Blue Basics Biscuits Limited Ingredient Dog Treats - chewy.com Product Review

We tried Blue Basics Biscuits in Salmon & Potato Recipe, courtesy of chewy.com. They are crunchy biscuits made with limited ingredients, perfect for pups with food sensitivities.

Each biscuit is imprinted with the Blue buffalo logo, and despite the giant picture on the package (labeled with a disclaimer: "Not actual size. Enlarged to show texture."), the treats are actually quite small.

With salmon as the first ingredient, these treats definitely smell fishy. I'm sure Chewy likes them even more for that smell. He loves these treats so much, it took 3 different photo sessions to catch him and a treat in a clear shot. He kept eating them at lightning speed, blatantly ignoring my "wait" commands!

Intense cookie stare

I'm sure Chewy would say "YUM!" if he could!



Disclaimer: We received a free bag of BLUE Basics Biscuits Limited Ingredient Dog Treats in Salmon & Potato Recipe 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.

Stella & Chewy's Carnivore Crunch Freeze-Dried Treats - chewy.com Product Review

This month, we received Stella & Chewy's Carnivore Crunch Freeze-Dried Treats in Grass-Fed Beef Recipe from chewy.com.

The original inspiration for the Stella & Chewy's company was a dog named Chewy! Their products focus on providing raw nutrition in safe, easy-to-use formats, ranging from treats to meal mixers to complete dinners.

Stella & Chewy's Carnivore Crunch Freeze-Dried Treats, Beef Recipe

Carnivore Crunch treats contain 98% meat, organs and ground bone, providing that meaty flavor that dogs love. Plus, they contain limited ingredients, great for those pups with sensitive stomachs. The only non-beef ingredients in the beef recipe are pumpkin seeds and tocopherols (for preservation).

Chewy smells something yummy!

At less than 3 calories per treat, they are perfect for Chewy's current predicament. He fractured a toe chasing after a cat, so now he is on exercise limitations and thus needs to be fed less. He's still the same Chewy that loves food, so low-calorie treats are his best option.

Freeze-dried treat nuggets

Despite having "crunch" in the product name, these treats are not crunchy. They have the typical freeze-dried raw nugget consistency, and crumble when you break them apart.

My Chewy loves them!

Disclaimer: We received a free bag of Stella & Chewy's Carnivore Crunch Freeze-Dried Dog Treats in Grass-fed Beef Recipe 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.

Earthborn Holistic EarthBites - chewy.com Product Review

This month, we tried Earthborn Holistic EarthBites from chewy.com. EarthBites are moist dog treats made with natural ingredients, and they are grain-free and gluten-free.

Earthborn Holistic EarthBites

We got the peanut flavor, and the ingredients include peanuts (first ingredient), veggies, fruits, and vitamins and minerals. The treats also contain Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids for healthy skin and coat, which is always a nice bonus.

They also contain cane molasses, honey and maple syrup, which seems like an excessive use of sweeteners to me. Plus, the sugars are pretty high up on the list of ingredients (#3: cane molasses, #7: honey, #8: maple syrup). For a brand claiming to be all about healthy dog food, this seems a bit unhealthy. They probably taste like candy!

The treats are shaped like tiny little logs, like the pellets that you feed farm animals...but these are soft and moist. I think they smell a little weird, but Chewy seems to like the scent. Each treat is about an inch long, so I would break them apart if using as a training treat.

Chewy gobbled the treats right up, so he sure loves the taste! I bet all those sugars helped with that, though.

For me?

*munch*

Yay!

While Chewy loved these treats, I did not love the fact that they contain so many added sweeteners. I will be feeding him the rest of the bag sparingly. Nevertheless, I do appreciate Earthborn's commitment to using natural ingredients in their products.


Disclaimer: We received a free bag of Earthborn Holistic EarthBites Dog Treats in Peanut Flavor 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.

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.

Weruva Blue Water Whitefish Freeze-Dried Treats - chewy.com Product Review

This month we received Weruva Blue Water Whitefish Freeze-Dried Treats from chewy.com. With just one ingredient, boneless whitefish filet from the UK, they can be fed to both cats and dogs.

Weruva Blue Water Whitefish Freeze-Dried Treats

The treats come in a little cardboard tube meant for "easy storage," but I found it a bit difficult to open and close because the cap is pretty tight. The packaging is not air-tight, so there is definitely a fishy smell if you hold it close to your face.

