Belated May BarkBox Review

Sorry this is late, but here is our May BarkBox! In this BarkBox we received Slobbery Sunflowers ($12.00), Dingo the Scarecrow ($12.00), Donuts Fried Dough Bites for Dogs ($8.00), Nana's Natural Chicken Jerky for Dogs ($8.00) and a beef trachea ($3.00-7.00). 

These treats are actually grain free, unlike the jerky ones below. They are a softer treat and can be broken up to make smaller treats. I haven't had a chance to try them yet, but they smell good hahaha!

Meet Dingo the Scarecrow. Linc loves getting new plush toys! This toy is similar to Ninja Kitty because the limbs can change lengths and are attached to each other. You just pull and adjust the length of the two limbs that are attached.

These were a little weird because they are not attached and are separate toys. Each sunflower has a squeaker in the flower. Linc has had fun carrying these around, but they could be a choking hazard in the larger dog. Photo below of Linc holding one of the flowers. Also, the bow shouldn't stay on the toys, very dangerous!

These jerky treats are completely grain free. Like the others, I still haven't had a chance to try these with the boys. These treats claim to be grain free, but they have rice flour in them. . . rice is a grain. I haven't tried them with the boys, but we'll give them a shot even though there is false advertisement.
I figure they'll enjoy them. Only 5-6 treats in the bag. So if you give them whole you'll run out pretty fast. Probably a good treat to break up and use for training.

Last but not least, the trachea chew that will most likely go to Indie. He has a hard time chewing bully sticks, but does fine with tracheas. So this special treat will go to him. =)

Here is Linc happily holding Dingo waiting for me to throw him. He LOVES toys and always goes for them first.

And Linc holding one of the Slobbery Sunflowers. Obviously it's a good size for him, but a larger dog and actually Linc's size, could easily swallow one. Not ideal shape for a toy in my opinion. He loves them regardless and does not chew plush toys.

Nupro Review

I give Nupro to my parents 14 year old chocolate lab, Indie. He gets two scoops a day, one with each meal. I use Nupro for various reasons. At his age and due to the fact that he is unable to eat a raw diet, I want Indie to absorb as much nutrition as he can. I am not sure he absorbs as much as he used to, so this will be an added boost. Nupro is an all natural supplement that has received rave reviews. I probably wouldn't give it to my aussies because they both eat a healthy raw diet. I make sure to give them a variety of organs from various species. While I do give Indie a variety of protein sources by switching kibbles and canned food, I believe he needs more than that can offer.

I buy it in the 5lb jugs which lasts about 2 months. There are some negatives to the Nupro, one his stools do smell more when he gets the nupro. The other one would be the price and the fact that you should add a liquid to the food in order to make a gravy and lower the chances of inhalation. Other than these few negatives, I highly suggest Nupro for a senior dog who has a compromised immune system.

Nupro Ingredients:

Desiccated Liver - The ultimate in palatability!  The fresh, natural flavor of real liver is wonderful for the finicky eater!   Supplies iron and B vitamins.  Just add water to make a Grrreat Gravy that Dogs Crave!  Norwegian Kelp - A natural seaweed - a rich source of trace minerals including iodine, necessary for proper glandular function and metabolism.  An excellent source of vitamins A, B1, B2, C, and E.  Aside from nourishing the glands, these vitamins are beneficial for maintaining overall good health and are vital to sustain the proper growth of bones, a healthy heart rate, a sound central nervous system, and the assurance that muscles stay firm and strong.  Norwegian kelp grows deep in the ocean, mostly in cold waters, so it contains the purest of valuable nutrients from the ocean floor.  Supports healthy skin pigmentation and coat highlights.Amino Acids & Enzymes - A wide array of naturally available Amino Acids and Enzymes helps the body to maintain healthy hormonal balances and to fortify a resilient Immune System.  Offers support for pets with seasonal allergies. Nutritional Yeast Cultures - Support the maintenance of healthy skin and a full, luxurious hair coat which may minimize the occurrence of excessive shedding and dry skin.  Provide proteins, zinc and biotin.  Best source of B vitamins.  Most companies use cheaper brewers yeast which can be a combination of hops, corn, grains, wheat, etc.; all by-products from the brewery.  Many animals have grain sensitivities, and brewers yeast may further aggravate an allergy condition in certain animals.  With nutritional yeast cultures, grown and harvested from a veggie source, NO grains are present at all.  Something to think about when reading ingredient labels.Flaxseed - Provides essential omega fatty acids.  Most absorbable vegetable fatty acid for the canine.  Rich in omega 3 fatty acids, alpha-Linolenic acid, fiber and lignans.  Helps maintain healthy, shiny fur and soft skin. Lecithin - A  rich source of choline, utilized by the body in the production of acetyl-choline, a neurotransmitter essential for normal, healthy nerve and brain function.  Supports healthy liver function.Garlic - Awesome ingredient that does so much for the body!  Garlic contains allicin, a powerful antioxidant, helpful in supporting healthy immune and cardiovascular systems.Calcium Citrate - Calcium is best absorbed in an acidic environment, hence calcium citrate is the best absorbed supplemental form of calcium - it does not require extra stomach acid for absorption.  Intended to provide nutritive support for healthy bones, teeth and nerve function.Lactobacillus Acidophilus - Promotes friendly bacteria in the intestinal tract thereby encouraging efficient digestion which may reduce the occurrence of flatulence.  

