REVIEW: The Honest Kitchen Force w/ GIVEAWAY (inc. Perfect Form)

Tags

dehydrated dog food, digestive aids, giveaways, honest kitchen, supplements

Product: The Honest Kitchen Force
Quantity: 2 lb. trial package
Price: $21.99 via THK online*
Ingredients (all dehydrated): Chicken, organic flaxseed, potatoes, celery, sweet potatoes, apples, organic alfalfa, organic kelp, honey, pumpkin, green beans, cabbage, bananas, papayas, basil, garlic, tricalcium phosphate, choline chloride, zinc amino acid chelate, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, potassium iodide, potassium chloride, iron amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate
Guaranteed analysis:

• Protein, 24.0%
• Crude Fat, Min 0.85%
• Fiber, 6.5%
• Moisture, 8.5%

Country of origin: Manufactured in the United States; ingredients sourced from various locales, no ingredients from China
Company information: The Honest Kitchen; 145, 14th Street; San Diego, CA 92101
Web Presence: TheHonestKitchen.com, on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and elsewhere

* Complimentary box received in exchange for our honest review. Please check out the bottom for details on a how to win a FREE trial box of THK!

In a long term relationship, one sometimes falls so deeply into familiar routines, questions start answering themselves. It’s hard to step outside that halcyon lull when everything just feels fine. And why should you want to? Steadiness, reliability, and that constant source of assurance can be exactly what makes any long term relationship so desirable.

But then one day, your old familiar partner walks through the door with a wild new hairstyle or decked out in a sharp new wardrobe, and you think…

… Woah. Hot!!!

For it’s a mistake to equate stability with stasis, or a lack of change. The desire to package and present yourself anew can itself be endearing. So long as we’re not talking drastic measures like, say, face tattoos without prior notice, and all the intrinsically lovable traits remain intact, some element of surprise does wonders to keep a relationship fresh.

And that is how I feel about The Honest Kitchen’s new packaging, designed by Natalya Zahn, unveiled a few months ago and introduced via a lovely care package delivered straight to the doorstep at the House of Two Bows.

Inside was a wooden crate containing all kinds of literature reintroducing the brand and the product, including a lavishly photographed recipe book full of healthy dog- and human-friendly meals. Of immediate concern to the Bows was the box of Perfect Form, a digestive supplement that we sometimes use, and a trial size box of Force, the grain-free chicken recipe that is already a part of the Bows’ regular meals.

I’m cataloging the contents for full disclosure that yes, we did get free stuff from THK in exchange for our honest review. No other compensation was received. But the Bows’ and THK already go way back to July 2011, when we first started feeding it regularly. I had no idea back then that we would use THK products on a near-daily basis. Indeed, as sometimes happens in long-term relationships, we’ve come to take their products for granted. So the surprise package was a welcome invitation to recall why we fell in love in the first place.

Some of the many ways we prepare THK: topped with raw chicken gizzards and hearts, mixed with shredded carrot and topped with raw chicken’s foot, topped with raw chicken liver and mixed with herbal skin and coat supplements, rounding out a meal of smallish raw chicken drumsticks, blended with raw ground turkey, topped with raw egg, with raw sardines and scrambled raw egg, with a hunk of raw chicken thigh

The new, two-pound trial size box is available in four dog-specific recipes (Force, Embark, Love, and Keen) and one cat-specific recipe (Prowl). Each box makes about eight pounds of food, which lasts about three to four weeks when fed for one of the two meals at the House of Two Bows. Thus, it’s a fitting amount for a proper food trial, both in terms of volume and time. The previous one and three-ounce packages only give a shallow impression, basically letting you know if your pet will bite… or not. To get a better idea of potential benefits, you gotta have enough to s-t-r-e-t-c-h out the affair a bit.

So let me now take this opportunity to explain the top three reasons why I have stuck with The Honest Kitchen over the years:

• They’re just my physical type. Of all the different types of dog food — kibble, canned, raw, rolled, etc. — I find this dehydrated form to be the most versatile and portable. Every recipe is fully balanced on its own, but I like to add extras to bump up protein content or just to spice things up (also very easy to hide medication, as necessary). Meanwhile, rehydration adds necessary moisture, and that can be adjusted too.


When switching formulas or countering mild digestive upsets, I add Perfect Form to the mix. Pictured is THK Preference (meatless base mix) with ground turkey, topped with Perfect Form before mixing.

