[Carol W]

Hi. I’m new here, so I hope I haven’t jumped in in the wrong place, but I also have a question about healthy dog treats. I’ve fed beef Rollover as a treat for years, but every once in a while I notice a chemical smell coming from it, almost like gasoline. Obviously, this can’t be a good thing!!! Does anyone have experience with Rollover? It has a 3 star rating in the reviews section of this website, but as I said – the “gasoline” odor has to be a very bad sign!!

[aimee]

Hi C4C,

Glad to hear that your cat is doing better. What a scary incident that you sure don’t want to repeat.

I’ve come to view urinary blockages as a multi factorial problem. Sometimes blockages are composed of mucoid matrix without any crystals, so be cautious on not having tunnel vision in regards to struvite. You can find good information on OSU indoor pet site which used to be indoor cat initiative.

The old adage “the solution to pollution is dilution” applies here. Crystal formation is a factor not only of pH but concentration of components that make up the crystal. Because pH can fluctuate throughout the day I think striving for a dilute urine is as important if not more important along with watching mineral content of the diet. I’d be willing to sacrifice a bit in the pH department to get a dilute urine. Moist foods can help along with extra water mixed into the food, flavored water “treats” providing multiple water sources and knowing what your cat likes. Some cat like “staler” water and others absolutely fresh!

pH varies with dietary factors, management factors and likely individual cat factors. Evaluating what goes in is important but I think close monitoring of what comes out is even more important. Veterinary diets are formulated to hit certain pH and concentration milestones. Some of the veterinary diets rely on salt to drive thirst. But I don’t think this “guarantees” that when fed to “your” cat the appropriate pH and concentration are achieved. Investing in a pH meter and refractometer to test urine at home is a good investment.

How often the cat eats also plays a role in urine pH. After eating the urine will become basic due to what is called the “alkaline tide”. This is noted in the cat more so than in the dog. The generation of HCL in the stomach releases bicarb in the blood which alkalizes the urine. Multiple 4-6 small meals a day are preferable to 1 or 2. I can see that there could be a bit of a trade off here. With a dry diet the cat is free to and often does eat multiple small meals a day with moist diet the food can’t be left out for hours and people usually don’t feed 4-6 times a day. If this results in the cat eating a larger amount less often the alkaline tide could result in a higher urine pH for many hours during the day despite a diet that would be otherwise be acidifying.

I personally don’t think the answer to struvite and urinary blockages can be found solely in added methionine to a diet without looking at the entire picture. Methionine is metabolized in the body and the sulfur excreted as sulfuric acid hence it is acidifying to the urine. But since minerals in the diet and feeding practices also influence pH I don’t think all the eggs should be put in one basket per say. Methionine can cause GI upset, and hemolytic anemia( large doses).

If you can achieve a dilute mildly acidic urine by adding methionine to a base diet that otherwise wasn’t reaching those parameters than great but be open to finding what works in your cat.

[Dog_Obsessed]

That’s okay. Not every treat is a winner. Does he tend to like meat treats better?

[Kayla]

I found some online on Amazon. I will try them out. Dexter is really picky on his treats, and I have had to throw a ton away because he ended up not touching them. Maybe he will like these better.

[Kayla]

Omg, I just bought a small thing of Full moon treats to try out! It does have rosemary in it too… :/ I tried to give Dexter one…and he won’t even touch it.

[Kayla]

I finally made the treats….and he wasn’t to fond of them! He ate it but…didn’t really like them too much! :/ One picky dog! lol!

