# Check your dog treats



## Synthaholic (Sep 20, 2012)




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## Synthaholic (Sep 20, 2012)

As a friend said to me:

"now you know where those bird flu chickens went"


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## Synthaholic (Sep 20, 2012)

Petition | Restore Our Trust! Take Dangerous Dog Treats Off The Shelves. | Change.org


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## strollingbones (Sep 20, 2012)

i havent purchased dog treats in years...since the first round of deaths by treats from china....i use nothing but american products .....i use king arthurs whole wheat flour..

i make my own....its so easy....

1/2 cup of powdered milk
3/4 cup of water
1 egg
3 cups of whole wheat flour....
5 tablespoons of butter

you got your basic milk bone recipe....i just roll it out to 1/2 inch thick and bake at 325 for 55 minutes

they have no preservatives so you have to put them in the freezer...to keep

i add other things to the basic recipe
...

add honey, peanut butter or carob or hell go for the smack daddy and add all three

here is a link with a ton of recipes for the muttos....


Homemade Dog Treat Recipes!


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## Synthaholic (Sep 20, 2012)

Thanks, Bones!


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## strollingbones (Sep 20, 2012)

no worries....i bake and sell dog treats at the farmers market....

i always add at least peanut butter...all natural chunky....

you can get all the stuff but the carob at walmart

the powdered milk is the expense.....and make sure it is all made in america


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## Synthaholic (Sep 20, 2012)

strollingbones said:


> no worries....i bake and sell dog treats at the farmers market....
> 
> i always add at least peanut butter...all natural chunky....
> 
> ...




I buy as little as possible from Wal*Mart.

I'm gonna try to make some - why whole wheat flour instead of unbleached all-purpose?  Is that just a choice, or should the regular flour be avoided by canines?

Also, how much marijuana should I add?


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## strollingbones (Sep 20, 2012)

i only use whole wheat....i just started with that recipe and stuck with it....look around the site ....there may be regular flour recipes....i know there is one for the dog pops....just a lot of neat stuff on that site...

i never give the dogs smoke..they just get the munchies and go all to hell....

o fuck butter...you have to add butter....5 tablespoons....

i forgot that....


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## strollingbones (Sep 20, 2012)

i hate walmart


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## koshergrl (Sep 20, 2012)

Far out!

I never give my dogs commercial dog treats, they're more expensive than giving them flipping steak and you don't know what they have in them.

Plus both dogs are allergic so although I do feed cheap food (I just can't afford the good allergenic stuff in the quantities I need it...it costs $200 a month and we still have flareups, so the added vet of $200 every two months for meds and vet visit..I can't do it) I don't feed a lot of it (Klaus probably 3 cups a day, given 3 x a day, 1 cup at a time) and I supplement it with lots of meat and occasional veggies (no corn but I do give them green beans now and then) from our table. It seems to work out pretty good that way. 

That's the regime now. We change it as we need to.

They seem to do better if I keep changing foods...I'll find a food and they'll be good with it for a while, then I have to switch it out for something else.

Anyway, they both react to glutens pretty severely so wheat/flour is always an issue but in small amounts they're okay. And klaus LOVES peanut butter. He will get the peanut butter jar off the shelf, get the lid off, and eat it out of the jar. I just had a whole jar wrecked because he got out what he could with his tongue, then got a FOOT in there and left big old claw holes through the rest in the bottom, yuck, it was all mushed with his tongue then two big holes from his claws...we didn't try to save that one.

But I would have put it in treats if I'd had the recipe!


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## strollingbones (Sep 20, 2012)

i use kong balls...fill them with treats...seal them with peanut butter


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## koshergrl (Sep 20, 2012)

I had a kong ball. I put a bunch of stuff in it when I first got it, and it cemented closed and I couldn't get it flipping open.

So it sat there with rotten whatever in it all winter long and all summer long, until my son came a few days ago and cracked it open and cleaned it out.

