Treat Tuesday: What is a Venison Crepe?

I've written about Superior Farms and their venison crepes before, but I had a lingering question about this particular product. I found the Superior Farms booth at SuperZoo, and they invited me to choose a treat from their display of wonderful animal-based chews and treats. Of course I selected a venison crepe, and then I had the opportunity to ask my burning question:

What, exactly, is a venison crepe?

The label says venison hide, but what part of the deer renders this exquisite little scrunched up bit? The rep was happy to tell me, as the squeamish don't tend to pop up with such geeky questions.

Superior Farms is all about using every part of the animal, and dog treats are a really great way to use the weird bits. Venison crepes are made out of the face skin of a deer. Can you see the nose on this one? I like to imagine these were born when someone dropped a piece of hide on the floor, let it dry off a bit, and then went "you know what, that's actually kinda cool!"

Fr those unacquainted with the venison crepe, this is a rawhide alternative that is great for dogs with beef allergies. For my dogs, who enjoy bully sticks and don't just gobble them down like quick snacks, these things last for more than one chewing session. Superior Farms makes their products in the USA, without any of the scary chemical processing that imported treat usually go through.

Treat Tuesday: yakyChurro

Yakkety yak, it's the yakyChurro from the Himalayan Dog Chew company, the same people who brought us Yaky Charms and the Yaky Stick! I was given this yakyChurro at SuperZoo, and I knew Ru would love it. The original Himalayan Dog Chew, made from hardened yak cheese, can be a little too hard for some dogs to really enjoy. Tha yakyChurro is made with the same yaky goodness, but with potato starch added to made a softer chew. In addition to the original yak flavor, yakyChurro is available in fish and vegetable flavors.

Good For: Smaller dogs and less enthusiastic chewers. Dogs with allergies to anything but dairy and potato. Dogs that sometimes swallow their chews whole.

Not Good For: Huge power chewers, this would basically be a quick snack.

How Much We Like It: I don't think Ru the chihuahua has ever chewed anything for so long in one go. He ate the entire thing.

Product Review: Starmark Rubbertuff Treat Stump

I'm ridiculously excited about Starmark's new RubberTuff toys. These are supposed to be a bit tougher than some of the Everlasting Treat toys (see the edit below, they're actually not). They're made out of a different material, they don't specify but it looks like natural rubber to me. The whole Rubber Tuff line is made to work with Starmark's new Lock & Block treats. The new toys come in three sizes, and three shapes. I have the Rubber Tuff Stump, there is also a ball and a bone. While I did purchase my toy, I was given a discount at SuperZoo.

Photo by Erin Koski

I am a big fan of Starmark's Everlasting Treat toys, but that design has a weakness that some dogs figure out how to exploit immediately. Whether it's the Bento Ball, Wheeler, Groovy Ball, or the original Treat Ball, Everlasting Treats are inserted into the toy by popping them under a rim. That rim is an ideal point of entry for dogs that like to rip off chunks of toy with their front teeth.

The new Rubber Tuff toys still use a rim to hold the treat in place, but now the top of the treat covers that vulnerable spot. There aren't any obvious weak points in the toy itself when the treat is inserted. However, I am interested to see if any of my product testers manages to get their teeth under the treat in order to pull it straight out. It took a lot of force to get it in there, so hopefully the designers at Starmark have already planned for that possibility.

Photo by Erin Koski

The inside of the toy is hollow, with Starmark's usual lobed openings on either end. The Stump can hold two Lock and Block long-lasting edible chews, and smaller treats can be stuffed into the middle.

Pros: Dishwasher safe. More chew-resistant design than previous Starmark treat-holding chew toys. Textured surface may help clean teeth if your dog chews it just right. My dogs find it a little more appealing than the Everlasting Treat toys. The treats are made in the USA.

Cons: Lock & Block treats only come in one flavor right now.

Bottom Line: I must admit, this toy really looks like the unholy offspring of an Everlasting Treat Ball and a Kong.

EDIT! 

I just put our second round of Lock and Block treats in the Rubber Tuff Stump, and it appears this toy's durability is severely lacking. Sisci has managed to gnaw chunks out of it just by eating the treats. She's not a deliberate toy shredder, so I'm surprised that the Stump didn't hold up to the amount of chewing it appears to be designed for. I am going to contact Starmark to share my experience, and will report their response. 