[nilockhart]

Susan, I would love to have the recipe for the Oatmeal Apple cookies you feed/fed Patch. We have an 11 1/2 year old English Bulldog (Memphis) with IBS for about the last year and kidney failure (diagnosed from an ultra sound and monthly blood work which has been holding pretty steady for awhile). He has also suffered with horrible skin allergies for about the last 8 years, and we’ve had several allergy tests done on him which aren’t worth the money you pay. Memphis has tried Royal Canin potato/venison for about a year, then Purina E/N (both at the suggestion of our vet) for quite some time, with Purina Gentle Snackers for treats. He did great for a while, but then he started with constant diarrhea and vomiting, and for the last 6-8 months “gagging” like he’s choking on spit, and even vomiting large amounts of thick spit, so our vet suggested 10 mg Pepcid every morning. I’ve been cooking a mixture of rice, boneless, skinless chicken breast and little mixed veggies for him for quite some time (again, at the suggestion of our vet), but he’s still having serious problems, with terrible bouts of diarrhea off and on (mainly on). We recently weened him to ground turkey breast (99% fat free) instead of the chicken because our groomer thought it could be the chicken, still no improvement. Memphis is still not doing well. He takes Metronidazole off and on when he has blood in his feces, but that has to be the worst medicine ever invented. He is lethargic and barely eats the entire 10 days he’s on it. Then, he’s only good for another 2 or so weeks again before we have another horrible bout of diarrhea. He also takes 5-7 units of Pro-Pectalin (probiotic) 2x a day when he’s sick, which does wonders for him, but we’re supposed to stop when his diarrhea stops (usually 2 days). I’m strongly considering (a) a new vet, (b) leaving him on about 5 cc’s of probiotics every day, (c) switching his food to Canine Caviar or Victor’s Ultra Pro, and (d) wondering whether he has an allergy to rice or corn. We realize he’s on the older end for an English Bulldog, but if it wasn’t for the stupid diarrhea, he is fairly healthy, even for only having one functioning kidney! We just want the diarrhea to stop; our poor little guy has to be miserable!!! Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[LabsRawesome]

Hi Sadie’s Mom, Hydraplenish really helped my Labs joint problems. She went from hobbling around to running again. Here’s a site with free shipping. https://www.pureformulas.com/hydraplenish-60-vegetarian-capsules-by-natures-way.html Trinity takes them with no problem, but if your dog doesn’t like taking pills you can open and mix the powder in with canned. Another option is pill pockets, you can buy them at Walmart. If you haven’t heard of them, they’re treats with a hollow center, that hold pills.

[Dori]

Dog Obsessed. I’ve been giving Hannah glucosamine/chondroitin for a number of years twice a day two hours after both her meals. I give her her Denamarin (both for her liver and as an anti-inflammatory) one to one and a half hours BEFORE her p.m. meal. A number of months back I started adding a glucosamine/chondroitin at bedtime since I knew she hadn’t had anything to eat in a number of hours. I don’t give any treats of any sort after 9:00 pm (I feel their guts need a little resting time instead of constantly having to digest food). She’s been doing very well with three times a day. If you’re only giving once a day then you can start on the twice a day and see how your dog does. If you’re going to add the bed time one then I would wait on that one for a while to make sure your dog isn’t getting loose stools or diarrhea. I introduce supplements very slowly and once I realize they’re doing well, then I up the supplements. And so on and so on.

[Sadie’s Mom]

@ Dog Obsessed Have you used a glucosamine supplement before? I’m looking into GNC Ultra Mega Superfood Complex Plus Joint Health Dog Formula. I like it because it’s a powder formula and relatively inexpensive. After being on steroids for so long my dog refuses to take any pills and is picky about chewables because she doesn’t do crunchy treats. I was think a powder would be easy to mix into her food, especially if I add a tablespoon of wet in with it.

[Gloria K]

My dog loves anything hard and crunchy-the harder and crunchier the more he likes them. He also loves the Zuke’s mini treats peanut butter flavor. I put four or five of those in his Kong and he plays with it for an hour getting them all out. He loves them.

