Tuesday, February 28, 2017

ACANA Mackerel & Greens Dog Treats - chewy.com Product Review

This month, our chewy.com product review is of ACANA Mackerel & Greens Dog Treats. It is part of ACANA's "Singles" line, which uses a single animal protein and limited ingredients for each formula. This is great for dogs with food sensitivities and for pup parents who want to feed wholesome foods.
ACANA Mackerel & Greens Dog Treats
The Mackerel & Greens recipe contains just 4 ingredients: wild-caught New England mackerel, spinach, sarsaparilla root, and mixed tocopherols (preservative). Together, they provide omega-3s for healthy skin and coat, and digestive support.

I like that they are made in the USA (in Kentucky) from fresh, regional ingredients. 

This treat bag has the coolest easy-open feature ever! You pull on a string that has a convenient little tab at the beginning, and you get a perfectly opened bag. No wonky edges, no need to get the scissors when you rip too high up, and no risk of cutting too close to the resealable zipper.

Pull string to unseal bag
The treats are chunky little nuggets, and the freeze-dried nature of the treat gives it a powdery feeling. They crumble if you try to break them apart, so I just feed them whole. Although they have a slight fishy smell, it is not overpowering or unpleasant.

Freeze-dried treat nuggets
Chewy was excited to try them, of course. He was very interested in the little pouch of treats from the moment it arrived, sniffing insistently.

Gonna eat it!
The treats passed the Chewy test. No surprise there, right? It's that Golden appetite!
Yum!
 These treats get high marks from us!
Just gonna help myself to a few more!


Disclaimer: We received a free 1.25 oz. bag of ACANA Mackerel & Greens Dog Treats from chewy.com for review purposes as part of the chewy.com Blogger Program. We did not receive any monetary compensation for this post, and all opinions shared above are our own.


Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Pet Dental Health Month: Barkworthies Brushers - Product Review

February is Pet Dental Health Month! Like with humans, oral health is very important for dogs because serious dental problems can lead to additional health concerns. For more information on pet dental care, see the American Veterinary Medical Association's suggestions here.

There are numerous products marketed for dog dental health, such as edible chews, textured nylon chews, rope toys, and textured rubber toys. We recently got to try a new dental product, Barkworthies Brushers.

Barkworthies Brushers
I love the Barkworthies brand because all of their products are fully digestible and free of additives, chemicals and preservatives. Feeding healthier treats and chews means a healthier pet, and a healthier pet is happier and lives longer!

Barkworthies Brushers are 100% organic twigs made from branches of the East Indies Arrack tree. They release an antibiotic when chewed that helps to suppress both the growth of bacteria and the formation of plaque. They also contain minerals (potassium, sodium, chloride, sodium bicarbonate, and calcium oxides) that help strengthen tooth enamel. Their parallel bristle-like nature works like dental floss to clean between teeth. As a bonus for the environment, they are sustainably harvested! People in the regions where these trees are found have traditionally used such twigs to clean their own teeth (look up "miswak" for more info).

Preliminary taste test
The twigs have a strange odor to them, kind of like strong body odor with a hint of acidity. While I thought they stank, Chewy did not mind at all, and got right to work chewing on the ends. When chewed open, the inside of the twig has bristle-like fibers. Chewy enjoyed breaking off little pieces and then chewing them further, before spitting out some bits. The fibers are very soft so I did not worry about splinters, making them a nice alternative to regular sticks!

Bristle-like fibers
I like that Chewy uses all of his teeth while chewing on the Brushers. With regular dental treats, he only chews with his back teeth, but with the Brushers, he works the pieces around his whole mouth before eventually spitting out most of it. It's a very messy process!

Chew, spit, repeat!
Chewy makes these happy chewing faces while he chews on the Brushers. It could be that that's just how his face is when he opens his mouth (Goldens often look like they're smiling), but I detect some distinctly upturned mouth corners!

Thursday, February 16, 2017

Twinning with Gosig Golden

Last year, I shared how Chewy often leaves his favorite stuffie, the Gosig Golden soft toy from IKEA, lying around in life-like positions. A year later, it's still his favorite toy, and I still catch them "twinning" all the time!

On the couch

On the dog bed

In the car

Settling down for a nap

With a toy at their feet
I wonder if Chewy recognizes that his stuffie looks like him!