Recently we had the opportunity to review several varieties of Loving Pets' Gourmet Dog Treats thanks to samples received from Loving Pets. Loving Pets produces a large variety of dog treats and chews in its Gourmet line:
Gourmet Jerky Meat Strips: These come in chicken, beef, duck, lamb, and pork.
Gourmet Meat Sticks Dog Treats: These stick treats are also available in chicken, beef, duck, lamb and pork.
Gourmet Wraps Dog Treats: These wraps are available in Apple & Chicken; Banana & Chicken (photo, above); Carrot & Chicken; and Sweet Potato & Chicken.
Gourmet Sweet Potato Biscuit & Chicken Wraps Dog Treat: This treat features chicken wrapped around a sweet potato and molasses biscuit.
We reviewed the jerky meat treats, the meat sticks treats, and the wraps (everything but the biscuit wraps).
Each type of treat is 100 percent natural, containing just meat (or, in the case of the wraps, meat and a fruit or vegetable). The only added ingredients are glucosamine and chondroitin for joint health.
We started with the jerky meat strips; as the name suggests, these are simple strips of meat dried and ready to chew. About the size of a thin piece of bacon, the chews were a real favorite with our dogs.
Next, we tried the meat sticks. These treats are traditional stick-shaped treats with some natural sweet potato added for softness. Again, a big hit. (We have to confess: we accidentally left one of the meat stick packages open overnight. The sticks, of course, had dried out to a pretzel-like texture. We broke them up to use as training treats and the dogs were crazy about them.)
Last, we tried the wraps, in banana, apple, and sweet potato varieties. Tiki (our somewhat pickier eater) loved the sweet potato, accepted the banana, but would eat only the chicken off of the apple treats, leaving behind the fruit. Irie, our lab mix, loved them all.
In all, the biggest hits in our house were the Sweet Potato and Chicken Wraps and the Jerky treats in all varieties (although duck and lamb may have won out).
One concern we had is that the treats are produced in China. However, we found out that Loving Pets has an independent US-certified lab to conduct random tests on each batch to check for chemical and bacterial contaminants. You can even go to their Quality Assurance web page, enter the batch number from your treats, and get the test results for that batch. It's an excellent feature.
A definite paws up for these treats!
On Amazon:
Availability: Loving Pets' Gourmet Dog Treats are available at PetSmart, Petco, and independent pet supply stores.
Dogs love chewing--and gnawing on a hard chew is a great way for them to clean tartar from their teeth. Many chews don't have much in the way of nutritional value, though--but we recently had the opportunity to receive some review bags of Vita-Hide, a dog chew that consists of all-natural rawhide wrapped with 100 percent chicken and dipped in vitamins and supplements.
Two types of Vita-Hide treats are available:
Loving Pets Vita-Hide Joint Formula: This treat contains Glucosamine and Chondroitin to promote healthy joints.
Loving Pets Vita-Hide Heart Formula: This treat includes L-Carnatine, a natural antioxidant used to help improve heart health; Taurine, an amino acid helpful in the treatment of heart ailments and high cholesterol; and vitamins C & E, offering health benefits relating to heart function.
Each formula is available in several sizes to best suit the size of your dog.
We love the idea of added nutrients in the chew...but the real test was would the dogs. Would our dogs like them even with the added supplements? There was only one way to find out.
Tiki decided the chews should be eaten as a two-part experience, first the chicken, then the rawhide, while Irie (right) merrily chomped her way through the whole thing. We rarely give our dogs rawhide due to their bad habit of trying to swallow large pieces; because of the risk of choking, it's a treat they receive only when they're directly supervised. As with any rawhide, we watched the dogs while they enjoyed their Vita-Hide chews.
The verdict? Both dogs absolutely loved Vita-Hides.
On Amazon:
Availability: Vitahide is available at Petsmart, Petco, and independent pet product stores.For More Information:
CatTipper Review: As a former stray who once had to fend for himself, Houdini has always looked upon any cat toy that I've given him as a childish thing that could potentially ruin his "bad boy" reputation. The memory of all the previous untouched play things fresh in my mind, I didn't hold out much hope as I ripped open the Cat Catcher's plastic packaging and examined the contents-- a basic toy mouse attached by a flexible wire to a 12" glitter wand. But as any pet parent who has ever purchased an elaborate present for their four-pawed pal only to discover that they prefer the box it came in, a pet toy's simplicity is often the key to unlocking your cat's inner kitten.