[John T]

Something is going on with Blue Buffalo. They have over 852 complaints of sick dogs, just take a look > http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/blue_buffalo.html?page=3
It seem a supplier company was sold, and subpar ingredients such as carrageenan being purchased from China and added to Blue Buffalo food. Please pay attention because this is starting to get big. I was feed my 7 year old Shi Tzu BB treats and had been for years. Over the last 3 months he had continued loose stools, upset stomach and not being himself. The funny thing is after reading all this I removed all BB food and he is back to normal. NO more of this crap, I am making his food!! You just can’t trust any of these dog food companies because they are more concerned about chasing the Benjamin’s!! PLEASE pay attention and get off this poison!!

[John T]

Something is going on with Blue Buffalo. They have over 852 complaints of sick dogs, just take a look > http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/blue_buffalo.html?page=3
It seem a supplier company was sold, and subpar ingredients such as carrageenan being purchased from China and added to Blue Buffalo food. Please pay attention because this is starting to get big. I was feed my 7 year old Shi Tzu BB treats and had been for years. Over the last 3 months he had continued loose stools, upset stomach and not being himself. The funny thing is after reading all this I removed all BB food and he is back to normal. NO more of this crap, I am making his food!! You just can’t trust any of these dog food companies because they are more concerned about chasing the Benjamin’s!! PLEASE pay attention and get off this poison!!

[Sadie’s Mom]

Surprisingly, the first thing I look for in a treat is the texture. My mini dachshund HATES crunchy treats. It’s the strangest thing! The only crunchy/hard things she likes are the rawhide dental chews (Dentley’s brand is the current favorite). I also have to factor in price, as I am a college student living on a tight budget. The best thing I have found are the Zuke’s Mini Naturals. They are soft and squishy, grain free, and low in calories. Sadie likes all of the flavors, but the chicken seems to be her favorite. I’ve been wanting to try the Wellness Petite Treats Soft Mini Bites, but they haven’t been on sale for a good price. The Zuke’s are a better deal because they are less per ounce and last a really long time. I give her 3 or 4 at a time as a normal treat to make her feel better since the other 3 dogs my parents own get small milkbones lol. She also likes the Milkbone Brushing Chews after her evening meal. I give her half a mini bone. I am currently on the hunt for a treat with added glucosamine that is reasonably priced. Any suggestions?

[bill c]

Whoa! I just peeked at the back of the Addiction treats. Potatoes is the second ingredient on all of them. I’ll try eliminating these for a while. Thanks Susan.

[bill c]

Kat, that does help. Thanks.
Odd, my Kidd is scratching at his muzzle/beard for a couple weeks now. He never used to do that. Thinking maybe its from the Addiction treats I just started. Hmm…

[DogFoodie]

It could be a food intolerance to many different things, Kathleen. Mine reacts the same way to fish (including fish oil), which frequently pops up down the list of ingredients in foods that are other protein based. My friend’s dog reacts the same way to tomatoes. You never know.

I’d suggest closely comparing ingredient panels to help you identify problem ingredients. It can take a while, but his problem ingredients will eventually become evident.

I’d be inclined to try a limited ingredient food for a while to see what happens. If you like NVI, maybe consider their LID’s. My dog with intolerance issues does very well on it. It’s single protein, tapioca, peas and no other fruits or veggies. I just don’t recommend the lamb formula any longer as a recent recipe change significantly reduced the protein and fat and increased the pea protein. Be sure to closely monitor portion size and keep track of treats and toppers, whether canned or fresh, whole foods.

[Dog_Obsessed]

I would recommend going with the USA made ones from now on. There is a chew called Etta Says! that is made in the USA, made of meat and digestible rawhide. Lily loves them, but they don’t last too long with her, maybe 20 minutes. Here is a link to their website: http://ettasays.com/pages.php?pageid=13

Also, there is a company called Superior Farms that makes natural chews and treats. They source all ingredients from New Zealand and the USA, and manufacture in the USA. I have not tried their chews, but I have tried their venison treats which were a big hit Brisbane’s Bark Blog reviewed their venison chew today: http://www.brisbanesbarkblog.com/2014/12/treat-tuesday-superior-farms-venison.html

Here is the Superior Farms website: http://www.superiorfarmspet.com

[Kayla]

If he doesn’t like the second link bag, I will probably toss it and not buy anymore Dentley treats. I could try tonight to give him one of the second link treats to see if he will touch it. Not sure yet.

