Treat Tuesday: Loot Pets Ruff 'Em Ups

The Ruff 'Em Ups Fruity Protein Puffs for Dogs arrived in our March Versus Loot Pets box by Loot Crate. They were made by Loving Pets and appear to be a special edition of their Puffsters treats. These are made with chicken, so Brisbane couldn't enjoy them. However, Sisci and Ru liked them more than I expected. These are really light, low-calorie treats.

Good For: Fatty-fat dogs. Teaching a dog how to catch treats. Handing to the dogs on my way out the door without getting my hands all gross. Low-value training treats when I don't mind them spending a while crunching up each cookie.

Not Good For: Dogs with poultry allergies. High-value training treats.

How Much We Like Them: Ru liked them a lot more than I expected, maybe because he didn't have to put much effort into eating them since they're so light and airy.

Paw Spa: Isle of Dogs Everyday Elements Collection

When I ran out of evening primrose-scented signature Isle of Dogs shampoo and conditioner, I decided to give their less fancy stuff a try. The Everyday Elements stuff comes in bigger bottles, costs significantly less, and I love the jasmine and vanilla fragrance.

Isle of Dogs

I obviously like this company a lot. Their Coature collection of products is just so fancy! They're also pretty pricey, so I thought I'd give their bottom of the line value shampoo an conditioner a try. As much as I'd like to have the matching silky coat spray, I can't justify buying it when I've got most of a bottle of evening primrose spray left. (Actually I can't justify buying any more dog beauty products for a while as everyone has given me dog shampoo lately and now my bathroom looks ridiculous.)

Does It Work?

This stuff smells amazing. It got Brisbane and Sisci both very clean, and also left their coats smooth and soft. Everyone who touches Brisbane exclaims at how soft he is. The effect lasted more than two weeks before he started getting slightly greasy and ready for another bath. The products are both very thick and potent, I could easily dilute them quite a bit for easier and more economical bathing. Isle of Dogs suggests up to a 10 to 1 dilution.

 As Brisbane is prone to skin issues and does best with frequent baths, I am pleased that Isle of Dogs states that their products can be used every day. There have been times when Brisbane needed to be washed every other day, and aside from human baby shampoo it's nice to know there's something specifically formulated for this.

Final Verdict

I like it. Also, I will probably never need to buy dog shampoo again.

Product Review: Original Goughnut

I finally bought a Goughnuts nearly indestructible dog toy! These are definitely my favorite chew to to recommend for serious power chewers. This difficult-to-demolish donut rolls, bounces, floats, and is guaranteed for life. Inside the toy is a red safety indicator, when you can see any red you send it to Goughnuts and they send you a new one. The original green Goughnut comes in two sizes for dogs 10-65 lbs. There are larger and stronger Goughnuts for the biggest, toughest chewers.

Photo by Erin Koski

The original Goughnut is a brilliantly designed dog toy intended for serious power chewers. This shape is very difficult for a dog to really get their teeth into with any kind of leverage. Since it has no convenient ends to gnaw, the battle damage tends to get spread out around the surface of the toy.

Aside from being tougher than pretty much everything on the market, the thing that makes Goughnuts safer than other toys is the red safety indicator. The inner core of the toy is bright red. If the dog manages to chew through to the red, this is an indication that the strength of the toy has been compromised, and it should be replaced. Even if only a tiny bit of red is showing, just ship your toy to Goughnuts with a $6.45 check for return shipping and they will send you a brand new toy. They actually prefer you send it in as soon as you see any red at all.

Photo by Erin Koski

Goughnuts is all about safety, and they recommend you supervise power chewing sessions to make sure your dog isn't using power tools or whatever to remove chunks of rubber. Intestinal blockages are a big deal, and many lesser chew toys have caused these.

Ours is a full-size original Goughnut, recommended for dogs 30-65 lbs. There is also a .75 size for 10-40 lb power chewers.

Photo by Erin Koski

What if your dog weighs more than 65 pounds? What if your jack russell can gnaw right through the .75 green Goughnut? Well, there's also a black version that is stronger. The original size is available in both black, and Pro 50 which is the toughest and hardest option. The still larger MaXX also comes in black and Pro 50.

The MaXX Pro 50 Goughnut is the largest, strongest, closest to indestructible toy I am currently aware of. It runs about $40 including shipping, which is pretty steep for a chew toy. However, it is guaranteed for life so probably a worthwhile investment if youve tried everything else.

Photo by Erin Koski

Goughnuts also makes sticks that are a bit easier to demolish. These fit through the hole in the corresponding size donut toy, creating a puzzle so your dog can have the satisfaction of tearing the toy apart. The basic green-strength Goughnut is available in red and black for greater visibility. There are also stuffable Kups toys, and tugs.

Pros: Bounces! Rolls! Floats! It's stretchy and tuggable, great for interactive play as well as chewing sessions. It's more appealing than expected, I didn't think my dogs would be that interested in it. The safety indicator takes the guesswork out of determining if the toy is still safe.

Cons: Not all dogs love the indestructible shape of the Goughnut. The toy arrives with a rubber odor that takes a while to dissipate, and the black toys have a stronger smell. The biggest and strongest toys are also quite heavy.

Bottom Line: If you're looking for an indestructible toy for supervised power chewing sessions, this is a good place to start. Goughnuts are for the dog that destroys everything in minutes.