Naturally, Chewy thought they smelled great and even helped himself to a few treats straight from the package. That was out of character for him, but I guess the open tube looked like a welcoming platter!

Don't mind if I do!

They are decent-sized treats, feel very light and airy, and are quite smelly. They tend to crumble a little bit if you break them apart into smaller bits, but Chewy is always happy to clean up any mess.

Freeze-dried fish cubes

Eating too much whitefish gives Chewy the runs, but a couple of treats a day has been okay. He hoovers them right up!

Disclaimer: We received a free tube of Weruva Blue Water Whitefish Freeze-Dried 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.

Pet Botanics Simply Salmon Strips & Cutlets - Product Review + Giveaway

Pet Botanics recently launched a "Black Label" line of dog treats, consisting of Simply Salmon Strips and Simply Salmon Cutlets. "Black Label" makes them sound extra fancy! But they are simply salmon jerky treats.

Pet Botanics Simply Salmon Strips and Cutlets

Pet Botanics Simply Salmon treats are:

• made from fresh-caught Atlantic salmon from Norway
• dried, smoked and packaged in the US
• made with just 2 ingredients: 99% salmon + 1% sea salt (for smoking)
• free from antibiotics, hormones, and artificial colors/flavors
• hardwood smoked for flavor and aroma
• rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids

When you open a bag of Simply Salmon treats, you inevitably catch a whiff of strong fish smell. After all, they are 99% fish! The packaging does a great job of containing the smell (at least to human nose standards), which I greatly appreciate. Chewy's keen nose can still smell them through the bag, of course, and his nose knows that he wants them!

They come in two sizes: "Strips" and smaller, perhaps slightly thicker "Cutlets."

Strips vs. Cutlets

Chewy, of the "bigger is always better" philosophy, prefers the strips. Look at him eyeing those big ones:

Can I eat them yet?

He happily cruncha-munchas through them...

Yay, treat time!

and cutlets, too - cuz they're still fishy food! The cutlets are more of a one-bite treat for a large dog like Chewy.

But wait, there's more!

He always makes sure to get every last bit. That's a sure sign of a yummy treat!

Cleaning up the crumbs

I like the simplicity of the Simply Salmon treats, and the fact that they provide healthy omega-3s without artificial additives. Chewy likes the fishy aroma, the crunchiness, and the taste.


For a chance to win some Simply Salmon Strips and Cutlets from Pet Botanics, enter our giveaway via the Rafflecopter widget below. [[USA only]]

Rules: You may enter once daily. Giveaway ends 1/20/17, 11:59 PM EST. Winner will be chosen from all entries through a random generator. Winner will be notified via e-mail and will have 72 hours to respond with a shipping address to receive prize, or else an alternate winner will be selected. Winner will receive prize directly from Cardinal Pet Care. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: Cardinal Pet Care provided us with free bags of Simply Salmon Strips and Simply Salmon Cutlets for review purposes. We did not receive any monetary compensation for this post. All opinions expressed in this review are our own.

Natural Balance L.I.T. Jerky Bark: Duck & Potato Formula - chewy.com Product Review

This month, we received Natural Balance's Limited Ingredient Treats (L.I.T.) Jerky Bark in Duck & Potato Formula from chewy.com. 

...when will I get to eat them??

I had purchased Natural Balance L.I.T. Jerky Bark before for a hiking trip so that Chewy would have some energy-providing snacks on the trail, and we liked it. Back then, it looked like normal meat jerky encrusted in powdery [sweet] potato. The one downside was that the powdery crust would come off on my fingers when I touched it, resulting in sticky fingers.

Now, they have a "new and improved formula," and it does not look like your typical jerky. It looks like processed meat product, similar in appearance to hot dogs or spam. While I don't like how unnatural it looks, I do like that it doesn't leave crumbs or sticky residue on my fingers. This makes it even more convenient to break off little pieces for controlled feeding.

Not very jerky-like in appearance

Chewy LOVES the taste of these treats. Every time I tried to get pictures of him eating one, they turned out like this:

*scarf scarf scarf*

The treats are soft and not tough at all, so he can eat an entire strip of jerky bark in just a few seconds! They are definitely not a long-lasting treat for these jaws.