Still inspecting the wand, I didn't realize that the toy mouse was teasing Houdini until he jumped in the air, executing an acrobatic somersault that I didn't even realize he was capable of! Thus began a daily playtime ritual that I look forward to as much as Houdini as I watch him chase after the mouse (which can look surprisingly realistic as it wriggles when dragged across the floor) and see him fly through the air in an attempt to catch it as I "cast" the mouse much like a lure on a fishing pole--playing like the kitten that he could never afford to be as a stray.
Note: As the toy has several small parts and a wire that could possibly be chewed upon, the product should only be used when your cat is supervised and must always be stored away when not in use.
Availability: The Cat Catcher can be purchased at major pet stores and on Amazon.com.
Cat Catcher on Amazon.com:
For more information from the Cat Catcher's manufacturer, Go Cat:
What It Is: Natural dog treats with fewer ingredients.
DogTipper Review: Recently we had the opportunity, thanks to our association with Dog Time Media, to receive some sample VitaLife products to review here on DogTipper. We'd seen these products in our local store but our dogs had not had the chance to taste test them previously--and we hadn't taken a really close look at these treats and what they offer.
VitaLife dog treats are known for their short list of ingredients. The treats contain no sorbitol, no added glycerin, no added salt, no preservatives, no artificial flavors. We checked our three samples to see just what they did contain:
Chicken and Banana Wraps
This treat, a bite-sized slice of dried banana wrapped with a piece of chicken, includes chicken and banana chips (made of banana and coconut oil). That's it.
Duck and Sweet Potato Twists
This slightly larger treat is composed of a french fry-sized slice of sweet potato wrapped with duck. It includes duck and sweet potato...and nothing else.
VitaLife Plus Chicken Tenders Healthy Hips & Joints
As one of the "Plus" line of products, this treat included chicken, Glucosamine Hydrochloride (100 mg) and Chrondroitin Sulfate (50mg). The Glucosamine and Chondroitin are added to help dogs maintain healthy hips and joints by maintaining better cartilage. (VitaLife also makes a Healthy Skin and Coat Recipe with with Omega 3 Fatty Acids plus Vitamins A and E and a Healthy Heart and Eyes Recipe with Vitamin A and L - Carnitine.)
We loved the fact that these treats were 100 percent natural and boasted such a simple list of ingredients. One point we didn't like was the fact that the treats are irradiated; although many dog treats are irradiated for safety, that's something we still shy away from.
Another point we thought might be an issue for us is the fact that the treats are manufactured in China. However, VitaLife has a page on its website about their manufacturing process and their quality control practices which explained their numerous safety procedures and the fact that the products are made in HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) certified facilities.
With all that complete, it was time for the final step of our review: our taste testers. Irie and Tiki, always dedicated professionals, were ready to put the treats to the real test.
Each of the three treats was a big success with our dogs. The Duck and Sweet Potato Twists were a nice treat size for our 55- and 70-pound dogs. The Chicken and Banana Wraps were small, perfect for carrying on our walks as a couple of extra-special training treats along the way.
Of the three, though, the VitaLife Plus Chicken Tenders were the biggest hit. Each time they received one, the dogs took off with their treats to enjoy them alone, not returning until every last morsel was gone. Availability: VitaLife dog treats are available at PetSmart, WalMart, and other stores.
What It Is: patented stainless steel pet bowls with a pet-safe, removable rubber ring on the bottom.
DogTipper Review: Want something sanitary and dishwasher safe to feed your pets from? Stainless steel has long been the answer. It's easy to clean and won't encourage bacteria transfer from pet to pet as plastic bowls can. (Last year our cat Linus had that troublesome chin acne some cats get. We read that it could be helped by feeding from glass, ceramic or stainless steel as opposed to plastic bowls. Within a week of switching to stainless steel, the cat acne was gone!)
But would you also like something stylish for your dog or cat bowls? We recently had the opportunity to receive some review bowls from Loving Pets. Their patented Bella Bowls come in three sizes and five colors, perfect for feeding everyone from our smallest six-pound cat to our 72-pound dog.
