[Gloria K]

I’m surprised to hear that the carrot stick didn’t digest because raw vegetables digest in both humans and animals. Can’t imagine why it didn’t with your dog. I agree that carrying around raw meat is not something I would want to do either. When I take my dog to the park I always bring several of my homemade dog cookies because there are always other dogs around him that are going to want one too. It’s like a party LOL.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by Gloria K.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Gloria –

Dogs do not produce cellulase, the enzyme required to efficiently digest raw plant material. Dogs will only efficiently digest plant matter if it is cooked/finely mashed.

“The carnivore’s pancreas does not secrete cellulase to split the cellulose into glucose molecules, nor have dogs become efficient at digesting and assimilating and utilizing plant material as a source of high quality protein. Herbivores do those sorts of things.”
Canine and Feline Nutrition Case, Carey and Hirakawa Published by Mosby, 1995

[Gloria K]

Well then. I gave Micky a carrot stick last night so I’m going to have to keep an eye on his stool today and see what happens.
I was under the impression, from what I’ve always read, that dogs can digest raw vegetables. Guess I read wrong. 🙂

[Dori]

Gloria, I give my dogs raw fruits and veggies as treats. It entertains them and they’re happy. I don’t particularly care how much nutrition they receive from them. Very rarely do I find huge pieces of carrots or any raw veggies I give them so I don’t know. As I’ve said often, I don’t feed commercial raw treats (too many recalls, also Katie has too many food issues). Sometimes I do cook them, sometimes I puree them if I want them to get the most nutrition out of them. Mostly they like the crunch factor of raw. It makes them happy.

[Dog_Obsessed]

I have given Lily little bits of raw carrots and apple, and they seem to digest fine. Like Dori, I’m really doing more for her enjoyment then I am for nutritional benefit.

[Gloria K]

Dori, I feed my dog cooked green beans, carrots and sometimes pieces of cooked squash and he gets just as excited over those as he does cookies with cranberries, blueberries, apples, mashed banana etc. Just say the word “treat” and he goes berserk. And as I mentioned I make all of his food including his treats. They’re so easy to make, takes so little time to make dozens of them and much much cheaper than buying crap made in China.

[Hater and Molly’s Mom]

I give my girls raw carrots all the time as treats. They have never had a problem digesting them. I check their stools and never see any pieces of carrot in it.

[Dori]

Hater & Molly’s Mom, and D.O. Glad you both posted as I did. They are treats, not their meals and dogs do just fine with them as a crunchy treat. So I don’t know why some dogs are able to digest most, if not all, of their foods but I believe that that may be another issue entirely. As I said, I give these type of things to the girls in lieu of store bought treats. I also cannot make treats at home because most of them that I have seen include something that Katie cannot have.

Oh…..here we go again. Just got an email on another dog treat recall: Big Bark Dog Treats due to Salmonella.

That’s exactly what I’m talking about. No store bought treats at my house for my dogs.

[Gloria K]

Dori, I was just about to post about the recall. This kind of proves our point doesn’t it?
This is exactly why, for the past 15 years I grind my own beef and chicken for my own consumption. No one has ever recalled my beef, chicken, dog food or dog treats LOL

• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by Gloria K.

[Dori]

Gloria. Definitely proves my point. You never know when a recall is going to pop up but you know darn well it will. I do my best to avoid the obvious. It’s also the reason that I avoid any manufacturer that has had multiple recalls. You know that eventually they are going to have more recalls and I don’t intend for my dogs to get caught up in the disaster. I only feed high quality commercial raw diets from companies that I trust completely because I have spent literally years researching commercial raw manufacturers that are made in the USA sourcing their ingredients only from the USA. Nothing GMO. No soy, no corn, no white potatoes, no grains, no poultry. I’m sure there are other things on my list of ingredients that I do not feed.

[Margaret G]

I’m new so I’m sure you have heard this but…I haven’t used store bought treats for some time. i bought a cheap dehydrator and I make my own. I do chicken breasts, apples, sweet potatoes and the dogs love them. (Beef liver works well, if you have the stomach for it!!) I just have to be careful of the calories, especially with my husband. He’ll give them handfuls at a time!! I too grind our meats whenever I can. I always do ground beef-after the “pink slime” controversy!!!

[Kimi_forever]

Dori: most of those commercial raw diets are probably out of my price range, but do you mind sharing 1-2 of the ones you’ve found to be trust worthy over time?