Treat Tuesday: QChefs Puffed Power Cracker and Puffed Fitness Cracker

QChefs was kind enough to give me samples of their new digestible chews at SuperZoo, and these are so unusual that I had to share them here. We got a Puffed Power Cracker and a Puffed Fitness Cracker. Power Crackers are made from cottage cheese, buckwheat, and coconut oil. Ours had a fairly light and air consistency, and I was surprised how long it took Sisci to chew it up. Fitness Crackers are made from rice and hard cheese, as well as coconut oil. Ours was very hard and took quite a bit of gnawing to demolish.

Good For: Up to 20 minutes of intense chewing for the little Fitness and Power crackers. Dog with protein allergies. Dogs that like to swallow their chews whole. Being more exciting than a Himalayan yak chew.

Not Good For: Dogs with rice, buckwheat, or dairy allergies. Being more exciting than a bully stick.

How Much We Like Them: I need to find a local shop that carries these because the dogs love them.

Treat Tuesday: Loving Pets Meaty Marrow Bones

Want to get your hands on some more of Loot Pets'  Night of the Living Chimichangas but don't know where to find them? They are also known as Meaty Marrow Bones by Loving Pets. I found both small and large sized Meaty Marrow Bones at my local Ross Dress for Less for $5 each. The small ones are exactly the same as the ones we got from Loot Pets, but with way more in the bag. The bag of large bones contained four chews.

Good For: Giving Sisci and Ru to gnaw right before I leave for work. Dogs with poultry allergies.

Not Good For: Dogs that like to swallow things in big pieces. Dogs with beef, wheat, or rice allergies.

How Much We Like Them: I bought these as soon as I saw them because I knew there were the same as the Loot Pets chimichangas. It was a lot of effort to save a few of them for this picture.

Treat Tuesday: Loving Pets Pure Buffalo Treats

I found these Loving Pets Pure Buffalo treats at a local Ross discount store. Most of the stuff I find at Ross is discount store quality, from brands like Kensington Kennel Club. I also see a lot of low-quality treats branded American Kennel Club, and all of my Mod stuff came from Ross as well. Still, I occasionally find something unexpectedly awesome there, like these Pure Buffalo goodies from Loving Pets. Most or all of our Loot Pets treats have been from Loving Pets.

Photo by Sebastian Wallroth

I couldn't help but notice something, though. The packaging is very much American midwest-themed, with images of prairies and farm houses. The dog on the bags is even wearing a cowboy hat. It's enough to make you think these were made out of American bison instead of these bad boys. Yup, anytime you see the word "buffalo" on an ingredient label, think "Asiatic water buffalo". That explains why the Loving Pets Pure Buffalo horn chews look like all the other water buffalo horn chews on the market. Deceptive marketing tactic? You bet! I'm not particularly annoyed by this one though, it turns out I'm ok with taking advantage of the general public's lack of knowledge about bovine species.

Loving Pets Pure Buffalo Beef Paddy Whacks

Good For: Long-lasting, high-value chewing. Not being horrendously smelly. Being slightly less exciting than a bully stick, but more exciting than a rawhide or Himalayan yak chew.

Not Good For: Dogs that have just had mouth surgery and still have stitches. Dogs that try to swallow their treats whole.

How Much We Like Them: Well first I had to google what the hell a "paddy whack" was because I suspected they were making this up. Turns out it's a neck ligament. Also turns out the "This Old Man" song lyric actually refers to this animal part. Who knew? Anyway, Sisci Godzilla really loved chewing these, and so did Brisbane once his mouth had healed.

Loving Pets Pure Buffalo Lung Steaks

Good For: Cutting into tiny pieces for super high value training treats. Making other shoppers at Ross give you dirty looks. Making the cashier ask you to please leave the store with your purchase. Smelling really, incredibly bad. Adding to treat trail mix to make the other treats smell horrible. Gifting to people you don't like.

Not Good For: Training without making your hands and general atmosphere emit a miasma of undefinable horror. Carrying around Ross as you browse the throw pillows and picture frames.

How Much We Like Them: I think I may have found something more exciting than freeze dried liver. My dogs love stinky treats, and these are so epically awful that I was forced to apologize for them everywhere I took them. The cashier at Ross was seriously offended that I brought them within smelling distance of the front of the store. The stench doesn't have a lot of range, but when you get close enough it's amazing. I need to find more of these.

