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On the ShelfBy The PetRetailNews Desk3 min readOctober 2, 2026
Totoniks signs Karnlea to distribute venison blood toppers and treats in the UK
The line includes add-water powder toppers in 40g canisters and cold-pressed treats in 50g packs, pairing venison blood with New Zealand ingredients.
Totoniks signed Karnlea to distribute its venison blood toppers and training treats across the UK.
The line includes add-water powder toppers supplied in 40g canisters and cold-pressed training treats in 50g resealable packs. The toppers pair venison blood with New Zealand ingredients including bone broth, green-lipped mussel, bentonite clay, and manuka honey across four formulas: Daily Boost & Hydration, Performance & Hydration, Gut Health & Hydration, and Hip, Joint & Hydration. The treats come in three formulas (Daily Boost, Daily Glow, and Daily Leap) combining venison blood with bone broth, Hoki lipids, and green-lipped mussel. The toppers are available now, and the treats ship at the end of October.
Venison blood is a byproduct of New Zealand's free-range deer farming industry, traditionally discarded. Totoniks captures it and dries it into a powder. The company describes it as a low-fat, single-source novel protein naturally high in bioavailable haem iron and B vitamins.
The shelf decision this creates
A buyer is deciding whether to give space to a powder topper format that requires the customer to add water. The format adds a preparation step that some buyers will see as a barrier and others will see as a hydration upsell.
The pricing is not disclosed, so the margin comparison to existing toppers and treats is unknown. The topper format requires the customer to add water, which adds a step. The 40g canister is a multi-use package, which changes the per-use cost calculation compared to single-serve toppers sold by weight.
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What the Karnlea deal signals
Totoniks founder Geoff Bowers brought K9 Natural to the UK before this. The distributor is now carrying a line built on venison blood, a byproduct ingredient that has not had UK pet retail distribution.
The format works if it pulls a customer who wants novel protein and New Zealand sourcing. If it splits existing buyers into smaller purchases, it does not.
Our read and what the distribution move does not tell you
This is a format wager. Totoniks is bringing a venison blood line to UK distribution. The source gives no UK buyer reaction, no comparison to other blood-based products in the UK market, and no signal on retailer demand.
The sustainability framing (using a byproduct that would otherwise be discarded) is real and may resonate with UK buyers who prioritize provenance, but it does not change the shelf economics. A store gives this line space if it believes the blood ingredient and the New Zealand sourcing pull a customer who would not have bought what is already on the shelf. If it does not believe that, the line is a no.
What we're watching: whether Karnlea's accounts give this more than one facing, and whether the topper format moves faster than the treat format. The topper carries the preparation step, and that step has killed lines before.
What changes for a store weighing the line
If you stock toppers or novel protein treats and your customers ask for New Zealand sourcing, this is worth a single-facing test on the toppers. Give it 60 days and track whether it pulls from your existing sales or adds to the basket. If it is additive, expand to the treat line. If it cannibalizes, you have your answer and you pull it without guilt.
If you do not stock toppers or novel protein formats, this is not the line that creates the category for you. Start with a format that has proven velocity in your store, then add blood toppers as a differentiation play once the category is established.
The line is available now through Karnlea for the toppers, end of October for the treats. The decision is whether your store has the customer who will pay topper pricing for powdered venison blood, or whether that customer is already satisfied by what you stock.
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