• They have a strong personality… insofar as one can speak of a company possessing a personality. I’m not referring to a cartoon mascot or hired spokesperson. I mean that the company visibly embraces specific food production values which overlap with lifestyle philosophies, all of which they forefront with abundant detail. Now, I don’t claim to be in complete alignment, but I feel like we’re on the same page on a lot of flashpoint issues inclusive of dogs and cats and also extending to matters of broader social import. There are too many examples to list here, but the thing is you don’t have to dig too deep to find out where the company stands on quality control, sustainable sourcing of ingredients (the tag “nothing from China” is even printed on the box), and even social issues like the balance between animal rescues and ethical breeding, etc.
  

  Honest Kitchen is clear about where all their ingredients are from, even if internationally sourced. All recipes are domestically manufactured in the US. Source: THK blog, http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/thk-blog/pet-food-with-no-ingredients-from-china/

• Third, they know how to communicate. They’ve been pretty social media-savvy from the start, especially on Facebook. Not only do you know about it when they’re adjusting recipes, they even solicit feedback in the course of making product changes. There’s a lot more they do to maintain integrity with their customer base. Again, too many examples to list here, but suffice to say, their presence and outreach efforts befit their status as a 21st century pet food company, both in the office and on the product shelves.

Finally, The Honest Kitchen is generously sponsoring a GIVEAWAY for one box of any of their 2-pound trial boxes:

• FORCE, free range chicken (grain-free)
• EMBARK, cage-free turkey (grain-free)
• LOVE, Midwestern beef (grain-free)
• KEEN, turkey with organic oats
• PROWL, free-range chicken for CATS

That’s right! Cat owners are invited to participate, as well. The only rules are that 1) you are committed to a long-term relationship with your pet(s) — so please tell us who you’re entering for, 2) you reside in the continental United States, and 3) comment on this post simply stating which recipe you would like to try out.

Deadline is Wednesday, June 18th at 11:59PM Pacific Standard Time, at which point one winner will be randomly chosen to receive their preferred two-pound box; three runner-ups will be chosen to receive sample packets of THK Perfect Form, a digestive supplement suitable for both dogs and cats. Because I will be personally mailing out the packets of Perfect Form, “runner up” winners can be from anywhere in the world — so international participants are welcome to comment, though you’ll be ineligible for the main prize.

Have at it, and good luck!

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REVIEW and GIVEAWAY: The Honest Kitchen Quickies

Tags

dog food, dog treats, fish, giveaways, honest kitchen, training treats

Product: The Honest Kitchen Quickies
Quantity: 2 oz tin
Price: $9.99 via THK site (here, and a special Valentine’s edition here; Valentine’s edition available in a case of 6 for $45, online special only)
Ingredient: Dehydrated haddock
Guaranteed analysis:

• Crude Protein, Min 83.5%
• Crude Fat, Min 0.85%
• Crude Fiber, Max 0.75%
• Moisture, Max 11.85%

Country of origin: Iceland; packed in the USA
Company information: The Honest Kitchen; 145, 14th Street; San Diego, CA 92101
Web Presence: TheHonestKitchen.com, on Facebook, Twitter, and elsewhere

Though I’m cynical enough to write off Valentine’s Day as a commercial holiday, I do think there’s merit to celebrating companionship in all its forms, not just in romantic, coupled, traditional terms. Indeed, there is much to be said for the enrichment that pets bring to human lives, and vice versa. One of the primary ways I express love and friendship is through food. Whether meticulously prepared in my kitchen or carefully selected in a store, food serves multiple, significant functions. Food not only nourishes our bodies, but also strengthens interpersonal bonds.

This is something that the folks at The Honest Kitchen obviously understand, judging from the rather amorous names to their products. Their treats, in particular, revel unabashedly in the pleasures of little displays of affection — Nuzzles, Pecks, Smooches, etc.

So then what are Quickies all about?

Quickies demand a more concentrated, intense technique. There’s a degree of spontaneity and furtiveness that you don’t get with other, more noticeable displays of affection. It’s not something you gloat publicly about. That’s not the point. Rather, it’s something that you keep private, tucked away, a secret to be shared only between you and the most deserving of intimates.

Translated in edible form, The Honest Kitchen got it exactly right: one tiny, pea-sized niblet of densely flavored, fishy goodness. Their Quickies training treats are made from a single ingredient, dehydrated haddock, and pressed into a heart shape. They have the texture of Smarties candies. I bet they provide a similarly potent burst of flavor.

While I want to indulge the Bows, I have to regard these Quickies as a more special treat to be doled out as a super jackpot. At 1.1 kcal per treat, they’re not excessive by any means. But the shape and the texture make for a special feeding experience.

What I love the most about the Quickies is the packaging. I actually squealed when I opened up the box and saw the tiny canister inside. The tube has a convenient, pop-open tin lid, and fits comfortably into the front pocket of my pants.