Foods I feed Indie

I believe animals should be given a variety, no matter the species. Very few species rely on the same food their entires lives. Circumstances change and so do diets and what is eaten to meet dietary needs. I do this for my aussies with their raw and the same with Indie with his kibble and canned foods. I switch from brand to brand, protein source to protein source. No month is the same and at times, kibbles are mixed. I switch protein sources in the canned foods every two days. Every meal Indie gets 1/4 a can of wet. So his diet is never boring. Every protein source has different things to offer, which is why variety is important, besides life not being boring.

Here are some brands that I use when feeding Indie, I have separated them into two categories: dry and wet.

Dry Kibble:

Taste of The Wild

Acana

Zoic

Wellness Core

Fromm

Zignature

IandLoveandYou

Anamaet

Canidae

Go!

Weruva

Canned Wet:

Taste of the Wild

Wellness Core

Evangers

IandLoveandYou

Canidae

Dave's Pet Food

Wild Calling

Merrick

Cocolicious

Nature's Domain

Natural Balance

I only feed grain free kibbles and canned wet foods. Indie does not do well on foods with grains. 

April BarkBox

Sorry this is late, but I've been working a lot. So here is the belated April BarkBox. The theme for the April Barkbox was obviously baseball season. The box included: Triple Cheese Baseball Treats ($8.00), Bocce's Bakery Sliders ($10.00), Thinker's Duck Stick ($3.00), Pooeyville Slugger Toy ($12.00) and a Rubber Baseball ($14.00).

The ingredients in these treats are okay, but not something I would personally buy myself. I do use squeeze cheese, but don't really go for cheese based dog treats as they do tend to contain a lot of other ingredients. These are the better treats out of the two bags.













These treats contain grains, so definitely would not buy due to that. My dogs basically eat a grain free diet as two of my dogs respond to grains poorly and while these make work well for some dogs, these aren't good for mine.















I haven't decided who to give this treat to. I have been collecting most of these that come in the boxes so I can give each dog one at the same time. I'm not fond of playing favorites.

Linc obviously went straight for the stuffed toy as usual. He also LOVES the rubber baseball. That is one of the best toys they have sent so far as it can be stuffed with food or treats or just used to play fetch.

Grandpa Glenn's Turkey Heart Treats Review

While at one of my local groceries I found these natural freeze dried turkey heart treats. I was pretty happy to find a locally made one protein source dog treat. Granted, I have never heard of Grandpa Glenn's, but definitely wanted to give them a try. My grocery offered the turkey hearts, beef liver, beef heart, pork heart and chicken hearts. 

I was definitely happy with the packaging. The label is not stuck on very well, but the package was air and moisture proof with tear places to make opening very easy. 

The hearts had the fat removed prior to being freeze dried. The slices are great sizes and can also be broken up into smaller pieces for smaller dogs or for use as training treats. The package mentions that you can reconstitute them if desired. I prefer to keep them dry. For 3.5oz I believe you receive quite a few treats and they are very easy to handle and do not crumble when holding or removing from the package.

I of course had an audience while opening and taking photos. Linc will eat raw turkey hearts, but will sometimes refuse, so that was a concern. He ate his treat almost instantly, so that is awesome!














