[Bailey N]

I was really excited to see this treat sitting on the shelf at my local walmart. I was excited because it said 100% human grade ingredients, 100% natural ingredients, and when I grabbed the bag of Full Moon Chicken Strips and squeezed it between my fingers it broke apart and didn’t splinter (which is something i look for in my dogs treats to help prevent choking and such). I was curious to know if they made dog food so i googled it. I came across this forum and after reading it I got a little alarmed but couldn’t read more because I was in a college class (and obviously not paying attention) so I had to shut the alarm down till I got home. When I arrived home I went to check on Jack, my Welsh Pembroke Corgi, and much to my displeasure there was yellow foam vomit on the floor. The ingredients of the Chicken Strips as opposed to the Freeze Dried Chicken Treats does not have Rosemary/Rosemary Extract in them. I am debilitating the fact that Rosemary/Rosemary extract may be bad for dogs I am just wondering what else would be causing it if Jack is also vomiting and their is no Rosemary/Rosemary Extract present in the treats? Something that upsets me is that I was so naive. My pup depends on me to give him the best and obviously I failed. It looked great, the packaging looked great, the ingredients looked great, and worse of all Jack LOVES them. Very upsetting.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 1 month ago by Bailey N.

[zuponicafe]

My input on treats~anything that keeps a 15 w/o puppy interested while training!
So far I’ve found just putting various things (ie:slivers of hot dogs, small cubes of hard cheese & some home made chicken liver brownies) into a crinkly ‘sample bag’ of kibble work OK, but it’s not that I AM THE UNIVERSE moment while trying to get my puppies attention back to me.
He is still young, so I want to instill manners in a relatively head strong guy. I’m thinking something that smells awesome to him.

[Susan]

Hi Christine, German Shepherds are prone to IBD EPI & SIBO, boiled rice is a no no for some dogs, can you get the Vet Diet “Eukanuba Intestinal” not the Intestinal Plus just the Intestinal, I even think there’s a Eukanuba puppy Intestinal…The Eukanuba Intestinal was the only diet that help my boy get stable.. also join this Face Book group “Dogs With Inflammatory Bowel Disorder” make sure you start to fix this problem now when he’s still young & don’t let him keep going with the irritated bowel like my rescued boy did…. a lot of dogs with IBD are real stress heads, don’t keep still, eat everything in site (Pica) anxious… see a vet that specialises in IBD… some vets wouldn’t have a clue about IBD & say “Oh its just a sensitive stomach” when it isn’t, he might have food sensitivities or food allergies have you tried boiled potatoes & a protein that he has never eating before like kangaroo, rabbit duck…. on another Face Book group called “Dog Allergy International group” I’ve listed limited ingredients kibbles in the files section…. have a look at “Natural Balance” Limited Ingredients http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/ on ur top left click on “Dog Formulas” thin click on the Limited Ingredient Diets the Kangaroo, Rabbit & Duck have the least ingredients, a few dogs with IBD are doing really well on this kibble…also NO TREATS nothing just his kibble & NO CHEESE it has diary & FAT….then when he’s doing firm poos & only 1-3 a day for a good 3 months then give him a new food & see does he have sloppy poo, see what happens if everything is good in the poo department give again the next day & the next day as some dogs wont react for 5-10 days like my boy he does really well the first 5-6 days them BOOM diarrhea… hope to see you in the F/B groups you’ll get some help when needed from a few German Shepherd owners…

[Christine M]

We have a white German shepherd dog, he just turned 5 months in March. I was looking forward to take him at least twice a day for walks, but he poops too much. I have degenerative disc disease and can use the very helpful pooper scooper in our backyard, but there is no way I carry that thing around with me on walks.
The dog cannot sit still, so I basically would have his leash in one hand and try to scrape his soft stool from the sidewalk, but would need a third hand to put the poop into the poop bag.

We talked with my friend from Germany about it. Her female collie had soft stools until she was 1 year old, so she believes that’s normal.

Our vet wanted us to stop feeding him Eukanuba Large Puppy kibble (supposedly it has too many fillers, she recommended Taste of the Wild kibble instead) and to start feeding him a bland diet (white rice and ground chicken or ground beef) until his stools get firm again. That’s what we were doing the past 3 weeks, the rice did NOT firm the stool.
Do I have to stop giving him Lean Treats, 5 tiny little cheese cubicles and Abady dog cookies (1 cookie per day) which I give him in-between his breakfast at 8 a.m. and his dinner at 4:45 p.m.. He gets water the last time at 6 p.m., because we have to put him in the crate by 9 p.m., so he can make it through the night until one of us lets him out in the backyard at 5:30 a.m..

Our vet said that some dogs have a sensitive stomach. In case he has such a sensitive stomach what else could we feed him?
We cannot continue not exercising the dog properly. I was so much looking forward to start walking with him and when I took him for walks in February, he pooped in the garden first and then we started walking and sure enough: on those short 20 minutes walks he pooped again. Thank God there were very high snow banks left and right of the sidewalks where several other dogs from our neighborhood pooped and their owners didn’t pick it up, because nobody could witness it, but the snow is unfortunately gone now and I need advice very desperately.

