Think Outside the Bag: Healthy Options for Treat Dispensers

I love food dispensing toys! Love, love, love 'em!  And I love how they can quietly occupy our 3 dogs.  The way I prepare them has changed over the years, to a much simpler healthier way.  Luckily the pet supply industry has learned that us dog and cat owners are happy to pay for all sorts of things that make our pets happier.  Companies have created dozens of treat dispensing toys in all sorts of shapes and sizes, allowing dogs to really use their brains on how to get food out of all the nooks and crannies.  Gone are the boring days of the classic kong , hello to Caterpillars, Biscuit Bouncers, and Goodie Bones !

All stuffed with Banana and frozen

Companies started cashing in on the treat dispensing toy craze and started producing treats specifically for these toys.  The problem is, most of this treats either look like cardboard (and are probably made with more ingredients than real cardboard is made of) or come in a can resembling spray cheese and no one wants to know what chemicals make up the can ingredients!

Peanut butter was the stuffable treat of choice for the longest time but for me, I didn't like my house smelling like peanut butter from all the dog licking.  Especially when my house smells of peanut butter from all the Breakfast Biscuits I make :)  I tried pumpkin but quickly realized that it makes orange spots on the carpet!  I often stuff them with the treats I make, but not many people have dehydrators so I came up with 3 great options that are extremely cheap, healthy and no special equipment needed.

Scrambled egg patties!

It should also be noted, the best way to utilize a food dispensing toy is to freeze them after stuffing.  This makes your dog work that much harder to get their goodies out!

1. Healthy Treat Option #1: Shredded chicken.  If you pick up a rotisserie chicken from the store and have some leftovers, keep them for the dogs!  Neither my husband or I like breast meat much, so I clean the chicken of whatever we didn't eat, discard the skin (very important!), and keep the leftovers to use in the dog's treat toys.  If there's a lot of leftover meat (like a huge Thanksgiving turkey) you can freeze some in a ziplock bag for future use. Fill the toy with the shredded chicken and freeze - your dogs will love it!
2. Healthy Treat Option #2: Bananas.  Yep, as simple as bananas!  These work best when they are still fully yellow and very firm. The toys that work best for these are those with larger openings like the classic kong, or the larger openings on the Barnacles.  Just slide a chunk of banana right in and freeze.  Our dogs are big fans of the frozen banana!
3. Healthy Treat Option #3: Scrambled egg.  We have a LOT of eggs these days between the chickens and ducks. Though I do occasionally use the duck eggs for baking, they primarily go towards our dog's food.  I will scramble up a few dozen duck eggs at a time and freeze them for the dog's food.  For easy container storage, I use silicone molds to cook the scrambled eggs as 'patties', which also makes them easy to stuff into their toys.  You don't need a silicone mold though, just scramble them into large enough pieces so they don't easily fall out of the toy.  Again, freeze after filling with egg.

There you go, 3 simple and healthy ways to fill your dog's treat dispensing toys.  I personally have 6 toys, 2 for each dog, so that I always have some ready in the freezer :)

Visit the links below to go straight to the toys I recommend!

Building a Kitty City

 2 years ago we adopted Nova & Naveen from a good friend who was fostering them in the Safford area.  Nova's previous owner didn't get her spayed and she had multiple litters.  We believe Naveen is one of her sons from her last litter.  My friend fostered Nova until she weaned her last litter and then I paid to have her and Naveen fixed.   

We weren't really prepared for cats since one of our dogs can't be trusted with cats.  Nova and Naveen had already lived as 'garage cats' and when they were fostered with my friend, had their very own heated room off of a work area.  We never really use our garage for parking, just storage. So the past 2 years I worked on converting the garage into a work room for me.  The walls were already fully insulated and finished, so I started working on insulating the garage door, then the garage attic.  With a little space heater on a timer, it stays about 55*-60* in there, pretty comfy for a cat.  I quickly built them a catio where they could safetly enjoy the outdoors.  I didn't want to put a hole in the garage wall for a cat door, so I put a cat door in a 1" piece of foam board insulation, which fits snuggly in the window.  

I built a matrix of shelves for them to climb up and down.  I drilled them directly into the studs for extremely secure climbing.  I also added a ceiling shelf from HyLoft to hold a large storage bin.  This gray bin has a smaller bin inside it, stuffed with blankets where they love to take cozy naps together :)

On some of the shelves are patio chair cushions for comfy napping.  I also keep their food and water elevated off of the floor.  This helps with any ants that sneak in during the summer.  I also firmly believe in allowing a cat to 'work' for their food, so a little jump on/off the table forces a little effort in order to eat.  (I have strong opinions on allowing cats to demonstrate natural behaviors, which can help fight obesity in indoor cats.) 