Linc wanted more after I placed the bag of treats in a quart size ziplock. I do suggest keeping these treats in a dry and cool location so they do not reconstitute and cause other issues.

I am in no way connected to the company. This review is voluntary.

March BarkBox

The March BarkBox theme was "Sherlock Bones." I thought this was a cute theme. The Barkbox included: Victorian Venison Dinner Treats ($7.00), a Treat Maze ($14.00), Good Dog Shepherd's Pie Treats ($6.00), Butcher's Block Beef Jerky Pretzel ($5.00) and a Rowdy Pipe ($9.00). 

The treats in this month's box weren't that bad, but still probably not something I would purchase on my own. The Sojo's Shepherd's Pie Treats do have oatmeal in them and I try to avoid grains for the most part. My dogs do not react well to grains.

Indie did enjoy the jerky pretzel. Usually when there is a single chew like this, Indie gets it.



The two toys were fun. I don't purchase the mind games for my boys because everyone I know who buys them, says they have to keep buying new ones to keep their dogs interested. It was fun to see them try to figure out the Treat Maze. Even Indie took some interest in it. I put in Nutri Source's Grain Free Rabbit Treats as they were the correct size to use.

So, after filling the maze, I let the boys loose on it. It's odd because sometimes the treats will fall out as they should when the toy is tipped and other times they get caught on one another at the hole. This frustrated Mac & Linc because they knew the treats were right there, but weren't coming out. I think it would be beneficial to add fewer treats to either side and see how it goes. 

Mac being Mac figured the best way to get the stuck treats out of the maze was to chew them out. Another reason why I don't buy these puzzle games. They don't tend to be cheap and I don't need chewed plastic everywhere. It was fun to try though. 

I am in no way connected to the company. This review is voluntary. 

How I feed Indie's kibble

As I have mentioned before, Indie eats a kibble diet due to health conditions. He is currently eating a mix of I and Love and You Poultry Palooza and Acana Lamb and Okanagan Apple. Below is the Acana kibble. I decided randomly to show you how I feed Indie's food. He eats 1 cup of kibble twice a day.

I add in his three medications: gabapentin, soloxine and novox. I then add his dasuquin and *Extend (*only in the evenings). I then put on one scoop of Nupro Gold. I will write a review on the Nupro later. Nupro is a powdered vitamin.

I then add 1.5-2 cups of water to the food for multiple reasons:

• Indie has laryngeal paralysis & since the Nupro is a powder, there is a high risk of aspiration, the water lowers the risk immensely 
• It helps keep him hydrated
• Helps him lap up his medications
• Creates a gravy along with the canned food and makes the food more enjoyable
• Slows down his eating! It actually works!

While the food doesn't look appetizing, Indie does love it. I also change proteins in kibbles every time we buy a new bag.  he does get 1/4 can of wet food and I switch the protein source every two days. This keeps his food interesting and new. 

Indie once weighed an astronomical 111lbs. He ripped his CCL at five and we worked on getting him down to a healthy weight.  (Yes, that is baby Mac in the photo). He was placed on the weight loss medication, Slentrol and got down to 85lbs. He was unfortunately eating Hills Prescription R/D. We took him off of the Slentrol and within 8 months, he was back up to 105lbs while ONLY eating R/D. The food was disgusting. I knew something was wrong. I dragged my mom to Petco, to their healthy section and went through the kibbles. We found Wellness Healthy Weight and placed both Gwen & Indie on it.  Indie's weight began to go down. Then we found Wellness Core Reduced Fat and placed all three dogs on it and the change in Indie was amazing. Indie went down to 80lbs within several months and has stayed between 74-80lbs for over 8 years now. 

 Here is a photo of Indie after getting a bath on our deck last summer. He has been a healthy weight ever since and we are so proud! Yes, I am neurotic about everything my dogs eat and for good reason.  Indie does not do well on a kibble with grain. He seems to gain weight immediately and still feel hunger pains. On raw (for a year and a half) and on high quality grain free kibbles, he doesn't act hungry and stays a healthy weight. Always base what you feed on the individual dog. Mac did not do well on any kibbles, but Gwen & indie did. Mac thrives on a raw diet. I will tell his story another time.



Please take your time to compare the ingredients and guaranteed analyses for in the three foods mentioned above.