Thank you,

Chrissie from MA

[Catherine T]

My little Daisy is just 5lbs, and 7yrs old. I had been buying her those canine carryout treats since she was a puppy. When she was 2, that was the first time i seen her seizure! I about lost it! It was also just 2 weeks after i had lost my brother. Took her to vet and really they couldn’t tell me why or what i could do. She continued to get the treats that she loved( that i didn’t know are killing her) and she would have a seizure once every 3 months or so. Now she is 7 and when she has a seizure now she has 3-4 throughout the day and it seems to be every other month atleast. Then shes out of it for a day or 2 and usually vomits. My heart breaks every time and i just hold her cry and clean her up. I just seen on fb that these treats are the cause! This company needs to be terminated! ASAP! Please notify me with any info about this. Thanks

[Dawn R]

My puppy Bella is an 8 month old 9 pound schnoodle that has been suffering from severe diarrhea accompanied by occasional blood & mucus as well as vomiting since November 2014. I have spent thousands of dollars at the vet to eliminate other possibilities such as addisons, parvo, liver shunt etc etc. She had giardia when she was very little and treated with metronidizole. Good news is so far all tests are good (liver enzymes very slightly elevated as is potassium), bad news is we still don’t have a definitive diagnosis, however the vet seems pretty sure it is colitis/IBD/HGE. What the vets are not helping me with is putting her on a diet other than the Hills W/D which she doesnt want to eat. I started her on Merrick dry kibble when I first took her home. When she stopped eating that, I mixed in Merrick wet food. This worked for a month before she had terrible diarrhea. In addition she seem to be allergic to something in the merrick food which caused a chronic cough & eye discharge. Then She went on Natures VAriety for a short while, but would ONLY eat the freeze dried raw bits and not the kibble. So because of this I then I put her on Stella & Chewys freeze dried lamb & duck patties. That also worked for about a month and then she had another bout, this time extremely severe. Through each bout (which seems to happen 1-2 times per month) they put her back on metronidizole again, so I never really get the chance to see if a food is working or not. Vet wanted to try the whole novel protein diet and put her on Hills prescription D/D. Tried it for 2 weeks and she would not touch it and lost 1.5 pounds. At that point I gave up and needed to just get food into her system so I put her back on Merrick but this time tried the grain free duck. One week into it and she started back with diarrhea again and is now back on metronidizole. This time the vet wants me to put her on Hills W/D because of the low fat/high fiber. I already use a probiotic (restore) and give her a tablespoon of pumpkin everyday (which incidentally seems to make the diarrea worse). Took her off all bully sticks (still love the brand BEST bully stick, but never again). No treats either. I have read extensively and there seems to be many different opinions on what to give a dog with GI inflammation of sorts. I have read everything from Canine cavier to Addiction and more. Having had signed up for the editors choice, I am hoping for some good solid recommendations. I do not want to give her Merrick or Hills anymore. Cost is not an issue, but I don’t think puppies this tiny are ok with raw food (just my experience since the worst she ever was when I fed her Stella & Chewys, even though I think its a great product for most). She is going in for spay surgery on May 7th (health permitting) and the vet is saying if I am not able to regulate her with diet in the next month that they want to do an intestinal biopsy which I have a real problem with especially if the intestine is ALREADY inflamed. I have an appointment for her with a holistic vet tomorrow and am really hoping to get some suggestions that I can speak to the holistic vet about. I have read all about pre/pro biotics, digestive enzymes, glucose, fructose, hypoallergenic, L-glutamine and plan to ask the holistic vet which of those she thinks I should try, but I find it troubling that I have not gotten any viable food options from my vet to date. Any advice would be greatly appreciated by Baby Bella & her Mom!

• This topic was modified 11 years, 1 month ago by Dawn R.
• This topic was modified 11 years, 1 month ago by Dawn R.
• This topic was modified 11 years, 1 month ago by Dawn R.

[John T]

Thank God you got them off of it! The SAD thing is that it take a whole lot of companion animals both dog and cats to get sick, suffer and die before they identify the cause as BAD food!! ALL these companies, and I mean ALL of them are out for profits! That is why they sneak and put bad products in their foods. Think about it, they throw bad meat in a batch and save thousands! I had always trusted Blue until we could not find any reason why my dog had constant loose loose stools and high ATL levels. Amazing, with in one week of taking him off ALL commercial products he is back to normal! I make all his food and give him a daily vitamin and probiotic! It may take more time but oh well, I love him that much!! He gets 1/4 chicken, 1/4 white organic and washed rice, and 1/4 sweet potato and 1/4 vegi mix, mostly peas, carrots, green beans. I make a big batch for the week then take some and bake it for 6 minutes each side to use as treats and he loves it!! NO MORE COMMERCIAL FOOD! People are killing their companions and don’t even know it. Why do you think so many are dying with kidney and liver failure not to mention cancer! I am SO glad you got them off in time! PASS THE WORD – SAVE ANOTHER PET!

[Ginny N]

I have 2 dogs both of which are older ladies, one is a Sheppard/Lab and the other is a Mastiff/Lab. The Sheppard has always had stomach issues and last year, my little baby developed a food allergy where I almost lost her. It WAS commercial food and treats. She can’t eat anything commercial and quite frankly I don’t trust them.

Long story short, I opened a business where I make fresh biscuits that I use as my kibble and treats for my babies. Dogs love these treats, I usually have a following of dogs when I go to the dog park as I do try to carry free samples which I give to the owners if they wish.

I am quite passionate about what anyone feeds their dog. I don’t think any pet should be fed anything that contains items that are harmful to them. I don’t mean to offend anyone, but my opinion both as an pet owner and business owner is this:

1) If the ingredients are not human grade, then you are giving your pet/your child food that you would not eat. You are what you eat – your pet is what they eat.
2) Both food and treats should be healthy and not compromise your pet’s health including their weight.
3) Balanced diet including treats – meat, grains, fruits and veggies – always. Diet and exercise DOES make a different.
4) Any food or treat should not have additives, preservatives, artificial sugars or ingredients that are not good for dogs. Dogs don’t eat stuff like this in the wild – why should we be feeding it to them because we can purchase the food from a store?
5) Only deal with companies that stand behind their products – your pet/your child should be before profits.
6) Fresh is the best. If your dog was living in the wild – they would hunt daily in the hope that what they eat is fresh.
7) Always listen to your dog – if they gobble it down, it’s probably good but watch for any signs that the treats and/or food isn’t the best. We all like to eat things that aren’t the best for us. Eating gas, different behaviours, rashes, scratching etc. I have found to be key signs to look for as signs something is wrong. When in doubt – See a Vet – they are the experts.