Treat Tuesday: Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Beef Tendons

Yet another of the fun goodies we brought back from Idaho, these Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Beef Tendons were not long for this world. I've given Brisbane dried beef tendons before, but this was the first time I had seen freeze-dried tendons.

Good For: Taking a good ten minutes to devour. Not being stinky. Dogs with non-beef allergies. Being cheaper than a bully stick, I paid less than $10 for a three-pack.

Not Good For: Lasting more than one chewing session. Lasting as long as a bully stick.

How Much We Liked Them: There were three in the package and it took enormous effort to save the smallest one for this picture.

Treat Tuesday: Dogswell Boundless Chews

These Boundless Long-Lasting Chews by Dogswell are shaped like infinity symbols. That's why I couldn't resist giving them a try. In case anyone was wondering, they don't last an infinitely long time. I found them at my local Petco, and the Dogswell website oddly does not mention them at all. In fact, there's almost no mention of them whatsoever on the internet as of December 2015. Why is that?

According to the Dogswell Facebook, "Boundless Long Lasting Chews are actually a new product and as of now are only being sold in Petco stores." Apparently they aren't particularly being advertised or promoted, either. Maybe they're only available in certain test markets?

At my local Petco, Dogswell Boundless chews come in two sizes, for medium and large dogs. They are made in the USA, but some of the ingredients may be imported. The ones I bought were medium, for 21-50 lb dogs, and they were $5.99 each. They were available in two flavors, chicken and bacon. Shockingly, the bacon flavor is safe for Brisbane's many food allergies. It contains no poultry products, no egg products, no corn, no barley, and no sweet potato. Amazing! Boundless chews are made out of potato, tapioca, glycerin, peas, milk, bacon fat, sunflower oil, and some vitamins.

Sometimes 5 minutes feels like infinity...

The fine print on the packaging says this chew is not suitable for dogs under 10 lbs. I noticed this after the fact, but Ru ate a 2" piece of Sisci's infinity chew and lived to tell the tale.

Good For: Lasting about as long as a bully stick of similar size while being totally non-stinky. Dogs with beef, poultry, egg, grain, or sweet potato allergies.

Not Good For: Lasting longer than a bully stick of similar size. dogs with potato, tapioca, pea, or bacon allergies.

How Much We Like Them: Brisbane finished his in about 15 minutes flat. Sisci took almost an hour on the project and Ru managed to steal the last bit when she was momentarily distracted. I will probably buy these again as an occasional treat, mostly because I like the shape. If they were a couple of dollars cheaper I'd totally stock up.

Treat Tuesday: Red Barn Bully Sticks

Red Barn bully sticks are the best bully sticks available in my area. Having seen them in person, I am confident buying them online. These are big fat bullies that take a long time for the dogs to demolish. Sisci can't even finish a 12" Red Barn bully stick in a single chewing session. As these are basically the only kind I've seen or purchased in a physical store, I thought these were normal bully sticks. This explains my disappointment when Chewy.com sent us a shipment of American Journey Bully Sticks.

I like bully sticks because they are made of nothing but meat and are therefore fully digestible. Sisci tends to consume about half of one of these, and then she's ready to carry the rest around like a trophy. Brisbane makes it a project to devour his bully sticks, and the only one he had to give up on was a 3-foot-long giant stick. Ru will occasionally gnaw a bully stick, but he doesn't really eat them so they last forever (or until a real dog finds them).

Good For: Occupying a dog that needs a chewing project. Safe chewing for dogs that like to swallow things whole. Dogs that don't tend to like to chew things. Puppies. Dogs allergic to things other than beef.

Not Good For: Long and leisurely power-chewing sessions. Dogs with beef allergies. Not being incredibly stinky and gross. People who don't like the idea of their dog gnawing on a dried bovine penis.

How Much We Like Them: I won't buy any other brand of bully stick online. These are actually made in Paraguay, but Red Barn owns the manufacturing facility there and I'm comfortable with their quality standards. I'd be less comfortable with them using USA beef and shipping it out of the country for processing.

Treat Tuesday: Wholesome Hides Twists

These 5" twists from Wholesome Hides are a great way to occupy the dogs for a while. These are nice little rawhide chews that can easily be finished in one sitting, making them less likely to start fights or stress out my resource guarders. They are made from heavy, thick rawhide that takes a lot of work to gnaw, and made in the USA from fresh hides so they are extra-tasty.

Good For: Small dogs that chew with low to moderate intensity. Medium-sized dogs that chew slowly and carefully. Dogs that would rather gnaw than swallow big chunks. Dogs who don't enjoy swallowing treats whole.