[Kayla]

I am not sure about India either. I just tend to avoid treats that are made or from China because they have had terrible reviews and making the Dog’s sick. I found some USA made treats at Walmart but I am not sure about them. Nudges and Full moon both are made in the USA and sold at Walmart. I guess, I will look at them next time.

There wasn’t a lot of treats in the first bag, (first link)… I will probably finish the bag but I know I won’t buy anymore. I have not tried to give him any of the other one. (second link). In the first link, I do not like how they are really small so I probably won’t finish the bag. They have tiny ones in there and he has a big mouth. :/

[Dog_Obsessed]

I don’t know about the food standards for India, but I just like to avoid jerky treats in general. I don’t usually feed non-USA made and sourced treats, though I did buy I bag of Natural Balance dental chews and then realized that they didn’t have a USA made label on them. I will finish this bag but not buy more. I think that the problems with the jerky treats from China were sometimes sudden and sometimes accumulative. I guess you could finish this package, but I wound’t recommend buying any more.

[Kayla]

Yeah, I gave him one yesterday and today…and so far! He is not sick or anything. I am just a little hesitant on them. I know too much of anything will upset the stomach so that is why with treats you are not suppose to give them a lot because too much can upset their stomachs. It says their made in India, and it says it was distributed from AZ. I have no idea if it was from China or what not.

[Dog_Obsessed]

The ingredients for these treats are good, but I’m a little worried because the first on especially it is a jerky-like treat. There have been a lot of problems with jerky treats from China, and even if it says “made in the USA” it still could have been sent to China for manufacturing. I have no idea what it is about jerky treats that makes them so much more likely to have issues, but there have been so many problems that I don’t like to risk it.

I just searched and there does not appear to have been an official recall on Denley’s treats, but some people claimed they had made their dogs sick.

[Kayla]

I forgot to go to the store this weekend to get some stuff to make homemade Dog treats for Dexter. I found these treats and wondering if anyone used them and if they are good? The ingredients on one bag just says buffalo and the other just says buffalo tendon.

http://www.petsmart.com/dog/chewy-treats/dentley-s-trade-nature-s-chew-buffalo-strip-dog-treat-zid36-18624/cat-36-catid-100051

http://www.petsmart.com/dog/chewy-treats/dentley-s-trade-nature-s-chew-prime-slice-dog-treat-zid36-18654/cat-36-catid-100051

[Dog_Obsessed]

So I thought I’d pop in with an update. Lily is now accepting training without the clicker again, which is good. I emailed the teacher for the class last night and told her what happened, and we agreed that at class tonight we would not use the clicker too much, just “yes!” and treats.

The other big news is that I may have figured out more to why she got so scared. See, Lily has what we suspect to be a mild luxuating patella in her left back leg. Her only symptom was limping a little sometimes during walks, and the vet wasn’t even able to detect a grade I, but that’s what the vet suspected it was. On Saturday, her limp got quite a bit worse, mostly at the beginning of walks, which I thought was just because she hadn’t been walked as much lately due to the rain. And then last night, when I was grooming that same leg, she suddenly growled and snapped, not as if she was actually trying to bite but as a warning, out of pain. Several minutes later she was next to me and begging for a belly rub, so it didn’t seem like she was seriously scared or hurt.

Then, all of the sudden, something clicked in my brain. The clicker incident was Friday night. She started limping more Saturday. And now, this grooming incident..something is going on with that leg! I guess those could have been three unrelated events, but that seems highly unlikely. I’ll try to make a vet appointment for Lily later this week, though I’m not sure when we’ll have time to take her. I just hope it isn’t anything more serious than the luxuating patella. I was a bit concerned about hip dysplasia, even though that is much more common in larger breeds. Any thoughts on this?