[Lori]

I just got some sample food (4 different) from Brothers Complete. It’s a little on the high price end. The samples were free, but the shipping was $3.95, plus they sent a full sized bag of dehydrated sweet potato treats, which was a surprise and a nice gift. However, all the products have chicken liver or fat so I don’t know if you dog can have tolerate that.

Just as an example, the Turkey and Egg Allergy formula has 28% carbs (if I did the math right).

Guaranteed Analysis:

Crude protein, minimum 37.00%
Crude fat, minimum 17.00%
Crude fiber, maximum 4.00%
Moisture, maximum 10.00%
Vitamin E, minimum 200 IU/kg
Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), minimum 100 mg/kg
Zinc, minimum 200 mg/kg
Calcium 1.51%
Phosphorus 0.96%
Ash 8.04%
Omega 6 fatty acids, minimum 3.07 %*
Omega 3 fatty acids, minimum 0.73 %*
Omega 3 DHA (Doxosahexaenoic Acid), min 0.04%*
Encapsulated Probiotics – Lactic acid bacteria 2,000,000 cfu/gram dog food*
Enzymes (Amylase, Protease, Cellulase, Lactase, Hemicellulase, Lipase) 10.0 FCC DU/g*

*Not recognized as an essential nutrient by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles.

CALORIES: (M.E. Calculated) 3,780 kcal/kg 415 kcal/cup

• This reply was modified 11 years, 1 month ago by Lori.

[Kathleen C]

When I use the Dog Food Advisors food calculator there is no difference in how much he should eat to lose weight of the two kibbles we’re discussing here, 346 k/cal or 0.96 of a cup of kibble. He’s only getting 0.50 of a cup each day and is still not showing any real weight lose after all this time. I’ve been trying to get him to lose the same 1 1/2 lbs since last summer. I realize he’s getting food besides the kibble and that has something to do with this, but the treats are 2-3 cal apiece and the green beans are very low fat. I’ve had him down to as low as 19.4 and that’s a real plus. I weigh his kibble so I’m pretty sure he’s getting the right amount. Maybe I’m just trying to do something that’s not really necessary. If I can keep him at or around 20 lbs maybe I should be happy. But I wanted that extra leeway of 18.5 so I could raise his kibble amount a little bit and that’s what he weighed when I got him 14 months ago.

[Kathleen C]

The Annamaet has 350 cal. per cup and the Wellness has 360 per cup. Not that much difference if that’s what you mean. I just know that Jack is getting 1/4 cup twice a day and that’s way below what the bag says he should be able to lose weight on. He walks every day and goes to the dog park for a little running and some playing, but not all that much. He’s just not a play boy. His treats are low cal like Zukes and green beans with a few pieces of kibble as a cookie (usually 5-6 pieces). I have to watch closely when he poops because he’s started eating it if I can’t find it and pick it up. That tells me he’s hungry and that bothers me.

[Rebecca L]

I’m glad also. I was too tricked by these treats stating they were made in the USA but really only packaged here. Our Burkly is only 6 and had a couple of seizures we took him to the vet and they said he had epilepsy and his organs looked fine after blood tests. Thank God he must not have eaten enough of this crap to kill him. You can’t trust these greedy corporations!

Anyone have any suggestions as to what small treat to give our yorkie pooh he takes an allergy pill every day. Are the mini Milkbones brand even safe?

[Scott S]

My dog Duke is really picky about the kind of treats he likes. We tried the store brands and some he would eat but he wasn’t really that interested in them. I found http://dapperdogdelights.com/ on instagram and gave them a shot. He really seems to like them and their made in America with human grade chicken and no preservatives so I’m happy he loves them!

[Anonymous]

I heard it was just the jerky treats (or something).

[Akari_32]

Hey guys, anyone care to check out these pictures of Ginger laying down and tell what you thing of this bulge in her lower rib cage area? I mean, she’s always been like that, but it really seems to be larger.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/AB5FC0D1-9719-4190-ABD5-098B33D9642E_zpsnw0hlwdv.jpg

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/54F7E842-9DA4-4D45-AE88-EBE928BB1474_zpsrzsx5sn9.jpg

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/2258191B-0481-44AF-B03B-3CCFD446C656_zpsblqqvybh.jpg

She’s at a point now where all she does is sleep, pee on the floor, and eat. Although she is in a good mood when ever she is awake, especially when food is involved. But I’m pretty sure she sleeps like 22.5 hours out of the day at this point. She does demand attention from mom every night that she sits at the desk. She’ll stand at moms feet and bark, and if she gets up, she’ll lead mom to the kitchen and show her where the treats are XD Apparently moms work makes Ginger jealous, and hungry LOL And she leaps in the air gets really excited for her dinner. And if she gets hungry, she will stand in the middle of the house and bark at me, and show me where the kitchen is and where the food is, and then she shows me where the bowl goes (regardless of if I have it or not) 😛

[theBCnut]

As far as pork body part treats, like pig ears, they are part of the reason that pork got a bad name. If your 5-10 lb dog eats a whole pig ear, it might eat way too much fat and get pancreatitis. I don’t think that makes pork bad, but the owner of the small dog might.

What LM said about all the chemicals in them is very true of the cheap ones. They have some pretty awful stuff in them. There are natural ones. They cost more and you still have to make sure your dog doesn’t eat too much of them.

[Gloria K]

Dawn M, Dog Food Advisor considers Blue Buffalo wilderness in the five-star category. That’s why I feed it to Mickey as his non-homemade treats. He absolutely loves it and from what I can see on the packaging it’s pretty healthy stuff. What have you read about it that’s negative?

