Defending Our Favorite Dog Treats

There has been a craze of people thinking that they can't feed their dogs anything not manufactured in the US. However, we personally eat many foods that are not manufactured in the US without knowing it. What many don't realize is that the threat of illness is actually from jerky (processed meat with additives) as well as raw hides (treated with lye and bleach that is absorbed into the hide and very difficult to digest).

A few years ago I found a treat that I could finally feed Maeby, who has food intolerances. The ingredient list is as short and sweet as a concerned pet owner could wish for! In my 2+ years of feeding my dogs these treats, I have never had a bad experience. As a matter of fact, my pups have had less stomach upset and less constipation. Here are the treats I am talking about.

The first in the line up is dehydrated chicken and duck tenders or chips. The meat does come from Thailand, however, it is cooked, dehydrated, irradiated and tested by the FDA. I have come across many other breeders and trainers who recommend these treats.

Ingredients: Duck fillet  .... that's it! Just duck!

Ingredients: Chicken   ... yep that's all too!

The second line up is the combination treats... meat plus veggies or meat plus fruit. 

Ingredients

Ingredients

You may also find some of the chicken and apple products along with chicken and rice poppers on Amazon... guess how short those ingredient lists are!

Lastly, a product that I love from VitaLife is their PrePro biscuits.  These have both prebiotics and probiotics that your pup needs to stay healthy digestively and keep a healthy immune system. 

PrePro Info

I give my dogs the PrePro treats pictured regularly to help keep them... regular.  However, there is an immune booster that I like to give them a few weeks before they go to the kennel. They love these treats! It's the only "soft" treats I give them, since I want to put off vet teeth cleaning as long as possible.  If your dog has issues with constipation, these treats will be helpful.  Once your dog is regular, you don't have to give them daily, just a few times a week will do.

Vitalife's website is very informative, and they seem to hide nothing.  Please, check them out.  Truly healthy dog treats are very rare!  Corporate companies love to throw the word "healthy" around and have degraded it. 

Other brands I am also a fan/supporter of:

Sojos

Blue Buffalo

Zukes

However, when it comes to price, Vitalife has these beat.  I use Zuke's minis for training and Zukes Z-bones for healthy chewing/teeth cleaning.  Sojos also makes mini bones that are great for the treat dispensing toys and training.  Blue buffalo has some of the highest rated foods/treats when it comes to quality and health, but they are the most expensive. 

Other great healthy chews to replace rawhide would include: pig or cow ears that are not basted, duck feet and cow or pig hooves.  These are all "leftovers" from the meat we eat that would normally be thrown away by any human, however, our dogs love them! And most of them are very affordable.

Happy snacking!!

Dog Photography

Here are a few shots of my favorite subjects.

Bailey

Allie

Sophie and Oliver

Kylie

 Portia and Pearla

If you would like to have photos taken of your fur baby, please contact me at wheresashley@gmail.com

I would love to work with your pooch!

Shedding

With the warm weather becoming a norm, Kingsley has started shedding more, and I'm sure you're fur baby is, too.  I wanted to include some basic tips that have helped us tremendously.

First of all, when I can afford it, Kingsley goes to the groomer to be raked... vacuum powered raking.  But when we can't afford that luxury, we try to work as hard as the groomer does to get all the excess hair off of him.  The benefits include not just less hair to vacuum off the floor or furniture, but a happier more spry dog.

Step 1: Brush Regularly

All year, it is good to brush your dog weekly.  This removes lose dead hairs and keeps the skin and coat healthy.

Step 2: Rake

Raking is a great way to get excess hair off of your dog.  Beware of the rakes with razors, because they are very irritating to your dog's skin.  They're safe to use, but you shouldn't rake over the same area twice.  I prefer the style of rake as pictured to the right.  It grabs any loose hair from the undercoat without being overly irritating to the their skin, so you can repeat multiple times.  When raking, it's best to take your doggy outside if it's a pretty day, or non carpeted area to avoid getting dog hair on your furniture or clothing.  There will be a lot of hair.

Step 3: Wash

Washing is a great way to get excess hair off of your dog.  Make sure to lather well and massage your dog's skin to promote a healthy coat.  If you wash your dog frequently, weekly, it's best to use a puppy formula or shampoo with oatmeal to prevent skin irritation.  If your dog's fur gets matted easily, you may want to use a conditioner after washing.  Rinse well.  Most lose hairs will rinse off in the bath tub keeping more hair off of your floors, furniture and clothing.

