Bad, bad reaction

[Deadbug]

Offering treats that you can eat as well is a great bonding experience. If you're offering a carrot, take a bite of it first and offer the rest to your pup.

In a natural dog pack, the Alpha always eats first. This reinforces to your dog who is boss.

[zcb]

there has been a massive recall on Chinese made items

It seems that just about everything is made in China. I'm going to buy a dehydrator today and make their treats. Thanks everyone for your comments. My two beautiful babies are just fine but thinking about what could have happened to them makes me sick. The government and their FDA can go take a flying leap as far as I'm concerned. The FDA obviously is not doing their job or the standards are so low that tainted products are allowed to be sold.

[Mom to Hot Rod]

Sorry your babies got sick. Hope they start to feel better soon. I'm really leary of any treats as Hot Rod is allergic to chicken. I look through all the ingredients and usuallys see chicken broth or something poultry so I wind up not buying them. I do give them salmon treats that I found at Petsmart. They are salmon and cod...that's it and they LOVE them. I even cut the pieces into 1/4's. They usually get a little treat after each walk so I don't want them to fill up. These are also low in calories.

[Yorkiemom1]

Originally Posted by Deadbug

Offering treats that you can eat as well is a great bonding experience. If you're offering a carrot, take a bite of it first and offer the rest to your pup.

In a natural dog pack, the Alpha always eats first. This reinforces to your dog who is boss.

ABSOLUTELY!!!!

[navillusc]

Back in the late '60's - mid '70's or so, Sergeants products started disappearing off the shelves and Hartz Mountain, as it was called back then, was about all you could find in some of the retail stores. Their products were awful compared to the Sergeants products, so I and others I knew wouldn't buy them and all I was buying then was along the line of shampoos, etc., because I lived in a really small town with few options, making the disappearance of Sergeants comparatively awful as well. You'd want to do the research to discover 'reasons' why Hartz Mountain products were 'replacing' Sergeants products in the retail market, but years later Sergeants did show up again in some form in some stores. The interesting thing at the time was that you'd find either Sergeants products, or Hartz Mountain on the shelves...not both. As a kid, I had great difficulty understanding why that was...until I researched it...and even then, it made no sense to me.

Since that time, with the possible exception of kitty litter scoops, maybe a toy or two, I have not bought any Hartz (Mountain) products. I typically buy nothing if Hartz is the only choice, so this revelation sickens me...but does not actually surprise me.

[navillusc]

Originally Posted by Deadbug

Offering treats that you can eat as well is a great bonding experience. If you're offering a carrot, take a bite of it first and offer the rest to your pup.

In a natural dog pack, the Alpha always eats first. This reinforces to your dog who is boss.

I "share" with mine...sometimes, it is the only way they'll eat is if it comes off my plate or they see me eat "theirs"... They even drink from my water mug and I fetch a fresh one later.

[MommytoMiles]

Originally Posted by Yorkiemom1

I bought a really GOOD dehydrator....I invested in an Excaliber.....I do all my jerky and dried treats for my dogs. I balanced the cost of doing this, versus the cost of treating and still possibly loosing any of my babies, while trying to give them something fun to snack on. I do give them bully sticks, under supervision, because they seem to last so long....I will admit, they dont get them as often as before. I also like thoise Red Barn white femur bones....those things are hard as a rock and they have knawed on those bones for over a year and they are not able to chew them down or break them apart. But I DO NOT BUY ANY "DOGGIE" TREATS that are not for humans...I give pieces of graham crackers, vanilla wafers, and animal crackers. I give Goldfish crackers, Teddy Grahams, Honey Nut Cheerios, green beans, pieces of both cooked and raw carrots, green peas. I try to be soooo careful about what goes into these dogs, and I can not be worried about "who" made the treat, "where" did it come from, etc. There is not another person or company or corporation in existance that is as concerned about my dogs, as I am...so I give only "treats" that I would give anyone in my family. If you really stop to think about it, we give dogs "treats" because WE like the idea of treats and snacks....our dogs could care less if they ever get a "treat"!!!

Are all those sugary human treats good for them?

[Teegy]

I was thinking exactly the same they can't be when they are full of gluten and corn by products. But I believe she was saying they are technically produced in a safer environment under FDA regulations