 Nova & Naveen have all their nails, like nature intended and I added a wall mounted scratching post.  I took a shelf, drilled it into the wall studs, then purchased a cheap floor rug, cut to size and stapled into the board.  Staples are put in vertical to keep them from snagging a nail while they scratch.

Their litter bin is inside the blue tote on the ground.  I love putting litter bins in totes because it helps to keep smells contained, gives them privacy, and helps to keep litter bits contained when they scratch around.

On the other side of the garage is another area where they can climb up.  I put up these shelves this summer and Nova & Naveen love to snuggle in the carrier, or lay on the cushion and look out the man-door.

The garage really is my work area... I have 2 freezers out there for our dog food, my mealworm bins where I breed my buggies for chicken food, and right now my seedlings are growing in there waiting for warmer weather to be transplanted in the garden.

Going through the cat door, they can go outside in the safety of their catio.  The catio is 4' wide, 8 ' long, and 7.5' high.  It sits under an oak tree which gives ample shade in the summer time.  It faces the garden where the chickens and ducks free range, allowing for ample enrichment.

Building 'kitty cities' isn't necessarily expensive, but it does take a bit of work.  Most importantly, it's a great feeling to know you're offering your cats their own special place!

Homemade Super-Cheap Dog Bed

Many people know I'm very much a Do-It-Yourselfer (as if homemade dog food wasn't a huge clue). I grow most of our produce, make my own dog food and treats, build bed headboards, resurface our kitchen cabinets, build catios.... If I feel like I can do an equally good job rather than buying something or paying someone else to do it, then I do it myself!

Cue in Sarge...

A while ago Sarge started some destructive behaviors when the dogs were home alone.  Chewing up blankets, bed sheets, and even chewed a chunk out of my brand new squishy bed (memory foam mattress).  He then had to be kenneled when we left the house and continued his blanket shredding in his kennel.  I was tired of going through dog beds when even the cheapest ones were $10, it added up.  I stopped giving him dog beds and just left the tattered blankets, but that eventually made a mess.

At the suggestion of a friend whose dog also shredded beds, I tried a burlap sack.  It's only been in his kennel a day or so and Sarge has layed on it numerous times while we've been home.  He may very well destroy this one too, but it won't be financially stressful if he does this time.

I had a bag of poly-fill from a previous bed-ripping incident where I decided to keep the stuffing (after all, it's still perfectly fine) for when I might need it again.  I purchased a used burlap sack at C-A-L Ranch for a whopping $1.19!  The sack was torn open at the bottom of course, but with some string and a needle, I stitched it up after putting some poly-fill in it.  Worst case scenario, and Sarge does rip it up it will only cost me $1.19 for a new one and a few minutes of stitching.

Now before any strangers try to put their 2 cents in about the situation, don't worry, Sarge's anxiety/boredom behaviors are not an everyday or even weekly occurance.  We do other things like stuffed kongs, lavender oil, doggy pheramones, and daily runs to help ease his pent up energy.  And quite simply, I believe in letting some behaviors slide... I like having dogs (and cats) and all the quirks that come with them! :)

Buying Local is Better for Everyone, Even Your Pets!

The past few years there has been a movement to buy local and support small businesses.  It supports the local economy by creating and sustaining jobs and puts food on your neighbor's table rather than fuel in a CEO's private jet.

Think about the way you grocery shop - don't we all prefer our produce to be grown closer to us, even in our own state?  Why buy Pecans shipped from Georgia when us Arizonian's can buy them from our own county.  Who wants to eat eggs shipped from chicken farms in the midwest when you can buy eggs at your farmer's market from your neighbor who lets their chickens free range.  The same ideology goes for your pets.

The other week I was speaking to a client about the dog treats they just bought.  It was a big bag of chicken jerky from a massive company whose dog treats have been causing several dogs to become sick and die. There is a big disclaimer on the back of the bag of treats that says "MADE IN CHINA".  On top of it, the treats are also infused with glycerin which increases the weight of the treat without increasing the amount of chicken.  Sneaky little jerks.

It got me to thinking about how my treats compare in price to big box brands so I wanted to share some numbers which could surprise you...

This morning as I was packing up some treat orders, I put them on my kitchen scale to see their weights: 12.7oz and 13.7oz.  I sell my chicken jerky in one pound poly lined bags for $12 per order which makes these two particular bags $0.94/oz and $0.87/oz.  I fill my treat bags as much as I can which is why there is always a discrepancy.  I buy my treat ingredients at our local grocery stores and make them only after an order is received which guarantee's that they are as fresh as possible.

Big box companies make their dog treats in factories where quality control is often lacking.  Products are shipped across country, or worse, come from a different country, and then can sit on a shelf for several months before going 'out of date'.

Additionally, they are often full of other ingredients you might not expect...