[DogFoodie]

I had recently been using Nature’s Variety Instinct LID treats, and I still really like them a lot, but had to stop using them. Even the small amount of flax that Sam gets in an occasional treat was causing problems for him. I’ve gone back to using Brothers Complete treats again and they’re perfect for us. They’re a crunchy biscuit treat, the same size as the NVI LID treats and Sam loves them. They come in venison, buffalo and turkey. They’re not labeled “limited ingredient,” but they basically are – not a single one of Sam’s problem ingredients! I’m so glad to have something that he likes that doesn’t cause any intolerance issues. I’m especially happy to be able to use a product again that I trust. Bella just finished a bag of Brothers Complete venison kibble – she loved it and did great on it.

Here are the ingredients from the venison treats :
INGREDIENTS: Venison meal, cassava/tapioca, peas, pea starch, chicken fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), dried Chicken Liver, alfalfa, carrots, potassium chloride, sea salt, choline chloride, dried Whole Cell Algae (a pure source of Omega 3 DHA), Rosemary extract, Green tea extract, organic long chain branched Inulin Prebiotic, Celery, beets, parsley, lettuce, watercress, spinich, cranberry pomace, Lysine HCL, DL-Methionine, Lecithin, Taurine, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin D3, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, niacin, folic acid, biotin, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, L-ascorbyl 2-polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C activity), zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite, cobalt carbonate, Vitamin B12, L-Carnitine

[dawn m]

Gloria, do you mean BB Wilderness? I’ve heard/read so much against BB dog food. I will get some Zukes, and eventually make Bella treats when I have more time and desire to spend time in the kitchen.

[Gloria K]

Again I make my dogs treats but I keep a bag or two of Zuke’s in the house and in my car because they don’t need to be refrigerated and Mickey loves them. Wilderness is another brand he goes crazy over.

[Jennifer P]

As a special treat we give our GSD pup Beams by THK. It’s holds up just enough to last for a couple of minutes through his chewing and it gives him t something he needs: omega 3s and protein (pure dried fish skins).

I agree with all of the above plus want to add that it has to be extraordinarily delicious because we also use treats as an occasional training aids. 😉

[Rhonda L]

New to the forum, and loving all of the great info here. We rescued a precious little doggie about 2 weeks ago, and want to transition him to a great diet. Best guess, he’s a cockapoo, but others have guessed Maltese, along with other assorted possibilities. He’s 2 years old and about 17 pounds. Would love info about frozen, freeze-dried, air-dried foods. Not sure I’m knowledgeable enough yet to go totally homemade raw. Have a dehydrator and have made some tasty treats… beef and chicken livers, sweet potatoes, carrots, bananas, apples, etc. plus some pumpkin/peanut butter/rolled oats no-bake balls. Am interested in a rotational diet, but don’t know how to go about it… rotate daily, weekly, monthly, AM/PM. What’s the best way to go about designing a rotational diet for my sweet boy… and anything else I need to know to pamper a formerly tossed-to-the-curb angel?

[DogFoodie]

Charlee Bear treats were created by Steve Brown, a highly respected expert on raw feeding and canine nutrition. Steve is the author of Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet and has made contributions to this site. If you have questions about his products, shoot him an email. He’s very responsive.

[Dog_Obsessed]

I don’t think they are, because they don’t seem to be bragging about it on their website. I would definitely support the homemade treats, if those are the things you’re going for.

[dawn m]

are they non-GMO or better yet organic fruits & veggies? Why is it so hard to find healthy food & treats for our pets that aren’t cost prohibitive? Maybe it’s time for me to take my creativity out of the sewing room and apply it to the much dreaded kitchen˜!

• This reply was modified 11 years, 1 month ago by dawn m.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Here are the ingredients I see online for liver flavored Charlie Bear treats: Wheat flour, liver (poultry liver preserved naturally with vitamin E), salt (2 tablespoons per 100 pounds), garlic powder

Not horrible, and it is nice that they are low-calorie, but they’re certainly not grain-free. Do they make a variety that is?

[Deborah J]

I use Charlee Bear treats. All natural, all ingredients come from US & Canada. Grain free ond no chemicals of any kind. Dogs LOVE them and only 3 calories each. A bunch of flavors. Our dogs love them all. I can only find them in Petco or on line. Not very expensive either.

[Susan]

Hi Sally, I’d say who ever owned her before you has let her lick human plates & bowls & has probably feed her left overs from their plate, she probably even had a biscuit dipped in coffee, When I first rescued Patch he wouldn’t eat kibble either but he has health problems, IBD, kibble gives him pain, he too can’t eat water foods like stews, he brings them back up…..
Your girl may never eat kibble or dog tin foods, she has had a taste of good food fresh human food, If I owned her I would be googling some easy to make dog recipes, then make the meal all up & then you freeze them in little containers & take out the night before & put in fridge…there’s even places that cook meals for dogs, the ladies on this group may know some names of home cooked meals for dogs in America as I’m in Australia, I did have the name of a few in America but I can’t find the links..
I get 1 kilo turkey breast mince (grounded) mix in 1 egg & I make little bite size rissoles, you roll the turkey breast mince into little bite size balls & put the little balls on a baking tray, they bake in about 15mins, then I freeze them all, they thaw in about 15-20mins when left out on bench, you can feed the turkey rissoles as treats or I put some in the blender add some boiled pumkin that I have thawed out & some sweet potates that I have also thawed out…once a fortnight I boil half a butternut pumkin cut into pieces & freeze, I also freeze sweet potato, I have boiled rice frozen in the freezer aswell…there’s a few cook books that are balanced diets & real easy to make, google Lew Olson, Raw & Natural Nutrition for Dogs her book cost about $12 online, it has real easy recipes too follow & are balanced…I cooked for my last dog & I never balanced her meals & she was so healthy, shinny coat, she had all her teeth, her teeth were still nice & white at the age on ten, I never ever gave her any bones or kibbles, so that’s not true how kibble cleans a dogs teeth…