Step 4: Dry and Brush

Completely dry your dog's hair before brushing again.  If you have a young dog, you may be able to teach your dog to tolerate a hair dryer or vacuum brush attachment.

After your dog's coat has dried, use a regular brush to smooth and remove any final lose hairs.  Continue to brush once or twice weekly.  I am in love with our new brush that has a quick clean button on the back.  Just place your fur filled brush over a trash can, press the button and watch all your dog's hair neatly fall into the trash can.

Happy brushing!

Click here to shop great deals on self-cleaning grooming brushes.

Treats! Fresh from Your Kitchen

The quality of ingredients in our dog's food and treats are slowly improving, even getting some attention in advertising.  I'm so glad it's getting easier to find healthy treats, but if you're still concerned about the ingredients in your dog's treats, why not try to make them yourself?  We have had a blast and saved some cash!  Here's a few of my dog treat recipes that have been approved by my Maeby and Kingsley... but they're not picky.


In case you're in need of some cute cookie cutters, check out these cute little sets. Before I found these, I made the mistake of spending a lot for what I've found to be over sized and over priced Martha Stewart cutters at PetsMart.  At least the cookies are breakable!


Peanut Butter Dog Treats

2 cups flour
1 cup peanut butter (creamy)
1 cup water
1/2 cup oatmeal
1TBSP baking powder 
1 TBSP Honey

Preheat oven to 375 and lightly grease baking pan.  In a mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder and oatmeal. Mix, then add peanut butter, honey and water. Stir until dough forms. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead it and then roll it out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut the dough into desired size and shape. Place onto lightly greased pan and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool and store in airtight container.


Apple Cinnamon Dog Treats

2 cups flour
1 chopped apple, with peel for extra fiber
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 TBSP peanut butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon


Preheat oven to 375 and lightly grease pan.
Mix flour, oatmeal, apple, peanut butter and cinnamon together, adding water to make dough workable. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead and roll the dough out into 1/2 inch thickness. Cut and place on lightly greased pan and bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.

Pumpkin Dog Treats

2.5 cups flour

2 eggs

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

2 TBS peanut butter

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350.

Whisk together the flour, eggs, pumpkin, peanut butter and cinnamon in a bowl.  Add water as needed to help make the dough workable, but the dough should be dry and stiff.  Roll the dough into a 1/2 inch thick roll and cut. Bake for 40 minutes.

Refreshing Summer Dog Treats

16oz plain yogurt

2 mashed bananas or 1 chopped apple (peel on for extra fiber)

2 TBSP peanut butter

2 TBSP honey

Mix and spoon into ice cube tray and freeze.

Thanks to my friend, Penny Arnett, for taking these great photos.

Ikea Hackers!

I'm very excited to show off our Ikea hack we came up with for our doggies! It's a steal of a deal. You'll know what I'm talking about if you've ever shopped out elevated dog bowls. For only $27, you can make a very modern doggy diner. Ikea offers this table in a variety of colors, too.

Home made dog diner

Project made of:

Ikea Lack side table, white     $7
2 small stainless steel bowls   $10
1 large stainless steel bowl     $10

Grand Total                         $27



My husband simply used a dremel to cut out the holes to set the bowls into.  It may be smart to line the inside edges with foam to keep water from seeping into the table.  I haven't dont that, yet.  I also need to saw the legs down at least an inch or two, so their heads can be even with their shoulders when they eat.

The purposes of elevated bowls are two-fold.  1) The dog ingests less air, so they don't get as bloated.  This was Maeby's problem before the elevated dog bowls.  She would regurgitate her dog food frequently after eating.  2) It takes less stress off of the dogs joints.  Would you like to stay standing in a squat the whole time you eat?  I wouldn't!  This was to help Kingsley, who is predisposed to joint problems.  I highly recommend it for your doggy.  Dog diners come as short as 3" and as tall as 18."  If you would need a shorter version, Ikea also has a Lack rectangular shelf that would work perfectly!  I've actually seen people mount them to the wall at whatever height is appropriate for their dog and cut the holes in it for their dog's bowls.  It's very doggy chic when done that way, however you would have less color options.


I have seen some very good deals for dog diners that you don't have to build yourself.  I have to share a favorite of mine I found on Etsy.  How cute are these?!  Sold by ModPet, they are very unique!  If I had the space for multiple doggy diners, one for each of my dogs, I would do it!  They are only $38 - $48 depending on size.  ModPet also makes some very modern chic dog furniture.  You'll have to check them out!

There are plenty of other awesome doggy diners out there.  I just wanted to show off ours, really.  =)  I hope you check them out for your dog.