Delicious!

I think these treats smell kind of funky, but Chewy doesn't mind at all. He might even like the scent! I opened the bag to examine the texture while writing this review, and Chewy came over a few minutes later and started sniffing around furiously. He KNEW there was something good to eat around here!


Disclaimer: We received a free bag of Natural Balance L.I.T. Jerky Bark Duck & Potato Formula 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.

Sojos Big Dog Treats - Product Review

When it comes to treats, Chewy's philosophy is: the bigger, the better! So when we came across the Big Dog treats by Sojos, we wanted to try them. Chewy was excited about big cookies, while I liked that they have simple, natural ingredients.

Sojos Big Dog treats

Sojos Big Dog Treats are:

• wheat and corn free
• contain no artificial preservatives, flavors or colors
• made with natural, human-quality ingredients
• available in 2 flavors: Biscuits & Gravy and Beef Stew

The treats come in a cute little box, like something you'd find at a boutique bakery.

I'll take this to go, thanks!

The treats themselves are in a sealed plastic pouch, which keeps them nice and fresh until you open them. (Have you ever bought dog treats packaged only in cardboard, and found them infested with bugs? I have! Bugs would not survive the baking process, so I presume they found their way into the treats during shipping/storage. But thankfully that wouldn't be a problem with these treats!)

Yummy!

The plastic pouch is not resealable, so I ended up pouring the treats into a cookie jar for convenience. Nevertheless, I appreciate that the packaging is relatively environmentally friendly- the box can be recycled and the plastic is thin and minimal.

Beef stew flavor and Biscuits & gravy flavor

While they are called Big Dog treats, they are not actually that big. They are larger than bite-sized, but I would say they are regularly-sized dog biscuits -- which means Chewy can have more than one at a time!

Drool-icious!

I like that the ingredient lists are very simple:
Biscuits & Gravy flavor: rye flour, oat bran, oat flour, buttermilk powder, chicken, honey, canola oil, eggs
Beef Stew flavor: rye flour, oat bran, potato, carrots, celery, beef, parsley, canola oil, eggs

You can even see the bits of veggie/parsley in the Beef Stew treats! It's nice when dog food actually looks like real food.

I tried to see which flavor Chewy preferred by putting out one of each and letting him choose, but he just chose the one on his left every time (and then proceeded to eat the other one afterwards, of course!). So, my rather un-scientific conclusion is that Chewy thinks they are equally delicious.

Always eating the left one first

We give Sojos Big Dog Treats four paws up!

Four paws up for Sojos Big Dog Treats!

Disclaimer: We received one box each of Sojos Big Dog Biscuits & Gravy Dog Treats and Big Dog Beef Stew Dog Treats from Sojos in exchange for an honest review. We received no monetary compensation for this review, and all of the opinions stated above are our own.

Merrick Kitchen Bites Cowboy Cookout Dog Treats - chewy.com Product Review

This month, we received Merrick Kitchen Bites Cowboy Cookout Dog Treats for our chewy.com review. The Merrick Kitchen Bites line of treats are oven-baked with real, deboned meat as the first ingredient, and a variety of fruits and veggies. They are grain-free and gluten-free, and made in the USA.

Merrick Kitchen Bites Cowboy Cookout

Cowboy Cookout contains deboned beef as the first ingredient, along with sweet potatoes, potatoes, and peas, among others. Despite being dry biscuits, they must smell beefy to the Chewy nose, because he thought the treat package smelled great!

*sniiiiiff*

The treats come in fun little cowboy hat and boot shapes, and they are quite detailed for a little cookie!

Cowboy hat & boot shapes

The biscuits have the crunch that Chewy loves...

Cruncha muncha

...and a Chewy-approved taste.

Yum!

Can I have some more?

These treats are convenient for carrying around in your pocket on walks because they are small, dry and enticing (to Chewy, at least). They are easy to break in half if you want to make them last longer, or if you are watching your dog's food intake. They sometimes leave behind a couple crumbs in my pocket, though.

Whenever we get deep snow, Chewy likes to plop down in a snow pile every few feet and watch the world go by. These treats have come in pretty handy for convincing him to leave his snow thrones and start walking again!

Disclaimer: We received a free bag of Merrick Kitchen Bites Cowboy Cookout 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.