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: Honest Kitchen Beams

At the suggestion of one of my awesome readers, I got Brisbane some Beams fish treats from Honest Kitchen. They are absolutely disgusting. Brisbane loves them.

These things are just dried Icelandic catfish skins. Those are marine fish, unlike the catfish that inhabit American lakes and rivers. Honest Kitchen advertises these as an alternative to chicken jerky or bully sticks. They don't last Briz nearly as long as a thick bully stick, but they last way longer than any kind of jerky treat we've tried. This is definitely an allergy-friendly dog chew.

Good For: Dogs with food allergies. Occupying Brisbane for about 10-15 minutes. Making my husband ask "Where is that horrible smell coming from?"

Not Good For: Lasting as long as a thicker chew. Being discreet and nonoffensive. Looking pretty.

How Much We Like Them: This is the only thing Brisbane has ever attempted to swallow whole. For about 60 seconds I wasn't entirely certain he could breathe and was considering whether I should pry it out of his throat or perform the doggy Heimlich maneuver. He's still lovingly licking the floor where he chewed it (after horking it back up) several minutes later.

Treat Tuesday: Orijen Freeze Dried Alberta Lamb Dog Treats

These Orijen Freeze Dried Alberta Lamb Dog Treats are some of the highest-value training treats I have found. They are light, easy to break into pieces, and stinky without being disgusting. These particular treats are made from various bits of lamb, and therefore safe for Brisbane, who is allergic to chicken, turkey, duck, and eggs. Most of Orijen's freeze-dried treats are actually Brisbane-safe, which means we get to have some variety.

Good For: High-value training treats that leave my hands dry. Dogs with food allergies that require limited-ingredient treats. Dogs on grain-free diets.

Not Good For: Staying in one piece on my pocket. Not crumbling into oblivion if I try to break them up too small.

How Much We Like Them: There is a bag in my pantry, one in the glove box of my car, and another hiding behind the toaster on the kitchen counter. I'm pretty sure my place of employment is only stocking these because I buy them.

Treat Tuesday: Honest Kitchen Quickies

Honest Kitchen Quickies are stinky little heart-shaped treats that come in a cute little tube. They are intended to be quick and easy training treats, and are just the right size for regular-sized dogs. They are made from nothing but dried haddock fish, with just 1.1 calories per treat.

Good For: High value training treats. Hiding in food puzzles. Getting attention by rattling the can. Hiding the tube in my pocket.

Not Good For: Dogs that don't looooooove fish.

How Much We Like Them: Not enough to use them for training unless I feel like having my hands, my treat bag, and my dogs smell like fish. Everything smells like fish. So much fish. Fish.

Have you tried any Honest Kitchen treats yet?

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.