[Sally H]

I have been feeding her chicken and she only wants the brown meat. She does love liver but I am not up to cooking her chicken rice and green beans every day. I wouldn’t get the combination right and I want her to eat nutritionally. I have never had a dog that wouldn’t eat dry dog food and I never let them have people food so this is a real problem. I am 70 and walking her three times a day is tough enough as she loves long walks and chasing squirrels and I do love for her to be able to do that. She does seem to have trouble with hard
food and will not eat hard treats so I need to stick to soft foods. She sticks her nose up at all of the canned foods I have gotton her so far and the refrigerated food I got her at Publix. Someone suggest Dyno bites as being supposedly very tasty.??? She does love Cesar softie treats and hard bits of liver. as well as the greenies. She licks my coffee cup after I have drained it and even tried to lick my bowl that I had tomatos and okra in yesterday. Couldn’t believe it She throws up when she eats stews so those are out. She only gets treats once or twice a day when she does something special that she is getting trained about. Any one who can help me I will bless forever. Thank you for reading. Sally

[dawn m]

thank you Gloria, I will try that w/o the bacon since I’m vegetarian and no meat is in my kitchen. What is the recipe you use to make your treats if you care to share?!

[Gloria K]

Mickey is a 13 pound terrier mix who also gets a treat whenever he comes in from doing his business or going with me in the car to run errands, grocery shop etc. I make all of his food including his treats-biscuits, cookies- but he goes absolutely crazy over the simple ones like cooked string beans and carrot slices. I just simmer them in a little water or broth and sometimes after I drain the veggies I brush them with a little bacon grease. It only takes about a half teaspoon to flavor the entire batch. Very easy to make, very inexpensive, healthy and low calorie too. They keep in the refrigerator for a week or you can freeze them on a cookie sheet and give them to Bella frozen.
And I bought a new area rug two weeks ago and decided t Mickey was going to have his own place mat so to speak so I bought a small bathroom rug in the same color and that’s where he keeps his treats and bones so my area rug stays clean.

[dawn m]

I use the kong for my girls afternoon treat – AND she lets me know when it’s that time of day˜! I LOVE the suggestion of putting the food in the kong and then freezing it, I usually put some frozen organic veg/fruit in the kong along with organic mini raw carrots, banana, and canned food. Usually first put in organic spinach to plug the small end, then frozen organic peas/g.beans/mixed berries [big bags from Costco] and an organic mini carrot or 2 and finish off with the canned food (Dave’s grain free 95% Premium or Dave’s grain free turkey and bacon) and a small pc. of banana squished in the end. I am going to try putting all ingred. in and then freezing the kong and see how she likes it that way.

She also gets a small treat every time she comes in from going outside and I am not sure of what is good. I’ve done Nutro crunchy treats [I like that sm size but not convinced on it’s qlty], I also get Fromm treats but they are too big to give her so often, and I’ve got THK treats but they are also too big {she gets one at bed time only}. She [Bella] is a 45# boxer.

I’m also looking for a chewing treat/toys but not sure what is safe/non-toxic/good. I bought her a split antler – she loved it but it was splintering so I took it away. AND her favorite place to eat the kong and antler is on my new area rug because she can hold it down since it slides all over on her on the hard wood floors – UMMMMMM maybe I need to get her a Bella rug˜! 🙂

I would appreciate any suggestions – I would prefer to buy not make her treats since the kitchen is NOT my favorite room in the house [meaning I don’t like cooking any more than necessary – but I do want healthy non-GMO, grain free, free range when possible, no rBGH, foods and treats – for Bella and me].

Thank You˜!

[Akari_32]

Got all this for $31.15! Stay tuned for a break down 🙂

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/2014-06/F0C5BF03-2FDB-4B3C-9235-F560AD159F67_zpsyunnf4tx.jpg

I did three total transactions, two at Pet Smart and one at PetCo.

First one at PetSmart:
3x 5lb Purina Pro Plan Savor Salmon and Rice
–Original Price: $13.99 ($14.97 after tax)
–Clearance Price: $8.37 ($7.62 after tax)
1x 5lb Nature’s Variety Prairie Puppy Chicken Meal and Brown Rice
–Original Price: $14.99 ($16.04 after tax)
–Clearance Price: $8.37 ($7.62 after tax)
Coupons:
–3x $2 off any Purina product (found on random Purina products through out the store)
–1x $3 off and Nature’s Variety Instinct, Instinct RAW, or Prairie pet food (received in the mail with samples from Nature’s Variety)
–1x $5 off $25 purchase Pet Supermarket coupon
–1x $3 off any purchase $3 or more PetSmart Coupon

Total after clearance and coupons: $18.27
–Total before clearance and coupons: $60.95
–Total savings: $42.68!

Second transaction at PetSmart:
1x 5lb Nature’s Variety Prairie Puppy Chicken Meal and Brown Rice
–Original Price: $14.99 ($16.04 after tax)
–Clearance Price: $8.37 ($7.62 after tax)
1x 2oz Omega One Algae Wafers
–Original Price: $4.99
Coupons:
–1x $3 off any purchase $3 or more PetSmart Coupon
–1x $2 off $10 purchase for Pet Supermarket
–1x $3 off and Nature’s Variety Instinct, Instinct RAW, or Prairie pet food

Total after clearance and coupons: $5.95
–Total before clearance and coupons: $21.38
–Total savings: $15.43!

