Nutro Moist-n-Chewy Bites - chewy.com Product Review

One day, after a wondrous romp on the beach,

@itschewytime on Dec 4, 2015

promptly followed by a dreadful bath... 

@itschewytime on Dec 4, 2015

...Chewy spotted a package at the door. According to Chewy logic, all packages are for Chewy, and thus all packages are exciting! It was a chewy.com delivery waiting outside! And so, all was forgiven, evil bath and all.

A chewy.com package at the door!

And what was inside the exciting box? Nutro Moist-n-Chewy Bites in Hickory Smoked BBQ Flavor! Chewy thought it smelled amazng. To the people nose, it smells like BBQ sauce.

Mmm...smoky flavor

He even tried to help himself to a couple, which is not proper Chewy behavior.

Maybe I can sneak just a little taste?

They are little, bite-sized treats, and are indeed moist and chewy. They are also a bit oily, so I would not recommend putting them in your pockets.

Bite-sized yum!

They work great for plugging the hole at the top of a Kong if you're filling it with liquidy foods like yogurt, because they're pliable and form a nice seal. No leaky Kong filling over here!

Can I have it now?

They are pretty much like gummy fruit snacks for people, except meat flavored and made from dog-safe ingredients. And just like candy, I do not think these are very nutritious. Nevertheless, they make a great occasional treat- they have a strong scent and chewy texture that Chewy loves and is willing to work for, and true to the Nutro philosophy, they are made with 100% natural ingredients.


Disclaimer: We received a bag of Nutro Moist-n-Chewy Bites Hickory Smoked BBQ 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.

Wordless Wednesday

Caru Natural Stews: Product Review

When shopping for dog food or treats, do you look for human-grade, natural and nutritious ingredients? I often do, and Caru's line of Natural Stews fits those criteria to a T.

Caru Pet Food is a family-owned company inspired by a Golden Retriever named Karu (and I am obviously very partial to Goldens!). Karu's parents began cooking a homemade diet for him in hopes of ending a vicious cycle of ear infections, and their positive results led to the creation of Caru (read the full story here).

Caru Natural Stews are:

• made with natural ingredients
• made with real meat sourced from the US (meat is the first ingredient!)
• made in the US, in USDA-inspected facilities
• free of grain, wheat, gluten, corn, and soy
• free of hormones, antibiotics, and animal by-products
• free of artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives
• human grade (but formulated for dogs!)
• prepared in small batches that are independently tested for safety
• complete and balanced formulas, fortified with vitamins and minerals

Chewy had a real serious case of the hungry eyes for the stews.

What's this?

Can I eat it?

[[This post will only cover the Natural Stews; we'll review the treats another time]]

There are 4 flavors of Caru Natural Stews: Beef, Chicken, Turkey, and Pork. Each flavor has meat as the first ingredient and contains various nutritious vegetables such as green beans, potatoes, carrots and peas.

We tried all of the flavors except for Turkey. Chewy was very interested before I even opened the cartons, as evidenced by his sniff-sniffing and dopey-smiled "I'm a good boy!" sitting.

Beef! Pork! Chicken! Mmm...

He even tried (unsuccessfully) to take matters into his own paws at one point:

How do I open this?

Despite Chewy's difficulties, the BPA-free Tetra-Pak carton is very easy to open if you've got thumbs. It even has how-to instructions right at the top. You squeeze the corners to make the top pop up, and then rip along the perforations- no scissors needed!

The stews look kind of like chicken pot pie filling. To me, the beef stew has the aroma of a nice beef stew for humans and the chicken stew smells like Progresso chicken noodle soup, but the pork stew reminds me of typical canned pet food (odor-wise). To Chewy, they all smelled great.

Caru stews can be used in various ways, such as:

Kibble topper                                                      Meal/snack                                               Frozen treat

Chewy thinks it is delicious in ALL forms. There is always lots of chop-licking and triple/quadruple-checking that he completely emptied his bowl.

If not using a whole carton of stew at once, the packaging makes it easy to store. You just fold the flaps back down, place it in a ziploc bag to prevent drying out (optional), and put it in the fridge (for up to 3 days). Chewy always volunteers to clean any stew drippage on the outside of the box.

Putting it away? But I want more!

When you take it out of the fridge, it has the appearance of a really saucy meat + veggie dish. I'm sure Chewy would eat it cold if I let him, but I, personally, think cold potatoes are not yummy. A quick pop in the microwave makes it look more like a stew. Be sure to let it cool before serving!

From the fridge                                     After microwaving

When we finish a carton of stew, I let Chewy clean out the box. It's like a bonus treat dispensing toy is included! This can occupy him for awhile because his nose is too wide to get all the way to the bottom, but eventually I rip or cut open the box for him. There isn't a sharp edge on the Tetra-Pak carton like with metal cans, so Chewy can lick it to his puppy heart's content. Once emptied, the cartons can be recycled.

Must get every...last...drop!

Chewy gives 4 enthusiastic paws up for Caru stews. I like that they are made with human-grade, natural ingredients, come in easy-to-use packaging, and can be served in different ways. Chewy thinks they are tasty and smell scrumptious, and appreciates an alternative to dry kibble (I think).

4 happy paws up for Caru stews!

Just a warning... once your dog gets a taste of Caru stews, you'll probably end up with a sight like this in front of you:

More stew please? Pretty please?

Disclaimer: We received one each of Caru Pet Food Company's Real Beef Stew, Real Chicken Stew, and Real Pork Stew in exchange for an honest review. We did not receive any monetary compensation for this post, and all opinions stated above are our own.