Hill's Prescription R/D Ingredients





Hill's Prescription R/D Guaranteed Analysis










Wellness Complete Health Healthy Weight Ingredients

Wellness Complete Health Healthy Weight Guaranteed Analysis

Wellness Core Reduced Fat Ingredients

Wellness Core Reduced Fat Guaranteed Analysis

I and Love and You Nude Dog Food Review

I know I normally only review raw foods and natural treats, but our 14 year old lab, Indie, eats kibble due to health issues. Indie had an emergency splenectomy at almost 12, has laryngeal paralysis and hypothyroidism. I usually switch him from kibble to kibble in order to keep things interesting and fresh. I also love giving him a variety of proteins. Along with his dry kibble he gets his meds, supplements and 1/4 can of grain free high quality wet food. I also switch these around to give him various protein sources. Ever since the Meijer opened in my city, I have been able to buy I and Love and You's Nude Dog Food for him. It is convenient to buy when grocery shopping for ourselves. He has also eaten their canned food.

I and Love and You is located in Colorado and their foods are made in the USA.  The ingredients in their treats are sourced from Brazil and Australia. Their kibble is shaped as small hearts and is consistent throughout all of their kibbles.  I usually buy the Poultry Palooza, but have tried the Red Meat Medley and Simply Sea. Indie has done well on all three flavors.  I have not tried the Hot Lickety Lamb because it seems hard to obtain. 

They are a very easy company to deal with and seem to truly care about their customers. The messaged me randomly on my instagram and asked if they could send me a box of their products. Of course I said yes. The dog treats were an instant hit and I bought some more of their venison jerky while in Chicago. I still have the freeze dried raw and have reviewed on another post. I was very grateful that they have sent me two 1.5lb bags of two of their freeze dried raw flavors.  The boys were quite taken with it.

Indie has never had any gastric upset connected to their kibble, treats or canned foods. The quality is very impressive and I definitely recommend feeding this if you are looking for a good kibble.  I and Love and You is shockingly mainly sold in grocery stores, but can be purchased from online websites such as Chewy.com. The price is also reasonable considering the quality of the products. Always base what you feed your animal on the animal itself. Every dog is different and may react to a product differently from another dog. While I do recommend this food, make sure your dog does well and watch for any problems and reactions.

Ingredients:turkey, chicken meal, turkey meal, lentils, garbanzo beans, tapioca, chicken fat (preserved with natural mixed tocopherols and citric acid), dried beet pulp, sweet potato, chicken, natural chicken liver flavor, chicken liver, chicken hearts, blueberries, chia seed, apple, spinach, tomato, carrot, fish oil, potassium chloride, olive oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), calcium carbonate, new zealand green mussel, inulin, salt, choline chloride, turmeric, iron amino acid chelate, zinc sulfate, vitamin E supplement, zinc amino acid chelate, ferrous sulfate, niacin supplement, manganese amino acid chelate, copper sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, calcium pantothenate, vitamin A supplement, manganous oxide, pyridoxine hydrochloride, copper amino acid chelate, sodium selenite, riboflavin supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, calcium iodate, folic acid, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried Bifidobacterium thermophilum fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Aspergillus niger fermentation extract, dried Trichoderma reesei fermentation extract, yucca schidigera extract, rosemary extract

I am in no way connected to the company. This review is voluntary. 

Indie's 14th Birthday!

I know this is late, but Indie celebrated his 14th birthday on February 11th!! I can't believe he's 14! For this special occasion, we ordered a grain free (yes! grain free!) birthday cake for him made by the awesome Canine Crunchery! Jane does a wonderful job on her cakes and treats.  I just adore her work!

This year his cake was peanut butter and carob swirl with peanut butter frosting.  Jane made the carob lab cookie and made it "furry" with some carob frosting on top.  Isn't the cake gorgeous?

 Here is a collage of photos from when we went to pick up the cake.  Indie enjoyed the outing so much and even had a small heart shaped peanut butter and carob cake while there.  Yes, he was very spoiled on his birthday, but in a healthy way.

Here is Indie when we first brought him home almost 14 years ago! Look at how tiny he was!!

 Had to get a photo of the inside of the cake.  The aussies also had pieces to celebrate. 

 Indie LOVED his cake and his day!!

How do you celebrate your animals' birthdays?