Product Review: Blue Buffalo Wilderness Treats, duck flavor

We got the email from Chewy.com offering treats for review, and I selected the duck flavored Blue Buffalo Wilderness treats. It's a brand I've been happy with, and after a series of mostly chewy and/or freeze dried treats, I thought something along the lines of a crunchy biscuit would be good to try.

Recall: Dogswell Chicken and Duck Jerky Treats

Dogswell has voluntarily recalled chicken breast and duck jerky treats for "antibiotic residue". Products affected are those with a "Best by" date of January 29 2015, and earlier.

(image from Amazon)

The treats are made in China. According to the Dogswell web site, they manufacture their treats in China because:

China is a country where dark meat is more popular due to its inherent fat and flavor. DOGSWELL believes it is less wasteful to obtain our white meat in China where it is abundant, rather than sourcing it domestically, where white meat is less available and held at a premium. Not only do we care about your pet's health by sourcing only the healthiest meat available, we also practice sustainability by reducing as much waste as possible.

Personally, I don't think dogs care if they're eating chicken breasts or not. People who feed raw will feed necks and feet. So really, it seems to me more that their answer is "Making treats in China is cheap." Good spin, though. And really, it could be more sustainable to source the protein in China. I don't know about comparative poultry markets, and that's a fact. According to the Dogswell link above, the chicken is cage free, which I dig. I do know that I no longer buy dog treats or food that are made in China, because there have been so many recalls, and so many problems I've read about.

Granted, it's hard to find safe things anywhere. Seriously, our bagged salad is apparently suspect. But, you do what you can.

The article on Dogster.com mentions that the antibiotic is one that is not approved for use in the United States, but is in Europe. For what that's worth.

Consumers can email info@dogswell.com with questions and concerns, or call 1-888-559-8833

Nature's Logic, Sardine oil and food review

So, waaaaay back in October, I won a giveaway from CindyLu's Muse for a 16 oz bottle of Nature's Logic Sardine Oil. I thought "Awesome!" because we give Elka olive oil or coconut oil on her kibble about once a day, especially in the winter, because she'll frequently end up with slightly dry and flaky skin.

Well, when the rep contacted me for my address, CindyLu's Muse had mentioned that I was a blogger as well. So, I was offered a bag of Nature's Logic kibble, my flavor choice (well, I had the choice of canned as well, but kibble works out better for us)! Good deal, right?

Elka was pretty excited when I told her...primed at the food bowl, in fact.

Still Buffaloed

Happily, I'm still satisfied with how Elka does on the Blue Buffalo food. All of the flavors, in fact; she's tried the Salmon, the Duck, and the Chicken. I ran out of my initial bag, bought after the initial recall panic, and the Mr. Chewy bag that I got, and so headed off to the Feed and Seed to get some more (seriously, this dog just keeps eating! Granted, they were the smaller bags.)

I was also happy to walk into the store, go to the Blue Buffalo section, and see this sign:

Elka wasn't unhappy, precisely. She was far more interested in eating the food than wearing the bandana.

Tasty Tuesday May 8, 2012: Where the buffalo roam

So, after last week's Diamond Pet Food recalls, including their Friday "as we go out the door" announcement of recall expansion, we aren't doing Taste of the Wild anymore. I'm not saying that we're dropping it forever, necessarily, but definitely for the foreseeable future.

What have we gone with, you ask? Blue Buffalo Wilderness.

I actually had to sing the first verse of "Home on the Range" to remember the line about the buffalo. I hope you appreciate me. Elka did not.