[Dori]

Kimi. The ones I trust the most are Primal Formulas Raw, Vital Essentials Raw, Natures Variety Instinct Raw. There are others I use also but thought I’d give you my favorites. If you want others just let me know.

[Dori]

Here we go again.

J.J. Fuds in Valparaiso, IN is expanding their recall to include all lots and products of J.J. Fuds Chicken Tender Chunks, Beef Tender Chunks and Duckling Tender Chunks Pet Food because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes and or Salmonella, organisms which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women. Salmonella can affect animals eating the products and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products.

[Dori]

Pet International Inc. Recalls 6” Beef Trachea Pet Treat as noted by Susan Thixton’s site.

[Paulette M]

I’m asking if Betsy Farms jerky is OK and if not what could I purchase in jerky

[Paulette M]

Have seen excellent treats to try. I will look for a dehydrator so I can do my own.

[Brian K]

Though not nearly as efficient as a dehydrator, a 175-to-200 degree oven for several hours can do the trick for liver treats.

[Brian K]

Regarding commercial treats, I prefer freeze dried treats that are 100% meat. They are portable, light, and the dog loves them. Though expensive, Orijen has a line of these…I like the “Tundra” which has venison, elk, and trout. We also like Bravo! freeze dried treats….the Bison is a big hit (it’s just freeze dried bison). We used to offer Wellness “Just for Puppy” treats but he is less enthusiastic about these now that he gets real meat treats from time to time.

Our dog adores the Natural Balance “Jerky Bark” limited ingredient treats which we received as a gift, but I’m not a big fan of the fat content and preservatives…maybe I’m being overprotective.

[crazy4cats]

Hi All-
So, I’ve heard THK’s Fish Beams mentioned multiple times on this site as being a favorite, but I pretty much dismissed them because I thought they would be expensive and would take my dogs only about 5 seconds to eat them.

Well, at our feed store the other day, I noticed a box of them by the freeze dried food. It was a tall box! They were much bigger than I had imagined. So, anyway, I bought them and was pleasantly surprised. It actually took at least 5 minutes for them to chew them. LOL! They didn’t just swallow them like they tend to do. They are kinda stinky, but I would definitley buy them again. You DFAers are right, they are a good product.

[InkedMarie]

rofl C4C, it takes mine five minutes too! They are costly but mine love them so…!

[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.

[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.

[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.

[Dori]

Hi Kevin. I don’t feed any bully sticks as my dogs are much too small and my concern for them is that they could potentially be a choking hazard.

I don’t know if anyone’s mentioned this on this 14 page thread but have you given any thought to buying a Kong, appropriate size for your dog, actually a bit bigger, if you don’t already have one, and filling it up with some tasty food and freezing it. I keep a few on rotation in the freezer as many other posters do also. I rehydrate a freeze dried food and then stuff the Kongs with the food, freeze them and the girls spend hours on end trying to get every little itty bitty morsel out. They have absolutely no interest in the Kongs if there is nothing in them.

[Gloria K]

My Mickey thinks the Kong is the best invention ever and he may very well be right. I give him his homemade dog food in his dish in the morning and supplement it with kibble in his Kong. It takes him about 10 minutes to empty his Kong. He loves it.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by Gloria K.

[Kevin C]

Thanks for the suggestions!

[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˜!

[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]

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]

Dawn, the bacon really isn’t necessary it just adds a little flavor boost. If you email me at [email protected] I will send Mickey’s favorites. I have a Pinterest board loaded with recipes.

[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.

[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?

[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 9 years, 8 months ago by dawn m.

[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]

how do I get my dogs pix above my name on my comments?

[Dog_Obsessed]

Go to gravatar.com and set up an account, then add the picture. It sounds hard, but shouldn’t take too long.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by Dog_Obsessed.

[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.

[dawn m]

thanks for that info – I will try to contact him.

[dawn m]

I set up an account and added her pix but it still isn’t showing up here. Must have missed something. – found out the problem there she is˜! yeah

• This reply was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by dawn m.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Aw, she’s so cute! 😀

[theBCnut]

For some reason, it takes a while for the picture to show up the first time.

[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. 😉

[Sam Koch]

I like Zuke’s Naturals out of Colorado, and I also use freeze dried beef liver, chicken, etc.

[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.

[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.

[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

[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?

[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!

[olivia m]

Nothing rawhide. I just learned that rawhide is processed with something called tannen?

[Author]

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