And at PetCo:

2x Temptations Cat Treats 2.1 oz (manager approved replacement for Friskies Cat Treats)
–Original Price: $2.13
2x 5.5oz Royal Canin Radiant Shine canned dog food
–Original Price:$1.81
1x PetLinks cat toy
–Original Price: $5.99
Coupons:
–2x Free 2.1oz Friskies cat treat PetCo coupon (manager allowed me to substitute with Temptations because they no longer cary Friskies)
–1x 10% off any PetLinks cat toy PetCo coupon
–2x 15% off any one can of Royal Canin dog or cat food PetCo coupon
–1x $2 off $10 purchase for Pet Supermarket

Total after coupons: $6.93
–Total before clearance and coupons: $14.28
–Total savings: $7.35!

Total savings for my whole trip is $65.46 🙂 Some of this is for donations.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 2 months ago by Akari_32.

[Eugene L]

i thought dehydrated food can be store in a vacuum bag in room temperature. Am i wrong?
Cos i store my dehydrated chicken breast as treats for my Akita in a sealed bag.
I dont tend to store for like 30 days. Just a week or two will do.

And for the bone for cleaning teeth aspect, i tend to stay away from giving him a whole bone as last time there is a sharp fragment come loose and he did not chew properly before swallowing it. Luckily the vet saw the bone is very near the anus so can be removed without surgery. But He still ends up having diarrhea for 3 days as the sharp bone scratched his GI tract…><

[Mary M]

Hi,
I just discovered a new brand called “Small Batch.” They are a small company based in the Bay area of California. I’m not sure if the food is sold outside the west coast, but they certainly use high-quality ingredients. They make raw patties, and dehydrated meat treats (jerky). My dog loved the turkey jerky (notoriously picky girl). Would love to at least see a review of this food on the website.

[puppypiles]

I’ve never tried a puzzle toy, since he doesn’t like any kinds of treats, but I could give it a whirl. And frozen canned food? You are a sneaky genius.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Tammy:
For Bobby’s extras I like to make treats so I know what’s in them. If you want some recipes let me know, I realize not everyone is into making treats. lol I do feed freeze dried treats because they have minimal ingredients and are low fat. He likes Stella & Chewy’s Carnivore Kisses or Stewart’s treats. Other treats are kefir, blueberries (or other dog appropriate fruits) and organic virgin coconut oil. Once a week he gets a beef tendon to chew. I have been buying Merrick’s lately. Several posters recommend The Honest Kitchen Beams, I haven’t tried them but plan to in the future.
http://www.merrickpetcare.com/consumer/products/product.jsp?categorySort=3&id=67&page=1&view=list&sort=cpjc.level_3_category_id&order=asc&name=Doggie_Wishbone_Tendon_Treats&cat1=6&cat2=9&categories=–&age=All_Life_Stages
http://www.stellaandchewys.com/products/dog-treats/
http://stewartpet.com/our-products/pro-treat-freeze-dried-treats/

Check out this thread for some more suggestions:
/forums/topic/your-most-recommended-dog-treats/

[tammy h]

I have another question… 🙂 what about treats for my sweet bullboxer pup any suggestions?

[Mike A]

Hi everybody, my name is Mike and Im an owner of a almost 3 year old Boxer. I’ve come here for advise on how to deal with pancreatitis.

So, as I mentioned before I have a Boxer named Kolbie and shes 3 years old and weighs in about 65 pounds. She has had an issue with an upset tummy, arched up back, drueling, and wont eat from time to time the past year or so. It always seemed to clear up by days end so we never thought too much of it and it didnt happen very often. As of late, the instances increased and she has since been diagnosed with pancreatitis. We were feeding her Taste of the Wild, and Mother Hubbard peanut butter flavored treats. We would also put peanut butter in her kong for her as an extra treat also and this was a daily thing. I would also give her marrow bones to chew on and have since learned the marrow is high in fat.
She has been on Purina HA now for almost 6 weeks as prescribed by our vet and we have cut out all the extra stuff and the pancreatitis episodes have stopped. I have been adding boiled chicken and rice to the food to make it more appetizing for her. I have noticed since being on the food she has lost about 3 pounds, her coat has dulled and she seems to be shedding more. I would like to get her off this food and back to a better diet but I have no idea where to start. A raw diet is not possible for me to do on a daily basis so I would like to feed her a high quality kibble and I dont mind adding boiled chicken and rice to it if thats a good thing to do.
I was going to put her back on TOTW and nix all the other fatty stuff but after reading the bad reviews from forum members I am reluctant. So I guess what I am getting at is I need some help to choose a quality food and treat to keep my pup healthy and happy.
Thanks for reading and I’ll be happy for any advise and suggestions.

[cdubau]

The food I’m feeding them is listed under the Best Weight Loss Foods, so it should “work” to help them lose weight. I didn’t assume that because it said it was reduced fat it would work. I assumed it would work because its a 5 star food and its listed HERE as a best in weight loss. It has high protein to help them feel fuller, low in fat and low in calorie. And they don’t get but two small treats a day IF they actually get one.

They are older and aren’t losing weight, blood work was a question. Should I bring them to get blood work because they are eating BELOW recommended amount and NOT losing weight. If they were huma, eating the low end of caloric intake (even if it was high in carbs) and they weren’t losing weight, I would assume going to the doctor to have that person checked out would be the next step. Just my rational of thinking, but it really was a question.

[Dori]

In lieu of the fact that you’ve chosen a food that is low in fat I’m going to assume that you believe that fat makes dogs fat. It doesn’t. Please choose a food that is low in carbs. Carbs are what cause weight gain and also makes it very difficult to lose weight. So look for a food that has a decent amount of protein, moderate fat, and low carbs and you should see your dog start to lose weight.

People have the misconception that since “fat” is a word that has been used to describe overweight people and animals that they must be getting that way due to eating fat. Nope! It’s the amount of carbs in their diet. Also check out the carbs in their treats.

Why do you feel they need blood work because they are over weight?