[R-K]

Hi all, I was asked by a friend to research Welcome Home dog food, which is made by Centinela Feed on the west coast. I’m sure it’s a newer brand but after 30 minutes of looking online I am unable to find ANYTHING about it, other than mentioning it on their own website but with no link to any information. No official website, no dog food advisor, nothing. It’s not their other brand Lotus but rather Welcome Home which only used to make treats but I guess they’ve expanded into dry foods too. Can anyone provide me with any information?

[Dog_Obsessed]

The trainer is smart to say it might be medical-and you are smart to get her checked out. I have seen many people just assume a medical problem is behavioral without checking it out first. If she gets a clean bill of health, start potty training all over again as much as your schedule will allow. Take her out often (which you are already doing) and reward her with praise or treats whenever she goes outside. Never punish her if she goes inside. If you catch her in the act (generally if she looks like she is about to go), then try to re-direct her to go outside but if it is after the fact then just clean it up. Good luck!

[Kayla]

I noticed my Dog loves to chew but he is very picky on his bones and treats. Any ideas? He has one rope bone thing that he loves to tug and play with…and tries to chew on it but I always take it away from him because it has tiny strings on it and I don’t want him actually ingesting it.

I also tried to buy rubber ball and bone toys but he won’t mess with him. Needless to say, his favorite toy is the rope bone thing. His rope is like this one.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/BOODA-Pet-Products-Two-Knot-Rope-Bone-Dog-Toy-in-Red-White-and-Blue/15573238

[Karen J]

I think maybe this belongs in this forum sorry hope I didn’t breach protocol:
first diagnosed by another vet…precursor to crystals, not infections or stones. Fine but that changed. She started have more and more accidents in house.

I researched here in particular but over time it didn’t appear to be enough. Took her to new vet with all info, they didn’t twist my arm to do another urinalysis, I believe more in depth necessary, open to keeping her on d-Monasse, and Vit C not a bad idea to add glucosamin, they gave her an antibiotic. I let them do an X-ray, they didn’t insist, they offered choices, I’ve been through a really sick dog being mis-diagnosed so I pulled out the Credit. $300 now rather than $3000 later – hope I did right.

She was starting have more frequent accidents in the house.

Radiology to rule out stones 1 view, Urinalysis, Cysto, Culture Urine MIC, Clavamox 62.5mg, Medical Waste Free, waived office visit = not cheap. Too much?
She’s on Wellness grain free and Canidae grain free wet food, very little grain free kibble, filtered water and grain free treats.

I’m not not flush with money but would like to prevent problems before they become big. Last vet didn’t seem thorough.

[Dog_Obsessed]

By extras do you mean toppers? If so, so am I. I used some canned pumpkin in the dog treats I made the other day, and I’ve been giving her some pumpkin in her food for the last few days just because I can. She does sometimes have anal gland issues, so that’ll be my excuse. 🙂

Also, I did find out that I can either break or let Lily eat the ends off of the NB chews, and then put it in her Kong. She can get little tastes of it but can’t pull it out completely, so it keeps her busy for a long time. It doesn’t clean her teeth obviously, but I’m not really counting on that at this point.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 5 months ago by Dog_Obsessed.

[crazy4cats]

I got the large, but not really that large for my dogs. Yeah, they are a,little high in calories. I try to feed a little less than recommended to allow for treats. I’m a softie when it comes to extras.

[Dori]

When I’ve done clicker training I always give a tiny treat at the same exact time. Takes a bit of practice but then it’s easy to do. They then associate the clicker as a good yummy thing. Eventually you click and give a treat every other time, then every couple of times, then every three or four times. Eventually you can then stop the treats and they still like the clicker. They’ll always do it because they’re never sure when a treat might show up. They eventually do it for the praise you give them. Also when clicking and treating you also calming say….good boy. Then continue on your walk or your exercise or training mission. Remember to only do the traning for no more than 10 or 15 minutes at a time. Then break up the time with play time or a nap. You can do this a few times a day, just not long sessions at a time.

