Friday, December 27, 2013

Roxy & Jedi's Goodie Bag

At the K-9 Obedience Club December meeting we had a Dirty Santa gift exchange. I came home with a giant gift bag containing a new puzzle toy (reviewed here) and a bunch of different treats -- most I'd never heard of before. The dogs have tried them all (though not fast enough for Jedi's liking) and I thought I'd share their opinions.

 It's All Rover Power Bars (duck/sweet potato and sea kelp flavor). This was the strangest looking thing in the bag. The treats were long and flat, kind of like granola bars and were vacuum sealed. It reminded me of the Astronaut Ice Cream you get at the Smithsonian Museum. Once opened, I noticed that the bars were light and dry and smelled vaguely of fish food. I broke one in half and gave it to the dogs. I was skeptical, but the dogs LOVED it. Picky Roxy sat in the dining room crunching away, while Jedi took his bounty to the end of the hall to devour in private. Jedi finished before Roxy did and when he went to the dining room to sniff for crumbs she told him to get out.

Greenies Pill Pockets (chicken flavor). This was the only product in the bag that I'd seen before and I was anxious to try it. Giving Jedi a pill is easy -- I pretty much say "Take this" and he does. Occasionally I'll wrap it in cheese or wet dog food, but it's not necessary. Jedi is a food whore. Roxy, on the other hand, is horribly particular! Every month Hubby has to break up her beef flavored, chewable Trifexis pill and force it down her throat. I tried grinding it up and mixing it up in canned food but she'll refuse to eat it while Jedi tries to scarf it up, thus doubling his dosage. It's a hot mess. Got any better ideas? Unfortunately, the pill pockets are too small for the heartworm meds. However, Roxy has allergies and we give her Benadryl when things get bad. I gave her one earlier wrapped in a pill pocket. She ate it but looked at me suspiciously. I don't know if we can fool her again.

Blue Buffalo Blue Stix (salmon and potato flavor). I've used Blue Buffalo products before. In fact, Jedi was on Blue Buffalo for 9 months before it got really fishy and he stopped eating it. Anyway, I was interested in trying this one. The treats have a savory/beefy smell. (I know it says salmon and potato. I was confused too.) I guess the dogs thought it smelled good because they came running as soon as I opened the bag, each giving me a perfect sit. I broke one in half and gave it to the dogs. Roxy took it, spit it out, licked it two or three times (she does this) and then ate it. Jedi took his and spit it out too (this is not normal). Roxy tried to steal it so he ate it. I gave him another Blue Stix in private later. He ate it, but not with the gusto of a Pup-Peroni or a Beggin' Strip. Lets face it, my dog (like me) prefers the cheap, bad-for-you crap.

Fruitables Skinny Minis (pumpkin and mango flavor). I opened the bag and smelled these. They smelled really good. I looked at the ingredients: vegetarian, nothing too weird and made in the USA. So I ate one. (Yes, I ate a dog treat.) I thought they were a little bland, but then again I'm not the target audience. The dogs weren't impressed either. Both dogs spit their treats out and left them on the floor. I think that's a NO on the Fruitables. I'm not that surprised. We've reviewed fruity dog treats before and the dogs didn't like those either.

Bil-Jac Vet Dogs dog treats (Skin and Coat formula). These treats were much better received than the last two. Both dogs ate them with enthusiasm and then asked for more. The treats are soft and small, just right for training. The website states that "every purchase supports America's VetDogs, who train and provide assistance dogs to veterans and active duty personnel with disabilities at no charge. Each bag of treats helps to make a difference in the lives of America's military heroes." I couldn't find out how much or what kind of support (I'm a bitter skeptic when it comes to advertising) but I did find the VetDogs website. I hope it's true.

So how about you? Have you seen/tried any of these products? If so, what did you think? More importantly, what did your dog think? -- K

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