I told him to take it for his dog, who is in an outdoor kennel most of the day when he's working, but he forgot it.

My dog just lays around the house all day, he's not a real "doer". Though he did get ahold of a book yesterday and tear it apart. All the stuff we value is chest high or higher in our house, but the kids left that one on the ottoman.


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## koshergrl (Sep 20, 2012)

For a while the kong ball smelled a lot like a carcass, but eventually even that faded, lolol...


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## koshergrl (Sep 20, 2012)

Actually, this recipe looks like more the thing for my pups:

1/2 cup non-fat powdered milk
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups rice flour
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. honey
1/2 cup water
5 tsp. chicken or beef broth
1 jar baby food meat (any flavor)

Chicken broth..or shrimp..I made shrimp broth last time we had shrimp and it's in my freezer, I think they'd go for that.

If not, I have chicken broth too.

I think I'm going with this one, rice flour.....

http://www.bullwrinkle.com/Assets/Recipes/Munchy%20Crunchy%20Meat%20Treats.htm


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## Synthaholic (Sep 20, 2012)

strollingbones said:


> i only use whole wheat....i just started with that recipe and stuck with it....look around the site ....there may be regular flour recipes....i know there is one for the dog pops....just a lot of neat stuff on that site...
> 
> i never give the dogs smoke..they just get the munchies and go all to hell....
> 
> ...



Fuck Butter - I haven't used that stuff in ages!


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## strollingbones (Sep 20, 2012)

dogs love it.....


butter lost favor when wet came out....

no one watches last tango in paris anymore....


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## CausingPAIN (Sep 20, 2012)

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGeKSiCQkPw]Ultimate Dog Tease - YouTube[/ame]


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## Synthaholic (Sep 20, 2012)

koshergrl said:


> Far out!
> 
> I never give my dogs commercial dog treats, they're more expensive than giving them flipping steak and you don't know what they have in them.
> 
> Plus both dogs are allergic so although I do feed cheap food (I just can't afford the good allergenic stuff in the quantities I need it...




I get these for treats, because they really do help keep their teeth clean - especially the small dog.  Small dogs do not have the amount of natural enzymes in their saliva to combat tartar and other junk:
















I've switched to Taste Of The Wild dog food.  It's gluten-free, high quality food:







They like it, and my big appetite dog eats less of this food than he did of the Beneful-types I used to get.  It fills them up with less food, and their poops disappear in the yeard by the next day - it breaks down very quickly.

It's about $50 for a large bag, but it lasts a good while.  If you get it at Pet Supermarket and get one of their frequent buyer cards, after you buy 10 bags you get a bag free. (that goes for all their food).


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## koshergrl (Sep 20, 2012)

strollingbones said:


> dogs love it.....
> 
> 
> butter lost favor when wet came out....
> ...


 
I watch Key Largo and African Queen, and the Philadelphia story, every now and then....

I can't remember last tango in paris. I'm sure I've seen it. I'll have to watch it tonight, sounds good. I'm tired of watching reruns of Deadly Women.


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## Synthaholic (Sep 20, 2012)

What the hell!  I edited that last post to correct spelling, and it wiped away the photos!


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## strollingbones (Sep 20, 2012)

stop the hide treats now.....or are those fake hide treats


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## strollingbones (Sep 20, 2012)

i watched part of midnight express yesterday.....but was not in the mood to be that depressed

i watched the hours...odd movie that


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## Synthaholic (Sep 20, 2012)

strollingbones said:


> stop the hide treats now.....or are those fake hide treats


I don't know - I'll check!


ETA:  beefhide.


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## strollingbones (Sep 20, 2012)

hide treats can choke a dog..esp a small dog


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## koshergrl (Sep 20, 2012)

Synthaholic said:


> koshergrl said:
> 
> 
> > Far out!
> ...


 
when I get high-end food, I have to get novel protein, which is just two ingredients...one protein, and one carb. So like duck and potato, or venison and corn, or whatever. 