[Douglas E]

I have read this entire thread as well as similar ones. Look, other than broad brush strokes, animal nutrition has been much ignored for the majority of pet-human history. Heck, the same can be said for HUMAN nutrition. Only within the past 40 years has our nutrition become the topic of serious scientific inquiry. This has been a natural development in thought from deeper insights into cellular biology, biochemistry and immunology. The science of human nutrition is quite new.

How then can we expect to understand other species’ specific nutritional needs? We hardly understand the human organism yet in that regard. If human nutritional science is in its’ infancy, canine nutrition is only embryonic. That research it further complicated by gross breed differences, historically poor food quality diets, congenital and/our genetic weaknesses from severely poor breeding, medical thought that simply treats symptoms and a new problem- canine geriatrics.

A dog in the wild would typically have a life expectancy less than half of our pets’. Nutritional deficiency plays a major part in that mortality. And no, an all raw and only carnivorous diet is not what a dog would get in the wild. While dogs are highly adapted to having a majority of the diet be animal proteins, they have a much greater variety. Even from only consuming prey animals, they will eat the contents of those animals’ intestines and stomach(s) which would include “probiotics,” yeasts (naturally occurring intestinal fauna,) and various vagetation such as primitive grains. Those grains would be partially digested, yes, so raw gains would likely be less digestible. Canines would also eat the high fat organ meats, hair, skin and bone. It is important to note that the high need of calcium, as well as other bone minerals, for dogs is well noted these days. It is necessary nutritionally for Canines to occaisionally consume vegetable, or even mineral, matter. Not only must they do so to enable gut function, they must do so for biological need. Not all needs are met by prey. This is why in the absence of adequate herbivorous prey, dogs will suplement by what pet owners would consider pica.

All that being said (now that I have presented myself in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral the Very Model of a Modern Major General, ) the answers are not simple. But the guidelines are.

1. Use common sense, canine nutrition is imperfect at best
2. Do not presume to be an expert, or that human remedy necessarily applies
3. Do not rely on diet to cure medical conditions that may really be microbial or parastic infections, disease or biological defecit aside from nutrition
4. Realize that isolating an immunological response, whether from allergic reaction or not, is a difficult and time consuming process
5. Use keen observation when using any new food source or additive, including veterinarian recommended treatments. Don’t simply go with the flow thinking that treatment course is the fix-it for sure (OK, preaching to the choir I think there…)
6. Each dog is as different biologically as we are. If it does improve health in some, it may not in others or it may actually be detrimental
7. A business, or product, that is intentionally or negligently harmful will not survive. Caveat Emptor
8. etc. etc. etc…

Here’s hoping great health to all you and all your furry families

D

[Dog_Obsessed]

I went to the human-only orientation of Lily’s reward-based dog training class on Monday, and they heavily stressed how good clicker training was. Our “homework” was to have the dog have a positive association with the clicker. About half an hour ago I was practicing clicker training, which I had done a few other times this week. Before she had mostly seemed fine with the clicker, sometimes she would get a little startled if I did it too close to her, but nothing too bad. But this time, I accidentally did the clicker a half second late, and it was pretty close to her. She backed up, scared, and then ran over to the couch and jumped on it. I called her to come back, but she didn’t. Then I went over and realized she was shaking pretty hard, and she seemed really, really scared. I petted her for a minute and then went to get her blanket, and then petted her some more. She recovered after a few minutes, and started taking treats from me, and then started taking kibble. She still seems a bit shaken up now.

At the class they suggested muffling the sound of the clicker if the dog was scared, which I didn’t initially do because Lily has never really struck me as a sensitive dog before. She sometimes barks if she hears sound outside, but she only usually gets as scared as she did tonight at the vets office. I am reluctant to try the clicker again, if the only thing it’s going to do is make her scared of the clicker, training, and me. I had previously been using the word “yes”, but it was harder to be consistent with that. Does any have any suggestions on how to re-introduce her to the clicker? Thanks!