I like simplicity and because of my years working with dogs and cats with food allergies, I like limited ingredients.  My chicken jerky has one ingredient: chicken breast.  Chicken breast that I buy from the grocery store labeled that it has been raised and butchered in the U.S.  Many of these big companies include weird ingredients in their 'chicken jerky' like: glycerin, soy flour, molasses, salt...  The sugar and salt are great for creating an addictive craving for your dogs, but they are terrible additions for carnivores.  High protein/low carb treats like chicken jerky are great for diabetic dogs ... unless those treats are made with molasses and sugar.  Most dogs and cats do very poorly with soy, and who would expect soy to be put into chicken jerky anyways?

Here are some prices and ingredients on some popular chicken jerky treats on the market...

Purina's Waggin Train Chicken Jerky Tenders: $12 for 11 oz. $1.09/oz. Ingredients: Chicken breast, glycerin. 'PRODUCT OF CHINA' disclaimer on the back. Long history of consumer complaints and recalls...

Blue Buffalo Chicken Jerky: $8.89 for 3.25 oz.  $2.73/oz.  Ingredients: Chicken, dried cane molasses, salt.

True Chews Chicken Jerky Fillet: $9.46 for 12 oz. $0.78/oz.  Ingredients: chicken, vegetable glycerin, distilled vinegar, salt....

Milo's Kitchen Chicken Jerky Recipe: $21 for 15oz.  $1.40/oz.  Ingredients: chicken, soy flour, sugar, glycerin, textured soy protein.... Once recalled for unapproved antibiotic residue

Dogswell Vitality Chicken Breast Jerky: $17.64 for 13.5oz.  $1.30/oz.  Ingredients: chicken breast, glycerin, salt, flaxseed .... Once recalled for unapproved antibiotic residue.

Something to think about when feeding your 4-legged loved ones.  I'm certainly not encouraging everyone to buy my treats because I only have one dehydrator and one oven ;)  But there are others like me who believe every pet deserves the very best and put a lot of work into offering healthy options.  Of course, there are local pet bakeries who make their own pet treats too but with ingredients like wheat flour and margarine (yuck!), you still have to do your homework by reading ingredient labels. 

Feeding better does not necessarily mean you need a money tree to afford quality treats.  But when you buy locally, a lot of overhead costs are eliminated and you can feel better about supporting local economy AND feeding Fido better!

Think Outside of The Bag - My Journey of Feeding Better

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm deeply invested in pet nutrition, specifically nutrition for dogs and cats.  I wasn't always so careful about choosing dog food though, or even reading ingredient labels of dog food.  When I was a newer vet tech, all I needed was to know what kibble the vet's I worked for recommended, and that's what I bought.  Sadly it took me a few years to realize I needed to be a better guardian for my little Pepe and become pickier about what I fueled his little body with.

I won't name the food, but the kibble I fed Pepe contained the top 5 ingredients: brewer's rice, chicken meal, corn gluten meal, corn, and wheat gluten.  Because I didn't know better, I never questioned these ingredients.  At some point I started to put puzzle pieces together and realized my carnivore needed more carne, more meat!  The simply anatomy of the dog's and cat's jaw shows that their bottom jaw does not swing side to side, only the open/close motion.  Animals that are meant to eat fibrous plant material have lower jaws that swing side to side.  Picture a cow chewing cud.  Even humans have bottom jaws that swing, since plants are meant to make a considerable part of our diet.  But canids and felids do not have this jaw motion, which should be a very strong indicator that plant material is not meant to make up a majority of their diet.  Additionally, read about the major difference in the saliva of dogs and cats vs. herbivores and omnivores.  It makes you think....

Now, I am no veterinarian but after years of working in animal hospitals, you start to see connections between chronically ill pets and the poorly rated pet foods they eat.  I started doing my homework on a better food to feed Pepe and I decided on Fromm's Four Star line.  The top 5 ingredients of one of their 4 star foods: duck, duck meal, pearled barley, sweet potatoes and brown rice.  Already a large improvement from the corn and wheat Pepe's previous food was made of.  I started rotating bags, giving Pepe different proteins, to offer him variety and keep him from getting bored.  One of the quickest changes I saw was his #2 in the yard - now that he was eating better ingredients that could get absorbed better, his #2's were much smaller and much less stinkier! What pet owner doesn't love that!?

We purchased this 7 cu ft freezer solely for dog food ingredients.  We also have a 14 cu ft freezer for our food, storage for my treat ingredients, as well as the dog's prepared meals (container picture at the bottom).