[crazy4cats]

Hi Kevin-
So far treats have not been rated on this site. I too have dogs that like to gnaw. Bully sticks are their favorite. My dogs each get one 6 inch bully per week. I have to attach them to vice grips to make sure they are not swallowed. I have 80lb golden labs. I mostly buy the Cadet brand at Costco with no issues for the last 3 years. If Costco is out, I have bought them from best bullysticks.com.
I also give them large raw marrow bones, pig ears, and most recently Fish beams from THK occasionally.
Another thing they enjoy is when we prepare a kong for them. You can stuff one with canned food, pumpkin, wet kibble or any combination of ingredients they like and then freeze it. This is the most time consuming chew toy I’ve come up with for them. Unfortunately, I rarely take the time to do it. Lol! 🙂
I hope you get some ideas that work for you.

[Cheryl Pepper Millie Sophie]

Kevin C
The brand I have been using (and so far w good results by that I mean no bad stomach reactions) is ” I and Love And You” brand from Colorado, I but the odor free bully sticks, they are made from free range cattle from brazil. They are expensive ,the cheapest price is at Petco.com. Now because of the calories 1 a week . you might look at their cow ears,more bang for your buck -they give days of chewing pleasure.
Hope this helps a bit.
They only other treats I buy are from Cocotherapy-dried fruit and drier veggies ,they are very expensive most of the bag is empty ,I called the company to complain and they jabbered on about weight.

[Susan]

Hi, yes the Losec (omeprazole) could be making her feel like crap, it made Patch lethargic, not well in himself, & whinging after eating his food, sloppy poos & small her mouth, see if she has a weird smell coming out of her mouth…it takes about 12-24hrs for the Losec to leave her system so she will become & feel better in about 1 day.. with the Zantac that’s the right one the 150mg you would give 1/4 of a tablet 40-60mins before food every 12 hours, Patch weights around 36lb & I have to give 1/3 of the tablet, its hard to cut a third of a tablet especially when rounded, so sometimes its more like half a tablet so I cut off the corner..cutting 1/4 is easier just half the tablet then half again…
if you can buy some turkey breast mince (grounded) 99% fat free add 1 egg to 1 kilo turkey breast mince, mix thru, then make little small balls like a rissole put on a baking tray & bake for about 15mins then freeze some & take out as needed they thaw in about 15mins she will love them I eat them myself I use as treats as well,
Come to think about it Patch got worse after I had him on the Wellness Simple, the vet told me to stay away from kibbles that have probiotics in them, you can read the ingredients, they are all down the bottom dried Lactobacillus Casei fermentation product etc, it seemed to make Patches problem worse, then I had the Endoscope + biopsies done in December..He had the Helicobacter infection, I think once you stop the Losec she’ll be eating in a day & make some turkey breast rissole something she has never eaten.. oh another thing the Carafate seem to make Patch worse as well, so that made me think back then that he may not have a ulcer like I thought….

I’d stop everything & I bet in a day or 2 she be back to normal & happy self…just feed low fat foods, cause the more fat we eat the more stomach acid we make & maybe look up slippery elm powder, if the Zanatc doesn’t seem to help…a lot of ladies swear by it for their dogs with acid reflux…I bought some of the slippery elm powder & mixed up a paste with hot water & had about 1 teaspoon, it stopped me feeling sick, I use to give Patch some & he was sleeping thru the night then for some reason when he gets better I stopped using it… I add 1 teaspoon powder & add boiling water in a cup & keep stirring & add hot water until its like a slurry paste, it goes like jelly, I keep in the fridge, I’ve been using liquid Mylanta 3ml in a syringe whenever Patch is licking & swallowing & if he wakes thru the night grinding his teeth, he grinds his teeth when he has his acid, I might make up some slippery elm, I forgot about it…I hope Bella is feeling better soon.

[Susan]

Hi RebeccaRose, the Losec {Omeprazole} gave Patch very very sloppy poos…. Zantac is the only ant-acid that only works on the stomach & doesn’t affect the bowel, like other ant-acids do, my vet said, so perfect for dogs with IBD, Colitis etc…… PPI’s Losec & Somac do affect the bowel giving, bad wind, gas, diarrrhea google side effect to Omeprazole…..Bella would of been having the nasel Bordetella spray…poor girl, she has had a ruff time…. the Bordetella spray is dearer & doesn’t work aswell as the injection, I don’t get the Bordetella injection anymore, its a waste of money, its not 100% they can still catch Kennel cough, my vet asks, are you going away or boarding Patch, I said No, she said well you don’t need the Bordetella shot…

Shop around for an Endoscope the ladies from the F/B group “Dogs with inflammatory bowel disorder” were talking about this the other day, how some places are cheaper then other places… it was only $600 for the Endoscope that’s drugs everything & $80 each biopsies, Patch only had 2 biopsies, 1 from his stomach & 1 from his esophagus….after you start adding up cost of an Ultra scan, X-rays, blood test its cheaper to have Endoscope done….& you know exactly what’s wrong & then they can be treated properly for that illness…. Helicobacter can be caught from the mother when they are pups especially when pups come from puppy farms….Patch was a grump when he was feeling sick & had his bad acid reflux, you could just tell he wasn’t his happy self, some days were better then others..

Maybe after cutting down on fat in Bella diet & using the Pepcid (famotidine) she may feel better, but the Pepcid made Patch feel sick & he vomited up the tablet, I had to use Zantac & that helped him the best, stopped him feeling sick, normal firm poos & no wind at night….also routine, stick to a routine to help stop with the stress & lots of walkies… I’ve found when Patch is feeling un-well, I take him for a little walk to the shops or beach, he says hello to the other dogs & people & seems to come back home feeling better & walks straight in the kitchen & sits near his cupboard that has all his food in it….maybe the salt air makes him hungry……also read the fat% in treats as some treats are high in fat, its best to make your own little cookies, like Oatmeal-Apple Cookies they have cinnamon in them excellent for feeling nauseous……Applesause is good for diarrhea & so is cabbage juice they both contain pectin same as what’s in diarrhea meds…

[Linda M]

I have a 14 y/o bRat Terrier whose has been on Stella & Chewy’s frozen patties since late last summer. Since switching her to raw, her Trygycerides have been rising, but I was alarmed when they doubled on her last blood panel (they are now at 2200). The rest of her blood panel is normal, aside from an elevated Liver ALP (now at 174…but that is down from 600 about 4 years ago, thanks to a daily dose of Denamarin).

