everything else your dog gets daily.
Ninety days is long enough to know
You do not have to take our word for any of this. Put your dog on it, watch for two or three months, and if nothing has changed, send the jar back empty and we will refund you.
- USDA Certified Organic
- Made in the USA
- 3rd-Party Tested
- 37%+ Beta-Glucans
- 21,000+ Pet Parents
Sources and method
- Pets Are Kids Mushroom Chews: soft chew format; seven-mushroom formula with turmeric and a named turkey tail extract; made in the USA; stated batch testing; weight-based serving in whole chews; no beta-glucan percentage published on the product page — petsarekidstoo.com product page, checked on the date shown above.
- Petsmont Buddy Guard: $42.95 for a 60 g jar; labelled dose of ¼ tsp (0.5 g) per 25 lbs of body weight; 37%+ beta-glucans guaranteed and third-party verified each batch; nine organic mushroom extracts and no other ingredients; cat dosing on the jar; 90-day money-back guarantee — petsmont.com product page.
- Statements about the composition of soft chews in general describe the standard requirements of the format (a chew base, binders and humectants are needed for a shelf-stable soft chew) and are not a claim about the specific proportions in any named product.
All competitor figures were taken from that brand's own public product pages and are accurate as of the date shown at the top of this page. Prices, formulations and guarantee terms change — please check their current page before deciding. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners and are used here only to identify the products being compared. No affiliation, sponsorship or endorsement is implied.
Petsmont Buddy Guard is a nutritional supplement. It is not a drug and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or condition. Statements about this product have not been evaluated by the FDA. Individual results vary. This page is not veterinary advice. Always consult your veterinarian before starting a new supplement, and about any lump, growth or change in your pet's health.