Not Good For: Big dogs. Intense chewers. Dogs that like to swallow treats and chews whole.

How Much We Like Them: Enough that Briz and Sisci will focus and gnaw until they're gone. Bigger rawhides are only for crate-time, otherwise I have to take them away when the cattledogs are done chewing. They're not seriously aggressive resource guarders, but they both clearly worry about their precious rawhides and run over to check on them when they think another dog might be nearby.

Product Review: Starmark Everlasting Treat Wheeler

The Starmark Everlasting Treat Wheeler is a durable chew toy designed to hold a long-lasting edible Everlasting Treat. The toy can hold two of these treats, and small treats or kibble can also be pushed into the grooves. The Wheeler comes in three sizes for small, medium, and large dogs.

Photo by Erin Koski

This is the most durable Everlasting Treat holder that I am aware of. Similar to the black Extreme Kong, though probably not quite as tough. The shape also makes it difficult for a lot of dogs to chew effectively, which makes it last longer with power chewers.

A lot of dog owners report that this is the only Starmark toy their dog hasn't demolished in the space of hours. I doubt it's a coincident that this is also the most difficult toy to get the edible treat into, in my opinion. It can hold two Everlasting Treats, but getting that second one in there was nearly impossible. The instructions claim that I can fit some kibble in between the two treats on our small Treat Wheeler, but I'm pretty sure they're lying. The medium and large toys might be different.

Photo by Erin Koski

Pros: Holds up better than most Everlasting Treat toys. Tire/donut shape makes destructive chewing difficult.

Cons: Difficult-to-chew shape may make it unrewarding for some dogs to chew. A few dogs are super good at popping the treats out of this toy. It is also a pain in the butt to clean, we got sand in the grooves while taking these pictures and no amount of individual scrubbing of each crevice has succeeded in removing it.

Bottom Line: Definitely worth a try for power chewers, especially those that need an edible reason to gnaw on a toy.

Treat Tuesday: Aussie Naturals Fish Strips

We got these Aussie Naturals Fish Strips in our January BarkBox, and they have been stinking up my  treat cabinet ever since. They are made from salmon skin and nothing else. Just 100% sockeye salmon, a great allergy-friendly chew. Did I mention they smell like fish? A whole lot? They come in a resealable plastic bag to help contain a small fraction of the fishy smell, and are made in the USA.

Good For: Dogs with allergies to almost everything. Small dogs who enjoy a good chewing session. Mid-sized and large dogs who enjoy a brief chewing session. Shiny healthy skins and coats.

Not Good For: Ripping into smaller pieces. Lasting Brisbane longer than five minutes. Extremely picky chihuahuas. Feeding the dogs on my way out the door when I don't want to arrive at my destination smelling like fish.

How Much We Like Them: Well Brisbane thinks they're super awesome. They are also supposed to do amazing things for his skin and coat. I'm trying to get his hair to grow back after a particularly bad round of allergy issues, and he needs all the omega-3's he can get.

Treat Tuesday: Beef Trachea

Beef tracheas are edible dried cow windpipes. They are also known as "moo tubes" and are easily identified by the cartilage rings that make them so delightfully chewy.

These are pretty far up on the gross scale, they're usually pretty greasy and smelly.

Good For: A longer chew session for average chewers. Keeping Brisbane busy for 20+ minutes. Being exciting enough to be worth chewing.

Not Good For: People who mind feeding their dogs recognizable animal parts. Nice carpets. Dogs that swallow things whole.

How Much We Like Them: Enough to buy them occasionally for Briz, but not enough to not exclaim over how disgusting they are every time.

Have you ever given your dog a beef trachea chew?

Kong Marathon vs Everlasting Treat Ball

Now that we've had the Kong Marathon and Starmark's Everlasting Treat Ball for a while, I think it's time to compare them directly and see how they stack up. We currently have two Kong Marathon toys, a large green ball and a small blue bone. Our Everlasting Treat Ball lineup includes one large Everlasting Treat Ball, one medium Everlasting Bento Ball, one medium Everlasting Groovy Ball, and a small Everlasting Treat Wheeler.