Product Review: Look Who's Happy! Treats

Chewy recently got his paws on some Look Who's Happy! dog treats, and he was very impressed!

Look Who's Happy dog treats are:

• Grain and gluten free
• Free of animal byproducts, hormones, artificial preservatives, colors and flavors
• Made in the USA (in their own plant in Gainesville, Georgia)
• Made with USDA-inspected meats sourced from the USA, Canada, or New Zealand
• Manufactured according to FDA food safety production guidelines
• Independently tested for safety
• Packaged in bags with a giant picture of a happy dog!

They currently have two lines of treats on the market. Tempt'n Tenders are chewy treats made from cage-free chicken and encrusted with carrot, pumpkin, sweet potato, or blueberry. Fetch'n Fillets are jerky treats made from whole muscle cuts of naturally raised beef, cage free chicken, grass fed bison, or grass fed venison.

We received Tempt'n Tenders Chicken with Sweet Potato Recipe and Fetch'n Fillets Chicken Jerky.

The Tempt'n Tenders (pictured above on the left) were in strips of various sizes, and were very easy to break into smaller pieces. The sweet potato crust left some particles on my fingers, but it was not sticky and rubbed off easily.

The Fetch'n Fillets (pictured above on the right) were also in a variety of sizes and shapes. They were a little bit more difficult to break into smaller portions, but it was doable.


Before I even cut open the treat bags, Chewy decided he needed to roll all over them like he does his favorite toys. It's his way of saying, "this is mine!"

I claim these in the name of Chewy!

He even ran off with the bag of chicken jerky once, and lied in the shade licking the bag. Licking soon turned to chewing, as he tried to open the bag for himself. The lack of thumbs made it rather difficult, but he managed to poke a couple holes in the packaging. This jerky must be super delicious, because Chewy does not typically try to chew open treat bags! His usual move is to lie there with a pouty face until I open it for him.

I'll take this to go, thanks!

Chewy loves both of these treats, and will behave very nicely to get them. They are rather aromatic and drool-inducing, and the meatiness must be extra motivating for him.

I tried to have him choose a favorite by placing both kinds in front of him and seeing which he picked first, but he seemed to value them equally. He would lick one first to claim it, and then move on to the other one. He does the same thing when I lay out a trail of all the same kind of treat: he licks each one, and then starts eating from the end. It's like how little kids lick the things they want so their siblings won't steal them!

How can I choose?

Chewy sure is happy about Look Who's Happy treats!

We give Look Who's Happy treats 4 paws up. They smell yummy, are made in the USA with natural ingredients, and even the tiniest piece gets Chewy in super obedient mode. Also, the packaging is sure to put a smile on your face!

4 paws up for Look Who's Happy dog treats!

Look Who's Happy dog treats are sold at independent pet supply stores. To find a retailer near you, visit their website. They are also available on Amazon.com.

Disclaimer: We received one bag each of Look Who's Happy Tempt'n Tenders Chicken with Sweet Potato Recipe and Fetch'n Fillets Chicken Jerky for review purposes. We did not receive any monetary compensation for this post. All opinions expressed in this review are our own.

Chewy Goes Apple Picking

It's apple season! Over the weekend, we took Chewy upstate to Wright's farm for his first apple picking adventure. 

(The circle at the top right is an apple cider donut- at first I thought it was a sad representation of an apple!)

They have a farm stand and bakery, as well as 453 acres of land (so many apples!). There is an admission fee of $10 per adult, which includes a 1-peck bag for you to fill with apples. You drive your car directly into the orchard, and there's a large grassy parking lot where many visitors set up picnic blankets and BBQ grills. Interspersed in those groups were lots of doggies! It was slow going through the parking lot because Chewy had to greet all those pups!

The orchard was full of rows and rows of apple trees, in many different varieties. 

There were golden apples, so we had to pick some of those! 

They're all for me, right?

Chewy really enjoyed the lush greenery on the edges of the orchard. Thankfully, we didn't have a problem with ticks or other bugs.

There were "scenic wagon rides" through a small section of the orchard. Chewy loved the wind in his fur, and licked his chops when we were close to the apple trees.

There was also a resident doggy that rode around in a golf cart with his orchard-tending daddy. Naturally, he and Chewy had a few pee battles. His daddy was busy talking to customers, so I didn't get the dog's name, but he was a real snuggle bug!

I liked how welcoming the farm was toward doggies and the extensive variety and abundance of apples. However, some sections had a lot of powder around the trees that I assume was either pesticide or herbicide. The apples also felt powdery throughout the orchard, so I didn't let Chewy pick up any. (That's also why Chewy's leash is different colors in these photos. We changed from long leash to short leash to keep him away from bad things more easily)

As we drove out of the orchard, an attendant checked our car to make sure we weren't taking more apples than we paid for. She even wanted us to pop the trunk, but then Chewy stuck his head out from the back, so she was like "Oh, nevermind!" 

Next, we checked out the farm stand. They had all sorts of fall goodies, including flowers, gourds, pumpkins and squashes. Chewy thought everything smelled delicious. We bought some grilled chicken legs for lunch, and since they had an unseasoned option, we got one of those for Chewy. 

***Don't let your dog eat the drumstick bone!
It is a choking hazard, and may cause all sorts of internal damage***
I rip the meat off to offer to Chewy.  

After collecting lots of apples, getting some exercise, and filling up his tummy, Chewy was all set to head home. I wonder if he thinks all those apples are for him!

Ready to go home!