• This topic was modified 11 years, 5 months ago by Dog_Obsessed.

[Akari_32]

I’ve been happy with Zukes and Pet Botanics treats. My cat loves the Zukes G-Zees cat treats. Does shake, high five and sit up for them. The dogs all love the Zukes Mini Naturals and Hip Action treats, and the Pet Botanics Training Reward treats, and pester for more when they are put away, more so than most human foods they are given.

[Dog_Obsessed]

If he does okay with rice then you could also use brown rice flour. I’ve also heard oats used as binders in homemade dog treats, but that changes the consistency which some dogs don’t like.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Homemade is almost always cheaper, and there are lots of recipes you could try! I made a batch of treats today using canned food, the recipe is on page 2 of the homemade treats topic. Plain yogurt can make a great topper, just make sure it doesn’t make up more than 10% or 20% of the meal.

[Kayla]

I am currently looking at those links already! 🙂 I am thinking about homemade, might be cheaper in the long run!! I just have to see and hope if my Dog will like them! He tends to be picky on food and treats.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Rotation is definitely good! Look around the 4 and 5 star reviews on this site for food ideas, for treats there are some other topics in the forums that have good ideas. You can also make your own treats, here are two topics about that:

For treats in general: /forums/topic/has-anyone-made-homemade-dog-treats/

For frozen treats: /forums/topic/recipe-for-a-frozen-dog-treat-like-frosty-paws/

A topic about things to look for in commercial treats: /forums/topic/your-most-recommended-dog-treats/

• This reply was modified 11 years, 5 months ago by Dog_Obsessed.

[Kayla]

He seems to love the Pure Balance treats, the dry food and also the wet food by Pure Balance also! I am just trying to find different brands besides sticking with the same one lol

[Kayla]

I was shopping at Walmart and some of there treats do have corn in them :/ I didn’t get the ones that do have corn in it, I got the ones without it because it looked better but honestly I had no idea how good they were because I know nothing about ingredients. I did try to give him one before I posted it on here…and he didn’t even eat it nor touched it so I assumed something wasn’t right or he didn’t like it lol

I tossed them in the trash and will look more better ones 🙂

Thanks 🙂

[Kayla]

Thank you 🙂

When I go food shopping again, I will look for some of those treats. In the mean time… I still have Pure Balance treats to give him.

[Dog_Obsessed]

I just made dog treats with a recipe composed of various recipes I had seen online, here it is:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

2. Combine the following ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir:

3/4 of a cup Garbanzo Bean flour
1/2 a can wet dog food (I used Nulo Turkey and Sweet Potato)
1/4 of a cup plain canned pumpkin
2 teaspoons plain peanut butter
A bit of water if needed

3. Slightly grease the baking sheet(I used Safflower oil, might not be necessary.)

4. Scoop out little balls of dough onto a baking sheet.

5. Bake for ~25 minutes, until slightly brown and a fork comes out clean when stuck in.

6. Let the treats cool for a few minutes.

7. Feed to your dog!

Makes about 20 treats.

I will store these in the fridge for a few days and the freezer for longer. Lily seems to love them!

• This reply was modified 11 years, 5 months ago by Dog_Obsessed.