Is that a tube of Quickies in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

Coolest thing about this packaging is that you can shake the canister and train your pets to respond by basic Pavlovian conditioning. As a fairly tasty, high value treat, it shouldn’t be hard to integrate this into your training regimen with just a few repetitions.

The Bows love these treats. No question there. And I am completely enamored by the special Valentine’s Day packaging, which conjures up all kinds of nostalgic remembrances from childhood. I kind of want to order these by the case (the Valentine’s Quickies are available in quantities of 6 for $45) and deliver them to all the dogs in my neighborhood… Maybe the cats too, since I think they’re appropriate across species. Now, if only I knew all their names.

The only drawback about these treats is the price. Ten bucks seems like quite a lot for this little container… but let’s do the math here. 2 ounces is approximately 57 grams. At 1.1 kcal per treat, measured out at 333 kcal per 100 grams, we can say there’s about 190 kcal in this tiny little tin, or about ~170 treats.

Well, that sounds like quite a lot, actually! No, I didn’t do a proper count. And a couple weeks later, we’re still working on our first canister… but be warned that they can go pretty quickly.

So they’re not the most economical treats out there. That said, high quality, fish-based edibles tend to be more expensive in general, and are pretty few and far between. Quickies are worth trying at least once, because the packaging is worth saving. It’ll probably take us a month to finish our canister, and when they’re through, I’ll be holding onto the tube for a while yet.

After all, the Bows are coming to associate the rattle of that canister with the promise of a tasty tidbit.

Final Grade: A-

BONUS GIVEAWAY: We are giving away one 2 oz. canister of Quickies to a randomly chosen commenter who responds to the following question: Do you have a pet crush? That is, is there a cute pet you’ve noticed (any species) in your neighborhood, your group of friends, or even on social media? (It’s fine if your answer is no.) Just leave a comment by Thursday, February 13th, 11:59pm Pacific Standard Time for a chance at your own canister of Quickies.

Note: Winner must reside within the US or Canada. The Honest Kitchen provided us with two canisters of Quickies treats — one for review, and one for a giveaway. Opinions expressed in this post come from M.C. and the House of Two Bows.

REVIEW: The Honest Kitchen Pro Bloom Instant Goat’s Milk

Tags

digestive enzymes, goat's milk, honest kitchen, powdered milk, probiotics, supplements

Product: The Honest Kitchen Pro Bloom
Quantity: 8 oz box (contains 16 half-ounce pouches*)
Price: $23.99 via THK site (approx. $1.50 per pack)*
Ingredients: Dehydrated goat’s milk, dried aspergillus oryzae fermentation product, dried candida rugosa fermentation product, dried trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation product, dried pineapple fermentation product; dried lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried lactobacillus brevis fermentation product, dried bifidobacterium longum fermentation product, dried streptococcus thermophiles fermentation product
Guaranteed analysis:

• Crude Protein, Min 35 %
• Crude Fat, Min 1 %
• Crude Fiber, Max 0.5 %
• Moisture, Max 7.9 %

Country of origin: USA
Company information: The Honest Kitchen; 145, 14th Street; San Diego, CA 92101
Web Presence: TheHonestKitchen.com, on Facebook, Twitter, and elsewhere

Every now and then, I wander back to my fantasy goat farm and think about swapping my academic career “plans” for a couple dairy Alpines. I probably know as much about goats as I did about academia when I first started my degree(s)…

Which is to say, just about nothing.

I know I find goats enchanting, with their weird eyes and odd vocalizations that make me laugh until I cry when viewed in YouTube digest form… though, like academia, I’m sure some of these daily quirks wear thin in short order. I know that goats can be very affectionate towards humans, thanks in part to their long domestication history. Most importantly, they produce tasty cheese that costs/sells for oodles of foodiebucks, though I’m not necessarily a fan of goat milk.

The Bows, however, find goat’s milk to be quite a novelty, as I found out thanks to the Honest Kitchen, who sent us a couple sample packs of their new powdered goat milk supplement, Pro Bloom. The “pro” is for the additional probiotics and digestive enzymes loaded into the dehydrated mix, which you can check out in very full detail here.

In my cursory web searches on the use of goat’s milk for pets, I often stumbled across fairly broad claims of its efficacy. It’s praised for being highly digestible, even for those who are somewhat lactose intolerant (*raises hand*), it’s got more this and more that, it’s wholly nutritious unto itself, especially in its raw, natural form, etc. Well, I appreciate that THK is a little more restrained in their claims. This product is as much about the added probiotics as the milk itself, and they do supply plenty of information to assure you that the product will do what it is labeled to do — boost digestive gut flora that helps the body break down whatever needs to be consumed, but is not in and of itself a substitute for proper nutrition.

