More Education for Me so I assume others need to read it too.

[Adrianne Matzkin]

I start by saying I feel like an idiot, I should have know better and yes Karen, it is all about education. I know about treats from China.  I know that there are preservatives that are terrible for our doodles but I do not know enough about them to read the labels which is why I depend on you and your expertise to disseminate them for the rest of us.

I don't know why but I was surprised with Milk Bones. Maybe because I wanted to think that I could have some as back up when I ran out of my home baked cookies and not feel guilty giving them the high caloric (125 in 1 large MB) cookie. Guess the guilt was 2 fold - calories and preservatives. Back to baking my own today and tossing out the MBs we have left and no treats will ever be purchased off the shelves again for us. 

This is from an article 2 years old and I assume the 'recipe' hasn't changed.  

So what’s the deal with all these other chemical preservatives?  Sodium Metabisulfite (the preservative in Milk-Bones) is harmful if ingested or inhaled (as in sniffed).  It reacts with WATER and acids (like those in your dog’s stomach) to release toxic sulfur dioxide gas. It can cause life-threatening asthmatic reactions after ingestion as well as gastrointestinal, circulatory and central nervous system problems.   The people who handle this stuff are required to wear hazmat suits and respirators.  And believe it or not, there’s more written about the harmful effects and cancer-causing properties of BHA and BHT than sodium metabisulfite.  BHT is actually banned in England. And BHA is thought by the National Institutes of Health to cause stomach cancer.

Here is the link for the entire article which I suggest you to read. 

http://goodnessgracioustreats.wordpress.com/2010/06/12/where%E2%80%...

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, here's the thing. First, Milk Bones are made by Del Monte, which we have been warning people about for years in the Food Group, along with all of the other huge corporations that make dog food and treats and import their ingredients. Second, we have also talked about BHA, BHT, sodium bisulfite, and all of these other harmful preservatives for years in the Food Group.

The thing about educating is that people have to read the information. What else can I do but put it out there? I can't go door to door to everyone's house and tell it to them personally, lol.

Let's just make it simple. People, do not buy dog food products that are sold in the grocery store. Period. Milk Bone is sold in the grocery store. Do not buy products for your dog that are sold in Walmart, Kmart, Costco, Walgreen's, or Target. It's that simple. If you don't want to read labels or read the info in the Food Group, you don't have to. Just follow this one simple piece of advice, which I have been repeating for years.

[Adrianne Matzkin]

perfect and simple!

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

This is what I tell people instead of getting into too many technical details that sometimes I don't even understand myself :)  Petsmart - stick with a few key brands; otherwise, try to support your local pet supply store - they generally have what we recommend in FG.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

And DO NOT BROWSE THE PET SECTIONS IN STORES!

If you need dog food or treats, go to the pet supply store knowing in advance what you need, and having researched it ahead of time.

If you don't need food or treats, why are you even looking at them????????

This is the same exact advise I gave my clients about food shopping, but for different reasons.

Browse in clothing stores and electronics stores, not food stores. And why the heck would you be looking at dog treats in Walgreen's or Walmart? You already know they don't sell anything decent or safe there. Go browse in the greeting card or the book aisle.

Food and impulse buying are not a good combination, for many reasons, even when it's treats for your dog.

 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

We also have tons and tons of commercial treat recommendations in The Food group, so there are many ways to have back-ups to homemade treats without buying things made by Del Monte, Mars, Proctor & Gamble, etc. 

[Michele, Biscuit & Mo]

Thank you, Adrianne AND Karen, for the reminders.  I'm on my way over to the Food Group right now!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Some more resources.

The Dog Food Project's Ingredients to Avoid:

http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=badingredients

If a product contains any of these things, stay away from it. Period.

It really truly isn't that hard to read a label if you know what you are looking for.

Also, Blue Buffalo aside, there are no decent, reliable dog foods or treats being advertised on TV. Think about it.  Have you ever seen a commercial  for Orijen or Canidae? Ever seen one for Honest Kitchen or Fromm? The closest you'll come is a few dog-oriented publciations, and even that's rare.

Who has the budget to advertise on TV? Purina (Nestle's), Pedigree (Mars) and (Milkbone) Del Monte. Not Champion Foods of Canada, who is spending the money on fresh, local ingredients instead of the PR department's salaries.

Ditto for glossy print ads; you may see a few good companies advertising in the pet-specific publications, but you won't see them in Better Homes and Gardens or People.

[Doris]

Those preservatives sound awful.  No wonder Bodi doesn't like them.  I'm going to try to make sweat potato treats this weekend!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

There are lots and lots and lots of good safe treats, made in the USA from American ingredients with no preservatives  that are available in the better pet supply stores. You just have to shop in the smaller privately owned stores and educate yourself.

In my area, we have a store owned by a husband and wife that does not carry anything that's not made in North America from North American ingredients. And the prices are lower than some of the big pet supply chains. Their treat selection is amazing. They even have duck, venison and rabbit jerky for dogs who have food intolerances. Have a look:

http://www.bentleyscb.com/treats.html

Check in your own areas, you may have places like this, too. Worth looking.

 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I always find it interesting how many people want to "treat" my Doods with a Milk Bone.  We live in a gated community and the gate house staff keeps a big box of milk bones to give to dogs coming and going.  Of course I politely refuse but I've noticed that I'm the only one....the other dog owners in our village don't seem to have any problem with it.  People just don't seem to know.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The box of Milk Bones also sits at the bank drive-through window and the CVS drive-through window. I openly admit that I used to let JD have them; what harm could there be in one or two little biscuits, right? After all they've been around forever, and I never heard of a dog getting sick from them. My last poodle ate them and lived to be 16.

Then JD vomited one day shortly we got home from the bank, having eaten 2 Milk Bone treats. I stopped letting him have them; maybe too late. Did the Milk Bones cause or contribute to the IBD? I'll never know, but I will always regret letting him have them. They still put them in the envelope with my receipt at the bank, even though I ask them not to.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Karen try to not feel guilty. I am sure that the amount of preservatives that JD got from an occasional treat had nothing to do with his IBD. I have no scientific proof but I truly believe this.