Otherwise, it doesn't matter what type I get, if it's cheap or expensive, they're still going to react to it.

Those are about $70-80 a (bigger) bag, a bag lasts maybe (MAYBE) two weeks. 

My big pup really isn't a huge eater, he does best if the food is left out so he can pick at it, but of course I can't leave that food out or it would be gone in a week, which means he gets pretty darned lean (not bony). Right now I'm rationing the food because it has to last to payday (and it will...) and he actually gets hungry between feedings. But he's also losing weight. However so is my terrier, and she needed to.

He doesn't like to eat when people are watching him or when the terrier is around...which is why I like to leave his food out...he eats when I'm at work and the terrier is in the back. And I do like that system for him, but we can't do it with the expensive stuff.

Right now we're doing okay. He had a flare up last month, he's better now, starting to shake his ears a little, so probably  next month we'll have to switch out the food and get some more ear drops..and the month after that we'll be back to the vet for antibiotics and steroids.

Such is life.


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## Zoom-boing (Sep 20, 2012)

bones, does the wheat give your dogs gas?  It does mine.  P-U.

Here's some more home made dog treat recipes.  I've tried one or two and the dogs just gobble them up.  Well duh, they're dogs.  

I used to buy Purina One treats made w/lamb and rice but they don't make them now and also Nutro treats at Petco until they redesigned the packaging, reducing the size by half but keeping the price the same.  


*Cleo&#8217;s Pumpkin Dog Biscuits*

2 eggs
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons dry milk
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 1/2 cups brown rice flour *
1 teaspoon dried parsley (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.

In large bowl, whisk together eggs and pumpkin to smooth. Stir in dry milk, sea salt, and dried parsley (if using, optional). Add brown rice flour gradually, combining with spatula or hands to form a stiff, dry dough. Turn out onto lightly floured surface (can use the brown rice flour) and if dough is still rough, briefly knead and press to combine.

Roll dough between 1/4 &#8211; 1/2&#8243; &#8211; depending on your dog&#8217;s chew preferences, ask first &#8211; and use biscuit or other shape cutter to punch shapes, gathering and re-rolling scraps as you go. Place shapes on cookie sheet, no greasing or paper necessary. If desired, press fork pattern on biscuits before baking, a quick up-and-down movement with fork, lightly pressing down halfway through dough. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully turn biscuits over, then bake additional 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely on rack before feeding to dog.

* Brown rice flour gives the biscuits crunch and promotes better dog digestion. Many dogs have touchy stomachs or allergies, and do not, like many people I know, tolerate wheat. 

Retriever Retriever, Pumpkin Eater | Simmer Till Done


*Gluten Free Dog Biscuit Recipe* (these weren't as crispy/crunchy as I'd hoped but they were really good.  Yes, I ate one.)

    - 1 Lb ground meat ( lamb, beef, chicken, turkey ) Lamb and beef tend to be higher in fat. Chicken and turkey might be a better choice for an overweight dog.
    - 1 large sweet potato ( cooked and mashed )
    - 1 large egg
    - 1/4 tsp garlic powder ( not garlic salt )or one large clove pressed
    - 5 tbsp. large flake rolled oats ( organic if possible ) or 4 tbsp. ground flax seed meal

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mixing up very well.
Lightly grease a cookie sheet with olive oil. ( very slightly )
Dump ingredients on cookie sheet and spread evenly and flatly to the sides of pan. This should be about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.
Bake for one hour at 350 degrees.
Remove pan from oven and use your cookie cutter at this time, if you want. If you don't have a cookie cutter, just score the 'cookie dough 'with a knife or pizza cutter, into squares.
Put back into the oven and bake for another hour at 250 degrees.
This will dry these healthy dog treats out. Keep an eye on your oven. The time could be more or less, depending on how hot your oven runs.
These dog treats should be fairly dry and a little crispy, but not burned.

Grain Free Dog Treat Recipes are Naturally Gluten Free.

