After the success of products like alcohol-free, grape-free “wine” for cats, it’s no surprise that someone is developing a caffeine-free, coffee-free “coffee” for dogs.
The name, though, has some people kind of shocked.
A lot of people ― including me ― initially thought a press release about a dog drink called “Rooffee” had to be a joke. But creator Agota Jakutyte swore she wasn’t kidding around and that she had no idea the name sounded like “roofie,” a colloquial term for the infamous “date rape” drug Rohypnol.
The U.K.-based Jakutyte said she meant to combine the word “roots” — in reference to the product’s ingredients — and the word “coffee.”
“Unfortunately, I haven’t Googled it well,” she told HuffPost in an email, adding she plans to change the name.
“Rooffee” isn’t available commercially yet. Jakutyte, who runs the pet product company Shoo, has set up a Kickstarter to fund the product. The page refers to Rooffee as a “wild nordic biohack” for your dog’s “morning routine.”
She says the drink — which contains only dandelion, hawthorn, chicory, carrots burdock and fulvic acid — actually originated with an herbalist who gave her a similar concoction for her own health. It was her own dog, named Crete, who tipped her off to the idea that canines might be interested, too.
“Well, one morning, I was drinking my special coffee (Rooffee with MCT oil and coconut butter, I practice biohacking) and writing my morning affirmations while I noticed that Crete … was licking my coffee,” she said.
After doing some research, Jakutyte said, she she figured out that the herbal mixture could be good for both people and dogs, and the product was born.
When asked about Rooffee’s ingredients, veterinarian Katy Nelson, who hosts “The Pet Show,” told HuffPost that pet owners should make sure to consult with their own veterinarians before adding any special supplements to an animal’s diet, especially those that don’t have scientific studies indicating they work.
“Your veterinarian will know your pets’ specific needs and medical concerns and will be able to best recommend the proper nutrients to treat those conditions,” she advised.
Nelson also stressed that you should never give actual coffee (which Rooffee does not contain) to pets.
“Coffee contains caffeine, a methylxanthine, which can be highly toxic to pets leading to gastrointestinal upset, cardiac arrhythmias, tremors, seizures and even death,” she said.
Instead of all that, we’ll leave you some of the official press images of adorable dogs enjoying Rooffee.
This post has been updated to note that Rooffee contains fulvic acid.