When I was working at my hydrotherapy pool in the Chicago suburbs, I started Pepe on a raw diet for the first time.  My boss was also a distributor of some commercially made raw food, so I was able to try it at cost.  I started bringing home 6lb bags of Northwest Naturals - a commercially made raw food that comes in nuggets, so it was very easy (and still affordable) for my 12lb Pepe.  I instantly became the world's best mom in Pepe's eyes.  Because he was the only dog for many years, he never felt the urge to gobble up his kibble.  There were no other dogs eyeing his food, so he often picked at it.  Now, he was excited about meal time!  I remember taking out 5 or 6 nuggets to thaw in the fridge for the next meal, depending on Pepe's activity level.  (We did tons of walking and running back then, and I altered his meal size based on activity level - something that helps overfeeding and maintaining weight).

But a major life event happened and Pepe and I were getting ready to chase our dreams and move cross country to Tucson!  This is when we went back to kibble for a number of years.  I still wanted to feed the best I could afford and I didn't have the freezer space in my new apartment.  Zoey also suddenly became a member of the family, just 2 months after I moved to Tucson.  So after some researching on ingredients and companies, I started feeding foods like Orijen and Taste of the Wild. I was now feeding strictly grain-free foods.  

Fast forward a few more years to living in Hereford and a third dog named Sarge.  It was now 2014 and I really wanted to get back to feeding a raw diet.  Our raw options in Cochise Country are extremely limited - buying commercially made foods wasn't going to happen.  No one carried the variety I wanted and having food shipped to my door was way out of the budget.  So I decided to start making my own!  There are ample resources out there to homemade dog food - whether you're doing a  homemade cooked diet with fruits and veggies, a raw diet with fruits and veggies, or a strictly raw meat diet... The resources are out there to help you start the journey.  The most important thing is to do your homework and really understand what is involved.  I firmly believe that an unbalanced homemade diet is worse than a bag of Ol' Roy.  You can't feed solely chicken breast and expect your dog to be healthy.

I joined some raw feeding groups, locally and nationally to start getting an idea of where to get my products from.  I bought freezers (we have 21 cubic feet of freezer space in the garage now) so that I could stock up when prices are good - this is critical to keeping things affordable!  I bought a small kitchen scale to weigh out food, freezable reditainers for storing prepared food, and thanks to a large raw group (22k members), printed out feeding charts for each dog as a quick reference when I make their food.

Vacuum sealed 1 lb packages of a deer/elk blend.  Bought through a raw feeding coop.

I've now been making my own dog food for a year now!  Bones are an every day part of their diet too!  Pepe and Zoey get bones like chicken necks and chicken feet and Sarge gets turkey necks and chicken thighs.  Bones are always raw and uncooked and choosing the proper sized item for the size of your animal is essential.  They eat liver and kidney which are full of vitamins and minerals.  And the proteins they eat on a monthly basis include: chicken, pork, turkey, smelt, beef, elk/venison, mackerel, green lipped mussels, chicken and duck eggs (from our birds) , and home raised duck.  Yes, our duck flock is solely to help feed our dogs.  I won't go into detail, but feel free to ask me about it in person.

Feeding a raw diet isn't for everyone and I don't encourage anyone to do it without ample understanding and research.  I do still feed kibble one day a week, just to keep their bodies used to it.  Primarily for the event of an emergency and needing to feed them on the go, or for when we go on vacation and I don't want to burden someone with feeding a diet that requires supervision. (I always stay in the kitchen and wait for the dogs to finish eating).  I also make a blend of raw fruits and steamed veggies that I puree together in a blender, freeze in ice cube trays and add to their dinners.  Not all fruits and veggies are created equal so I have a list of what foods to use and what foods not to use for these veggie cubes.

All of the meat I feed is from the grocery store, besides our eggs & ducks, and the elk/venison which is made specifically for animals and contains about 10-15% ground bone.  Now would you believe that my cost of feeding a homemade diet is the same cost as feeding a premium kibble!  As long as you know how to shop and plan, it can be really affordable!

This is what a day's worth of dog food looks like for us, without the veggies cubes and eggs (both stored separately).

One thing I instantly noticed about feeding a raw diet is once again, their #2.  Because their bodies can use so much more of their nutrients, compared to kibble, very little is expelled out.  In fact, I can't even smell it!  The only time their yard gets stinky is when they're back on kibble and it knocks me off my feet.  Their #2's also literally disintegrate after a few days.  No more picking up dog poop (unless it's from a kibble day), because it really does turn to dust!  Another major change is their drinking habits.  Because they're eating food full of water content, they end up drinking much less water throughout the day.  There's no real benefit to this, but it was eye opening to understand the difference of what their bodies are doing with their food.  Imagine if all you ate everyday, was crackers.  Your body would be insanely thirsty every day too.

There are a lot of options besides feeding kibble or a homemade raw diet.  The next blog entry will discuss:

• Freeze dried/dehydrated food

• Homecooked food

• Chubs

• Raw food: homemade vs. commerical

• Companies that formulate diets for you

I hope this has been interesting and has you thinking of ways to improve your pet's nutrition.  Stay tuned for more information!