*
Bacon &#8220;Bark&#8221; Sticks* (I'd sub rice flour for the wheat)
Makes 24

Ingredients:
1 egg
1 ¼ cups fat free milk
1 tablespoon honey
4 tablespoons bacon fat
¼ cup bacon, crumbled
2 ¼ cups whole wheat flour

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a large bowl whisk together the egg, milk, honey, bacon fat, and bacon.
3. Stir the flour in, ½ cup at a time until full incorporated.
4. Knead the dough until fully combined.
5. Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface into a 4&#8221; by 12&#8221; rectangle.
6. Using a pizza cutter, cut out 4&#8221; by ½&#8221; sticks until all the dough has been used.
7. Line the sticks on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
8. Cool completely before serving.
9.   Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Pet Treats


*Basic Homemade Frosty Paws® Recipe*

32 oz. plain yogurt
1 mashed ripe banana
2 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons honey

Mix all of the ingredients with a blender or mixer and freeze in ice cube trays. Small paper cups and disposable egg cartons also make good molds. When frozen, microwave for a few seconds, unmold, and place the treats in a plastic bag and store in the freezer. (Note: if using Styrofoam egg cartons or cups, rest the containers briefly in a partially filled pan of warm water to loosen contents. Unless the Styrofoam is labeled as microwave safe, it could melt.) If you want to be fancy, bone and paw shaped molds are available.

Homemade Frozen Dog Treats


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## strollingbones (Sep 20, 2012)

it does not matter what you feed a doberman...it has gas


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## koshergrl (Sep 20, 2012)

Yeah, serious downside of cheap food with Klaus..he doesn't usually have gas...

But if he has cheapo food, we all suffer.

Mylo is a one dog fart factory anyway.


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## Kooshdakhaa (Sep 21, 2012)

strollingbones said:


> it does not matter what you feed a doberman...it has gas



Mine don't.


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## Claudette (Sep 21, 2012)

Synthaholic said:


> koshergrl said:
> 
> 
> > Far out!
> ...



I used to feed TOTW but Diamond had two recalls on it already. 

By the time you learn that a recall is coming your dog could be dead. 

I switched mine to Wilderness. Thats the grain free from Blue Buffaloe. Super food and my dogs love it. I usually mix a teaspon of the wet, which is great BTW, once or twice a week. 

Its more expensive but I wouldn't feed anything else. 

I stopped giving treats long ago. In fact when I do obedience with Abby I use her dog food as a treat. She loves it.


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## koshergrl (Sep 21, 2012)

My vet said don't use Blue Buffalo. She said that because they share equipment with other companies (Purina?) they end up with stuff that isn't in the ingredients list in the food...which is a big no-no if your dog is allergic. You need to know what exactly you're feeding or you can't control the outbreaks or find out what it is they react to.


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## Kooshdakhaa (Sep 21, 2012)

I'm kind of confused with all this hype about the Waggin' Train chicken jerky.  I've been giving that to all five of my dogs for several years now.  For a long time they were getting it five days a week.  I recently took my oldest dog in for a geriatric checkup, blood work and all.  She is absolutely fine.  No liver problems.  No kidney problems.  She does have arthritis in one elbow, but that's not because of eating chicken jerky.

I have cut down now to where they only get the chicken jerky as a treat after getting toe nails done.  About once every two weeks.  Saves a lot of money, that stuff is expensive.  They absolutely LOVE it, it's their all-time favorite treat.

There is nothing linking that chicken jerky to the dog deaths.  Thousands upon thousands of dogs eat those jerky treats.  I would think if it was as horrible as some people say, you'd be seeing a lot more deaths, and testing of the product would also reveal a cause.

