Food and Treats

REVIEW: Loving Pets Barksters Treats!

By Maya on January 29, 2012

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We give a four paw up rating to these great treats! At first I thought they would just be like any other treat, but there are several things about the Loving Pets Company and the Barksters treats that stood out.

1. Loving Pets Company sends a sample of EVERY BATCH of their products to an FDA approved laboratory for testing. Even better, on their website you can enter the batch number from the back of your packages and see the lab results for your specific product! (See their Quality Control page here)

I find this practice absolutely amazing. You can feel sure you are not feeding any harmful substance to your pet. The melamine disaster that caused the death of so many pets would not happen with this company. Since every batch is tested, you and they would know right away if there was something wrong. I really commend Loving Pets for undertaking this extra expense and effort to make their treats safe for our precious pets!

2. Barksters are 100% made in the USA from USA grown ingredients! To me, that is a big plus! While their testing procedures make the safety problem practically a non-issue, I still like the idea that these treats are 100% American.

3. Barksters are all-natural and healthy! When I read ingredients, I like to see a short list that I can understand. Here are the ingredients for the Barksters Sweet Potato & Chicken Krisps:

Sweet potato, rice flour, chicken, and rice bran oil

4. Barksters are low-fat and only 12 calories per treat. Yes, even our furry friends have to watch that waist line!

So, the really important part….Did it pass the four dog taste test? Yes, it did. Even my finicky Papillon Mr. Darcy likes them.

To further describe the Barkster treats, they are similar to the texture of a pork rind/big corn flake. They definitely make a crispy crunchy sound as they dogs snack on them. Because they are of that puffed, crunchy texture, they crumble apart if you try to break them. I found that some pieces in the box are smaller than others, so I just gave the big pieces to the big dogs and the little pieces to the little dogs. But, since they are light on the calories, you can give a full piece even to a small dog.

All in all, a great treat!

Posted in Food and Treats, Product Reviews, Uncategorized Tagged Barksters Treats, Loving Pets Products Leave a Comment

What is a Bully Stick? It’s a GREAT dog chew!

By Maya on October 5, 2011

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I actually did not know what a bully stick was until a couple years ago when someone explained it to me at a dog show I went to watch. One of the vendors was selling “bully sticks,” and I had to ask what it was! If you do not know, a bully stick is, simply put, a dried bull penis, also known as “bull pizzle”…and I still giggled even when I typed it–infantile humor never goes away. But yet, that is what it is. That muscly, sinewy part that runs down a bull’s nether-regions.

Now, be glad you know this. At the same dog show, armed with my new knowledge and up to no good, I gave my friend $10 and asked him to go pick up a bully stick. I thought I’d get a giggle out of it, but I got my money’s worth when he stuck it in his mouth to carry back across the arena! (ok, giggling again)

Being serious again, bully sticks are EXCELLENT dog chews. Not only are they far safer than rawhides and synthetic toys and chews, they are nutritious. High in protein, low in fat, and even have calcium and other minerals.

The down-side is they can be a bit pricey. I guess because each bull has a 1,000 pounds of meat and only one pizzle. (oh, I must stop) Ahem…Buying them at a pet store is expensive.

There are several online options to buy at better prices:

(1) I found a website BestBullySticks.com that specializes in bully sticks if that’s all you want to order.

(2) Better yet, The Paws now offers a wide selection of them and you can buy with other toys and get free shipping. I liked their Bully Bites product, better for the little guys.
Use this code get 10% off All Dog Products from The Paws, coupon code 10offdog.

(3) If you are on a PetFlow shipment program, you can buy them there too and just add them to your food order.

Posted in Food and Treats, Product Reviews Tagged Bully Sticks, Natural Dog Chews Leave a Comment

Petflow online dog food store: Four Paw rating!