We knew the bowls were popular--they're the number one seller at PETsMART®--but we wanted to see for ourselves just what made these bowls different. The answer is twofold.
First, Bella Bowls are the only stainless steel bowls on the market with a patented bond to the plastic shell as a single unit. This allows the exterior of the bowl to be colorful and fashionable (we especially like the Pesto Green!) but also dishwasher-safe and easy to clean.
The second part of Bella Bowls' appeal is its removable rubber ring on the bottom. This keeps the bowl from scooting around the room (which can be a real problem with a plain stainless steel bowl and our dogs). The rubber ring pulls off for washing in the dishwasher. Worried about the dogs pulling the ring loose and eating it? The rubber ring is made out of a synthetic, food-grade, fully-digestible material.
Bella Bowls gets a definite paws-up!
Colors:
Espresso
Paparazzi Pink Pesto Green
Merlot Red
Murano Blue
Availability: Available at Petsmart, Petco, and many independent pet retailers nationwide.
Resolve@--known for their carpet cleaners--has come out with a new line of cleaning products specially aimed at pet lovers. The products are designed to clean the source of the odor, not to mask the odor, to then discourage resoiling.
The line of products includes:
Resolve® Pet Deep Clean Pet Powder--this powder cleans with a four-step process.
Resolve® Pet Stain Instant Eraser™--with bubbling action, this product works deep in the carpet without scrubbing.
Resolve® Pet Stain Carpet Cleaner--this trigger spray product lifts out stains on the carpet's surface.
Resolve® Pet Steam 2X Concentrate--used in a deep-cleaning machine, this concentrate is for use in large areas.
We had the opportunity to receive a sample product and chose the Deep Clean Pet Powder to put to the test on both cat and dog odors in our home. The product was easy to use and involved four steps:
Shaking the canister.
Sprinkling the moist powder over the carpet (in our case, an area rug).
Gently brushing the powder into the carpet fibers.
Waiting 20 minutes for the powder to dry then vacuuming.
The result was a fresh rug that smelled clean but not perfumed...just what we wanted. We'll definitely be using this again!
Price: Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price ranges from $4.59 (Instant Eraser™) to $15.99 (Pet Steam 2X Concentrate). The MSRP for the Deep Clean Pet Powder is $7.99.
DogTipper Review: Whether you're considering adding a Yorkie to your family or you have one you'd like to know more about, check out this new edition of The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Yorkshire Terriers.
We recently received a review copy of this guide by award-winning author Liz Palika (who has written a ton of dog books including The Complete Idiot's Guide to Housetraining Your Dog, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Dog Tricks, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Dachshunds, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Pugs, The KISS Guide to Raising a Puppy, and The Ultimate Dog Treat Cookbook).
An excellent guide for Yorkie parents, we found that this book also has plenty to offer all dog lovers (we found many great hints to use with our own 50- and 70-pound mixed breed girls).
Special chapters cover the specific needs of these tiny dogs including feeding your Yorkie, keeping your Yorkie safe in your home and in your yard, and housetraining your new Yorkie.
The extensive section on dog training was especially interesting to us; look for basic obedience plus advanced commands. This section also covers training issues that are especially common with Yorkies including biting/nipping and barking. It's no surprise that author Palika provides expert training tips; the California author is a Certified Dog Trainer and Certified Behavioral Consultant, plus the owner of Kindred Spirits Dog Training, training over 1,000 dogs a year.
Like other guides in the Complete Idiot's series, this book is a fun read regardless of your dog experience level. Graphics and sidebars keep the text moving along at an easy-to-read (and comprehend) pace.
Gourmet Jerky Meat Strips: These come in chicken, beef, duck, lamb, and pork.
We started with the jerky meat strips; as the name suggests, these are simple strips of meat dried and ready to chew. About the size of a thin piece of bacon, the chews were a real favorite with our dogs.
One concern we had is that the treats are produced in China. However, we found out that Loving Pets has an independent US-certified lab to conduct random tests on each batch to check for chemical and bacterial contaminants. You can even go to their Quality Assurance web page, enter the batch number from your treats, and get the test results for that batch. It's an excellent feature.