I feed my dogs Canine Caviar lamb & pearl millet.  Had one rescue with allergies resulting in terrible skin problems, that's cleared up now.  I also feed them a homemade "wet" food consisting of brown rice, boiled hamburger, unsalted green beans, scrambled egg and cottage cheese.  They get that as a dinner treat with some chicken breast diced up and added to it and moistened with beef broth from boiling the hamburger (fat removed) and a touch of salmon oil.  Their dry food is always out.  I figure if they never get too hungry it reduced the chances of bolting food down  at meal times and getting bloat.  

Their treats include chicken jerky, bully sticks, Iams biscuits, Milkbone puppy biscuits and Greenies.

My smaller dogs have not been to the vet because of illness in years.  The dobermans have been to the vet quite a bit over the years, but not because of illness, because of injuries because they're so darned athletic, and also get into the occasional sisterly spat. That's slowed down a bit since they 've gotten older.  Oldest dobe is 9 years old now.  The other one is 8.


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## Synthaholic (Sep 22, 2012)

Claudette said:


> Synthaholic said:
> 
> 
> > koshergrl said:
> ...


The recall turned out to be a false alarm.  They suspected salmonella.

Blue Buffalo is good food, from what I've read, but haven't tried it.


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## Synthaholic (Sep 22, 2012)

Kooshdakhaa said:


> I'm kind of confused with all this hype about the Waggin' Train chicken jerky.  I've been giving that to all five of my dogs for several years now.  For a long time they were getting it five days a week.  I recently took my oldest dog in for a geriatric checkup, blood work and all.  She is absolutely fine.  No liver problems.  No kidney problems.  She does have arthritis in one elbow, but that's not because of eating chicken jerky.
> 
> I have cut down now to where they only get the chicken jerky as a treat after getting toe nails done.  About once every two weeks.  Saves a lot of money, that stuff is expensive.  They absolutely LOVE it, it's their all-time favorite treat.
> 
> ...


My basic philosophy is to not ingest any food that is made in China and shipped here.  They just do not have the strict regulations in place to ensure safety.

I know that RW-ers hate the word _regulation _but it can save you or a loved one's life.


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## Zoom-boing (Sep 22, 2012)

Synthaholic said:


> Kooshdakhaa said:
> 
> 
> > I'm kind of confused with all this hype about the Waggin' Train chicken jerky.  I've been giving that to all five of my dogs for several years now.  For a long time they were getting it five days a week.  I recently took my oldest dog in for a geriatric checkup, blood work and all.  She is absolutely fine.  No liver problems.  No kidney problems.  She does have arthritis in one elbow, but that's not because of eating chicken jerky.
> ...



Regulation is good; under or over regulation is where the problem lies.


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## Kooshdakhaa (Sep 23, 2012)

Synthaholic said:


> Kooshdakhaa said:
> 
> 
> > I'm kind of confused with all this hype about the Waggin' Train chicken jerky.  I've been giving that to all five of my dogs for several years now.  For a long time they were getting it five days a week.  I recently took my oldest dog in for a geriatric checkup, blood work and all.  She is absolutely fine.  No liver problems.  No kidney problems.  She does have arthritis in one elbow, but that's not because of eating chicken jerky.
> ...



You do know that when all that tainted pet food showed up a few years ago, they put their equivalent of the head of the FDA to death, right?  They executed him because of it.  I imagine that has encouraged some oversight and care with the pet food production.

In addition, the American companies, such as Waggin' Train, oversee the production of their pet treats in China.  In other words, they have American personnel on the ground, in the factories there, making sure things are done right.

Nonetheless, all the talk makes me nervous.   Even though there is no evidence that there is anything wrong with the chicken jerky.  It wouldn't be an issue except that my dogs love it so much.  Now I strictly use it as a reward when they get their toe nail trims.  And when the bag I have is gone, I probably won't get anymore.  : (  Poor dogs.  I feel like they're the victims of people's hysteria more than any real problem with the treats. : (


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## koshergrl (Sep 23, 2012)

I think you're best served to make your own/buy local (at least national). 

Sheesh the Chinese routinely wipe out their own people with shit that gets into food or toys or whatever.