By Maya on April 4, 2011

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Petflow.com gets a hearty FOUR paw rating because they solve a real problem for us pet owners who prefer to buy premium dog foods. Those people who prefer the supermarket brands have no problem picking up dog food on a regular basis when they go to the store. If you are like me and are a picky dog food shopper, it is not as easy to find the brands that you like. If you have more than one dog that eat different foods, it is harder still. I couldn’t be happier to have stumbled upon the Petflow ad on Facebook! They have really made dog food as easy as clicking a button!

I have been buying premium, grain-free dog food for some time now. Even when I lived in a large metropolitan area, there were only certain locations that actually carried the brands of dog food I used. There wasn’t a single one that carried all the treats and foods that I use for all my dogs. I had to drive all over the place. Last year, things got worse when I moved outside the metropolitan area and found there was only one small shop outside of town that even carried a small selection of premium foods! I still had to drive 40 minutes round trip just to pick up dog food. Then if I forgot to pick up something, I’d have to drive back out there ever couple of weeks. This is a big drain on gas and time. Then, I clicked on the Petflow ad on Facebook and now the dog food drives are a thing of the past!
I was REALLY pleasantly surprised to find they carry pretty much every 5 star dog food kibble and canned, the dog food rolls I use for training, plus the little Bill-Jac treats my little dogs love. When I want to change it up, they have so much selection I can remove or add whatever I feel like. What’s better, I joined up when they had a free shipping deal! They still run the free shipping deal and otherwise their flat rate is $4.99. AMAZING considering I order 50-100lbs of dog food at a time. I am just THRILLED! I set the monthly order, which I can change or cancel at any time and the dog food just shows up at my doorstep. All I have to do is drag the box in the front door.

So, Petflow gets a full four paw rating from me! I’m saving time, gas, and money. Yes, their prices are at or below shop prices. It’s just altogether a great deal. Thanks PETFLOW!

PetFlow.com

Posted in Food and Treats, Product Reviews Tagged online dog food store, Petflow, Petflow review, petflow.com Leave a Comment

What kind of dog food is best?

By Maya on March 21, 2011

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Many people give little thought to the dog food they buy, and others of us, like me, literally obsess over which is the best. There just seemed to be conflicting information everywhere! The vet should be the best place to find out what’s best to feed your dog right? Well, maybe not. I talked to three different vets and got three totally different answers. Their answers seemed to depend on what dog food company seminar they had attended.

My local vet recommended Pedigree. He based this recommendation on the seminars he went to where they said that the big companies get the best prices on meat thus can afford to make the best food. A second younger vet recommended Royal Canin, which they carried in the vet clinic. Same type of reasoning. It’s a big company and they do a lot of research to find what is best for dogs. The third vet was a holistic vet, and she recommended Nature’s Variety and their raw diet, which she sold in her clinic. This all leaves you thinking, WTF?!

I still do not know the right answer. But after a lot of reading on the internet, taking into consideration what the vets said, and asking the opinions of those who take their dog’s nutrition seriously, I decided that Pedigree wasn’t the way I was going to go. The site that I found most helpful and regularly refer to is the Dog Food Advisor http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/. They rate, give nutritional information and helpful details of almost every brand of dog food you may run across. They are also on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/dogfoodadvisor.

I generally refer to this site and pick dry and canned dog food in their 5 star list, then mix it up with items from the local butcher. Since Lizzie does tracking, she does get straight raw chicken, which she loves. I was just told this weekend that chicken necks are not only great for their teeth, it has a better muscle-to-bone ratio that the chicken quarters. The dogs all love raw, but I found buying commercial raw dog food to be a huge strain on my budget. Instead, I just go down to the butcher and get a 40lb box of chicken livers, chicken necks, and beef bones. I cook the chicken liver then use that to lay the tracks for Lizzie with the raw chicken jackpot at the end. I also keep the broth left after boiling the livers and use that to pour over the kibble. The dogs love it and it’s more cost-effective than cans for big dogs.

In conclusion, I can’t say for sure what kind of dog food is the best and there is certainly a lot of disagreement out there. I just made my best informed decision and my dogs seem healthy and happy, so hopefully I’m doing something right!

NOTE: See my review of PetFlow.com to find pretty much every top tier food delivered directly to your door!