Colombia and Brazil

[Donna K & Quincy]

I have  been looking for something for Quincy to chew on that will last more than a few seconds. I've come across rawhides and such that say they are a product of Canada or US but are actually made in Colombia or Brazil. Does anyone know if these are a better alternative to Chinese made stuff, we are trying to avoid that.

[Suzann, Rosey & Bandit]

I am not sure about the rawhides but R&B really like frozen marrow bones. We get them at the local pet store. They have never made them sick and they last a very long time.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I have asked myself this question many times, and have not been able to come up with an answer that makes me comfortable enough to take a risk. There is actually a good selection of made in the U.S. chew products out there. but you won't find them in Petco, Petsmart, Walmart, Costco, etc. Pet Supplies Plus carries a decent line, and otherwise, you have to look for the small private "boutique" type stores.
Some lines, like Red Barn, have both U.S. made and foreign made treats; the difference is that the U.S. made ones are wrapped and cost more than the others. The companies themselves are in the U.S., hence the U.S. labelling, but the products may be imported, so you really have to read those labels.
Jones Natural Company only sells products made in the U.S. You may have to search for them, but they're out there. Merrick is another one, but they've had so many recalls recently, I'm hesitant to recommend them. Antlers are a good natural chew that lasts forever and comes from the North America, if your dog likes them. Marrow bones are another option.

[Suzann, Rosey & Bandit]

Red Barn made Bandit really sick once, So much puke I didn't know his stomach was that big. I took him to the vet to make sure he was okay, that was a couple of hundred well wasted:)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

There is a huge variance in their products from one to another; from what I can tell, Red Barn is really just a distributor and doesn't make any of the products themselves. They have recently come out with a U.S. made line that is sold in sealed packages and seems to be of better quality than their other stuff that you see lying loose in bins in the pet supply stores.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Plato Pets (http://www.platopettreats.com/home.html) also has some but they don't last as long. Aside from Jones, I just don't know of many other trustworthy names off the top of my head. I get very leery of these chews - Taquito got sick from some chicken ones 3 summers ago (recalls...). So I am a HUGE fan of antlers. Does Quincy like those? Some dogs don't really care for them, but I know a lot of us have had success with them. Peri goes bananas. Try antlerpantry.com - they are SO MUCH LESS on this sight, trust me. A large would cost $25 near me - only $8 on this site and the shipping is not bad if you buy a few at a time.

[Leslie J]

Thanks for the reference about antlerpantry- what a great resource. In Los Angeles the price would be 4x what they're charging!

[Sally, Ditzy Mitzi & Sgt. Pepper]

Doon't know about rawhides, we don't use them, but have you tried raw carrots. They, the large ones, last a while and our
Mitzi loves them, though she does seem to prefer them peeled!

[Sally loves Maple & Lucky]

Do you have a Trader Joe's food store near you? They offer a $5 variety pack of natural rawhide chews in different shapes and sizes. My girls love them and they are cheaper and last longer than the flip chips from the Vet. Never an issue with loose poops and very important - Made in the USA!

[Taylor & Huff]

I think that Colombia and Brazil are better than things made in China. I think it's safer. I would give it a try.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Why do you think that, Taylor?

[Taylor & Huff]

Well, my Mom is from Colombia and she says that over there their food is very good quality. I would assume that the dog treats they make should be good quality too.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The food for people may be very good, but that doesn't really have much to do with the laws regulating products for dogs. The food for people is very good in China, too. But there are problems involved in importing food products for dogs from other countries, which has to do with the quality control process.
Processing rawhide involves chemicals like formaldehyde.
If a product is made here in the USA, we can have a better idea of the quality control. We try to research these issues before we make recommendations based on assumptions.