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## Sallow (Sep 23, 2012)

It's ridiculous that there are dangerous products on the shelves for dogs.

This is Crow..on the way home from a bbq last night..where he got real treats. Chicken and ribs!


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## Kooshdakhaa (Sep 23, 2012)

My husband saves treats for the dogs from his dinner when he can.  For example, if he has a steak, he'll save them each a bit of steak.  Same with chicken or other meat.  Nothing too spicy or fatty, and nothing cooked with onions.  

They're quite spoiled.  But they LOVE that chicken jerky.  I'm not sure they wouldn't choose that over a piece of steak. 

I made some homemade chicken jerky once, but it was a lot of work, and I'm already too busy!  I make the wet food they get as a dinner treat, that takes quite a bit of time each week.  Plus I bake boneless, skinless chicken breasts to chop up for treats and to add to their dinner.   I used to bake them up some chicken or beef liver, but I haven't done that in a while.


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## Claudette (Sep 24, 2012)

koshergrl said:


> My vet said don't use Blue Buffalo. She said that because they share equipment with other companies (Purina?) they end up with stuff that isn't in the ingredients list in the food...which is a big no-no if your dog is allergic. You need to know what exactly you're feeding or you can't control the outbreaks or find out what it is they react to.



BB has never had a recall that I'm aware of. 

I feed the grain free Wilderness. 

I'll have to check into the equipment deal. Never heard it before. Will contact BB for the info. 

Your vet probably also sells Science Diet is his office. I'm sure he's told you how great it is. I've heard Vets get a kickback for allowing it to be sold in their offices.


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## koshergrl (Sep 24, 2012)

No, I don't think BB has recall issues, I think my vet said that it was about their foods being contaminated with allergens because the machinery was used to process other types of foods (like some people will have allergic reactions to peanuts even if the peanut isn't there...it's just a matter of having touched a peanut at sometime). My vet doesn't sell science diet. She rattled off a list of names that were good for super allergic dogs, none of which she carries save one, and explained to me the ins and outs of it.

I think Wilderness was one of those she recommended.

I don't remember. My mind was full of "I can't fucking afford this shit."


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## Claudette (Sep 25, 2012)

koshergrl said:


> No, I don't think BB has recall issues, I think my vet said that it was about their foods being contaminated with allergens because the machinery was used to process other types of foods (like some people will have allergic reactions to peanuts even if the peanut isn't there...it's just a matter of having touched a peanut at sometime). My vet doesn't sell science diet. She rattled off a list of names that were good for super allergic dogs, none of which she carries save one, and explained to me the ins and outs of it.
> 
> I think Wilderness was one of those she recommended.
> 
> I don't remember. My mind was full of "I can't fucking afford this shit."



I hear ya. I've got 5 dogs and I feed Wilderness. Talk about going broke feeding the kids. LOL


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## koshergrl (Sep 25, 2012)

Yeah I'm rationing the cheap crap right now...but they get all the leftovers (that are appropriate...I try not to give them bread). This morning they had their food, and a couple of egg yolks (my daughter only eats the whites), and tortillas, and some oatmeal.

They look really good right now, too. But Klaus wants to break out. Every couple of days he starts shaking his ears and scratching and I have to dose him with benadryl and prednisone for a couple of days.


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## Claudette (Sep 25, 2012)

BB has another grainfree. Freedom. 

When I sent e-mails to BB I asked what the difference between Wilderness and Freedom is. Hope they return with answers. 

Mayby its less costly. I can always hope. LOL


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## Claudette (Sep 27, 2012)

BB answered my query. 

They do share equipment with several other companies. According to them the equipment is cleaned by each company before and after use. 

Freedom is a grain free like Wilderness but not as high in protein and carbs. Probably not as pricey either. 

I may check out the Freedom but I really like Wilderness. Man my dogs gleam. No grease on the sides of the food bowls and the teeth are whiter than white. 

I will have to check out Freedom though.


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