[tecknik]

What some don’t realize is that your dog’s allergies may not be food related. That turned out to be the case for my dog. Here I was trying all different food concoctions, then the useless Dinovite and it turns out my dog has many environmental allergies including Wool, willow, dust mites, mold mites and about 20 other things.
I’ve always had her on a raw diet (Abady) which is helpful and keeps her coat nice and shiny. (less poop as well due to minimal carbs, too) I also add unrefined coconut oil for more nutrients as well as a good dog vitamin.
As for dog treats, I buy $3.99lb london broils or stew beef then grill it medium rare, then cut into bite size pieces. I will buy in bulk and freeze the remaining. It’s a little work but not that much and if you look at the ounces of a bag of good dog treats, you will find that you are paying over $10 a pound! (usually $4 to $5 for a 6oz bag of treats) It’s the best type of treat to give your dog and you know exactly what is in it.
For my dog’s treatment, we first had the allergy testing done. Yes, it is expensive and thank God I have insurance so I get reimbursed. ($500 because dog has to have anesthesia)
Second step was to remove as many of her allergens as possible from the environment. That meant giving up my two brand new wool carpets. :/ Now I clean an extra day a week as well to ensure there is no dust.
Third step was medication to cure her symptoms. She had ear infections, yeast infections and sores from all the scratching. The doctor prescribed a slew of medicines including prednisone which really stopped her scratching. Unfortunately, this can not be used long term because it can be harmful to the liver and other organs.
Fourth step (and this is where we are now) Allergy shots. It started every other day and now we are at once a week. The scratching is down to a minimal and hopefully over time her immune system will work against her allergies and she will be a happy dog for good.

[aquariangt]

I actually prefer the consistency of sojos to the honest kitchen. Not that the dogs care much, and my cat won’t eat anything dehydrated. My problem is its a bit low in protein for my liking, so I use thk and grandma Lucy’s for toppers more often, but use sojos from time to time.

However, their freeze dried training treats and good dog biscuits are awesome! Staples in my house

[Naturella]

Dog_Obsessed, please you and Lily (and the rest of your family and friends) be safe! Treats are a fun project for days in the house when you have nothing to do, but I am sure they can wait if things get bad.

[Dog_Obsessed]

We’re supposed to get a HUGE storm tomorrow, (which we desperately need) and I don’t know if I’ll be able to actually go anywhere because of flooding. I might try making some treats tomorrow, unless we lose power.

[Naturella]

I forgot to mention – my recipe freezes solid and it will give your pup extra time to work on it, and you some extra minutes of not being pestered for your treat. I just gave Bruno a marrow bone with ice-cream, since we were talking about it. 🙂

I also usually chuck a frozen blueberry on the bottom of a Kong so that the mixture above doesn’t leak through it. I put the marrow bone on one of its cut sides on a piece of foil in the freezer.

Another recipe I have seen is with pumpkin and a Wellness 95% can (the recipe was with salmon, but you can use any, I think) – also put in ice cube trays or other “vessels” and frozen. You can also freeze just PB in something and give as an ice cream. 🙂 Let me give you a link with some more recipes in there:

/forums/topic/homemade-treats/

[pugmomsandy]

I haven’t made sorbet in my ice cream maker but you can try making the recipes without sugar. But pureed fruit/veg and yogurt frozen into ice cube trays is more convenient. The Honest Kitchen sells “liquid treats” that you can freeze.

[Z B]

Thanks for the input everyone ! Much appreciated!

USA dog treats – thanks for sharing the feedback from Steve. I had been doing the ABC day once or twice a week, that’s why I had the heart and liver on hand, and I thought Steve recommended that for the ABC day raw meals you could use all heart as the muscle meat ? But since I’m trying to feed raw more than once a week I’ll definitely reduce the Amount of heart and search out other muscle meats. If liver isn’t necessary with the premix I’ll prob forgo that, the dogs aren’t crazy about liver and it kinda grosses me out, too.

Also ordered his books and used some of his recipes for a few batches of Raw meals, but it was a little too much work keeping up with all the necessary ingredients and mixing it all up, etc, since I work full time. So I’ll see how the premix works out. So,far the dogs like it but I’ve been walking them before sunup and after sundown so I haven’t gotten a good inspection of how their poops are reacting.

The cats constipation emergency required a thousand dollar overnite stay at the pet ER, so I’m hesitant to put her back on the raw. I’ve found some good Canned foods that’s she’s doing well on, so will stick to that for now, but thanks for the suggestion to add fiber.