Her weight fluctuates between 18 and 20 pounds. She is sedentary for the most part (sleeps most of the day while we are working), but otherwise has tons of energy and always happy to go for walks (thankful that Chicago weather is finally breaking and we can get some exercise again).

She has always had a heart murmur (around a Grade 2 for most of her life)…about 3 years ago we were told it was a 3 borderline 4…last summer she started coughing and the vet told us her murmur was a 4 borderline 5 and she was in the early stages of Congestive Heart Failure. She was put on a daily dose of Enalapril (2.5mg twice per day) and Vetmedin (5 mg. per day split into two doses). That was also when we switched her to a raw diet, and within weeks her cough disappeared. That was last September…at her visit this past week, she no longer shows any signs of CHF and her murmur is now at a 2 borderline 3…the vet is shocked and amazed that her murmur has improved and told us that he wouldn’t believe us if hadn’t seen it for himself…he says murmurs NEVER improve. He is skeptical of the raw food, however, I attribute her improvement to the change in diet more than anything (not to say the meds haven’t helped…I have no doubt they have).

This is a dog who shed like crazy until switching her to Raw – now she barely loses any hair and her coat is thick and shiny. The muscle mass along her spine was deteriorating (you could see her pointy spine bones sticking up along her back) and she was developing spondylosis…with a “clicking” sound that you could also feel along her spine. After a month on raw, her bones no longer protruded through her back and now she can once again race up & down the stairs and on the furniture (to my dismay)…the clicking is gone. Raw had done wonders for her health, and I’m sold on it being the best for her.

She is, however, sensitive to birds…no chicken, duck, pheasant or we start dealing with itching along her lips and paws that quickly devolves into infections. We have been rotating her on beef, venison, lamb & rabbit (tho I have my concerns about the rabbit being an issue with her lip…so lately I’ve avoided feeding it to her).

She is fed strictly 2 1/2 small patties of Stella & Chewy’s twice per day, 12 hrs apart…and her only treats are carrot chips. I keep a bag of Taste of the Wild Lamb on hand…I leave handfuls of them in her bowl to eat at her leisure if she get’s hungry between meals, but she rarely touches it (unless I’m late with a feeding).

Because of her high triglycerides, my vet would like to get her onto a lower fat diet. He suggested kibbles & prescription kibbles…but I will not go down that road again…Royal Canin Hydrolyzed Protein nearly brought her to the brink of a malnourished death prior to Raw…no way I will go back.

So…any suggestions on how to lower the fat content while still keeping her on raw and not feeding any “crap” foods?

My working theory is to use SOJOS grain-free fruit & veggie mix (the kind you rehydrate with water) and combine that with 1 Stella & Chewys patty per day (half 1.5 oz patty at each feeding). I am having a difficult time working out how much of each to feed her while keeping the fat under 15%, the protein and fiber in a higher range, and the calorie amounts appropriate for her size/age & slower-pace lifestyle. Would love to see all of her blood panel numbers in the normal range at her next test…not just for her sake, but to prove to the vet how beneficial this raw diet has been.

ANY suggestions or help would be GREATLY appreciated!!

• This topic was modified 11 years, 2 months ago by Linda M.
• This topic was modified 11 years, 2 months ago by Linda M.

[Kevin C]

I actually joined this site with the hope of finding out whether bully sticks would or would not be recommended for use considering the concerns outlined in the Tufts study surrounding contamination and caloric intake as well as my own concerns about whether or not they are obtained humanely. If recommended overall by Mike, I was wondering if he had suggestions for specific brands. If not, what safe, healthy and humane alternatives might be out there for dogs who like gnaw.

My little rescue loves nothing more than a bully stick to gnaw on, but I have refrained from giving them because of not feeling that there is definitive recommendation out there by a trusted expert regarding their use. Nothing makes him happier than to gnaw, and really only the bully stick or tendon has proven to provide him the most happiness. Some alternatives like humanely obtained deer antlers are too tough for him (when we rescued him he had to have several teeth removed) and he just isn’t interested in anything synthetic.

If Mike has any suggestions, I would be immensely grateful and this type of recommendation regarding dog “treats” would be specifically helpful to someone like me and my little guy.

[Dori]

And on your recommendation I won’t buy the Grandma Lucy’s meatball type treats. They’d probably crack some of my tiny girls teeth. They should put some sort of a warning on those things or at least mention it on the site.

[Dori]

I use the Vital Essential Tripe treats for the girls. If you’ve ever used Vital Essential Freeze Dried food (they only make it in beef), then just to let you know that their tripe treats are much smaller in size and they are hard and crunchy like the food, not soft. I can hear them crunch as the girls eat them. It’s my only way of getting some tripe into their systems. They LOVE them. As DogFoodie said, there are a lot in the bag and they do vary a little in size.

[aquariangt]

@naturella I may test that out and see if it works so I don’t have to waste the whole bag, and stuff it in a monster mouth or something. I’ve used exactly 4 treats out of the bag

@DogFoodie I may try those next. I usually keep 1 freeze dried and 1 chewy treat (let’s be honest, I usually have quickies and some others around too…) so I like freeze dried, and don’t mind breaking up big ones, my hands are used to be being gross after training anyway 🙂