The Facts
Both the Starmark and Kong edible chew refills come in packs of two. At Petsmart a pack of large Kong Marathon refills costs $8.99 and a pack of small refills costs $6.99. A small pack of Everlasting Treats is $4.99, medium is $5.99 and large Everlasting Treats are $8.99. Everlasting Treats come in a variety of flavors, including chicken, hickory, vanilla mint, bacon, liver, and a chicken flavor that is wheat, corn, and soy-free. Kong Marathon treats only come in one flavor. Kong Marathon toys are available in two sizes, Starmark's Everlasting Treats and toys come in three.

Taste Test
While my dogs will eat almost anything, they definitely prefer the Kong Marathon treats to the Everlasting Treats. A Kong Marathon treat placed in the Kong Marathon ball or bone will inevitably be finished in one sitting. The Everlasting Treats aren't quite so irresistible, they can hang around for several days depending on the flavor, and sometimes I have to resort to bribery to get them to finish.

Ease of Use
It might be easier to pop treats into the Kong Marathon toys, I originally used a spoon to help pop the lip of the toy over the treat. As the ball gets chewed up, it has become much easier to get the treat into it. The Starmark Everlasting Treats can be tough to get into any of the toys, the trick is to get the treat a tiny bit wet first. Even a little bit of water spread across the treat with my finger works, as does spritzing the toy itself. Still, the loaded toy is supposed to dry before being given to the dog.

Capacity
Not only do Kong Marathon and Everlasting Treat toys hold durable edible chews, they also have space to hold kibble, peanut butter, and other small treats. The large Kong Marathon ball holds about 3/4 a cup of kibble, the small bone holds about 1/4 cup. The large Everlasting Treat Ball holds a quarter cup of kibble and two Everlasting Treats. The medium Everlasting Bento Ball holds less than 1/4 cup.

Durability
After about eight refills, our green Kong Marathon ball is looking pretty sad. The edges are getting all crumbly and I can easily pull bits off with my fingers. The Everlasting Treat Ball has had at least that many refills, the Everlasting Bento Ball has been used a dozen times or more. Both of the Starmark toys are still holding up just fine. They have some small splits around the edges of the treat hole now, and those make it easier to get the treat itself loaded. The splits do not appear to be getting any larger at this point.

Bottom Line
According to Brisbane and Ru, the Kong Marathon edible chews taste better. According to me, the Everlasting Treat Ball is infinitely more durable. The Starmark Everlasting toys show little to no wear after a lot more refills, while the large Kong Marathon ball is already falling apart. I've seen the Kong Marathon toys on clearance recently, I'm really hoping the Kong Company is taking this idea back to the drawing board and will come out with a more durable version in the future.

Treat Tuesday: Himalayan Dog Chews

Himalayan Dog Chews are made out of yak. Got a dog with allergies, that can't have traditional chews like rawhide and bully sticks? Give them yak instead. Yakkity yak. I love yaks. The people at the Himalayan Dog Chew company also love yaks, so no yaks were harmed in the making of this edible chew.

The Himalayan Dog Chew was developed from a recipe for a yak cheese snack made by people in the Himalayas, where yaks are the backbone of human society. Seriously, traditionally people there ate yaks and yak milk, and made clothes, tools, and tents out of yak parts. They even have yak races. With decorated yaks. I swear I am not making this up.

The first time I got a Himalayan Dog Chew for Brisbane was about eight years ago, when I first spotted them in a store. I brought it home and handed it to him, and he devoured it within minutes. I thought it was a pretty huge waste of money. Still, I thought I'd give them another try, and I'm glad I did. I gave them to Brisbane and Ulysses and ten minutes later I saw that they weren't chewing and assumed they had already gobbled down their yak. Ten minutes after that I saw them both chewing again, they had each hidden their yak chews for safekeeping. While I keep the yak chews picked up most of the time, they have yet to finish them even when left all day long in a crate with nothing but yak for entertainment. Even Ru loves his yak chew. These occupy a unique space on the chewing spectrum for my dogs, they are higher value than a rawhideor antler and lower than a bully stick, they also last longer than a bully but not as long as a rawhide or antler.

Good For: Lasting days longer than a bully stick or venison crepe around here. Being novel enough that dogs with massive allergies can still enjoy them. Being totally digestible.

Not Good For: Dogs that like to swallow things whole. Dogs with dairy allergies.

How Much We Like Them: I want to say we will always have them around, but the truth is that they still haven't finished the first ones I gave them. The package says to microwave the small end pieces so that they puff. I am ridiculously excited to see this happen, I just wish they'd finish the damned things so I can nuke them.