We know of at least one other commercially available goat milk product for pets, but THK is different in a couple ways. One is the aforementioned list of added cultures. Two is the fact that it is not raw, but pasteurized before dehydration. Third is its powdered form, which means it’s a lot easier to keep and offer as needed, and just as easy to rehydrate as their other products.

Each half-ounce pouch reconstitutes with a cup of warm water into a rich, fragrant mix. I sampled a few sips myself before offering some to the dogs (it’s described as “human-grade and made in the USA from pasture-raised, free-ranging goat’s milk in the Pacific Northwest[…], naturally free of pesticides, herbicides, growth hormones and antibiotics”). Bowdu was lapping up his share before the bowl even touched ground, while Bowpi hesitated, insisting that I take another sip from the prep bowl before she followed suit.

And then we entered Slurp City: Population, 2.

They licked everything clean, including the film rimming each bowl. As a powdered product, one can clearly see and taste the difference, but it’s not bad, for what it is.

The individuated packaging seemed excessive to me, but I can see its advantages. It is not priced for regular consumption (though apparently it’s great for nursing puppies and kittens), so most pets would probably be getting this on an occasional basis. Thus, the portioned pouches help keep the rest of the powder fresh and loose — a real concern with dry formulas in humid zones. You can also easily incorporate the powder into the rest of THK’s dehydrated mixes or other wet meals.

So if I ever end up with that goat farm, at least I know that the Bows will accept some milk in their fare. Until then, I suppose we’ll make do with it in this form.

* We only sampled two pouches and couldn’t test the product claims over a longer trial, so there’s not enough info to assign our typical letter grade. The most I can say is that Bows were happy with their samples and I am a fan of the company. I have ideas for how I would use it in the future, as I’m willing to try it again, though I’m not sure when I’d have occasion to spring for the cost of a full box. On a pass-fail scale, we can at least give this product a grade of SATISFACTORY (Pass).

REVIEW: True Chews Lils Pig Ear Pieces

Tags

chewy.com, dog food, dog treats, pig ears, true chews

Today’s post is a special treat, and not just for the dogs. I am excited to post the first review by R.J., the other human inhabiting the House of Two Bows.

Product: True Chews Lils Pig Ears Pieces
Quantity 2.5 oz (approx. 6 pieces of ear portions)
Price: $7.99 via Chewy.com
Ingredients: Pig ears, natural smoke flavor
Guaranteed analysis: ??? [N/A on their website, not listed on the packaging for this product]
Country of origin: USA
Company information: Tyson Pet Products, Inc.; 812 Third Street NW; Independence, IA 50644
Web Presence: Truechews.com, on Facebook, etc.

We’ve got two middle-aged dogs. A brash Shiba and a sneaky Basenji. Male and female, respectively. I’ve watched them snarl, yelp and snarl some more over discarded bones in a flooded gutter.

They’re driven by a desire to eat. All dogs are. They don’t discriminate.

I wish I could write that True Chews Lils Pig Ear Pieces brought a reverential calm over my dogs. That they both politely sat down and, before gently taking the pigs’ ears from my hands, blinked in unison. That they lingered over them, sniffed them, licked their chops… maybe tossed a glance my way, with gratitude in their eyes.

Actually, the pigs’ ears were snatched from my fingers (before I could be comfortably seated) and devoured inside of five minutes. The Shiba’s sitting tough at thirty pounds. The Basenji’s just over twenty. I mention this because the treats are marked as being for dogs up to twenty pounds. Usually the Basenji takes slightly more time with her food.

So these treats might be a little smaller than what the dogs are used to. To me, they seemed a little thicker than the ones plucked from a pet store bin. It doesn’t seem likely that they can be broken down into small pieces by clumsy humans.

The dogs, however, took fifteen seconds to figure out the right angle of attack, to gain the proper leverage for eating. Once each found the sweet spot, the ears were promptly broken down into three or four pieces and cruncha-cruncha-crunched. After the last pieces had been swallowed, the dogs spent an additional two minutes sniffing out and licking the microscopic debris left behind. Then they switched places, each searching for what the other might have overlooked.

This was, more or less, a typical encounter with chewing products. No one was hurt, no intestinal duress ensued. What more could you want from a dog treat?

The good people at True Chews insist that you are to supervise your dog’s enjoyment of their chewing treats. And to make sure there is clean drinking water at hand.

True Chews Lils Pig Ear Pieces are made with pride in Independence, Iowa.* They are rawhide-free, contain no filler, and marked as 100% natural. A natural smoke flavor has been added.

True Chews is also a proud sponsor of The United States War Dogs Association, Inc. Check this fine organization out, if you’d like, at http://www.uswardogs.org/ and give the US War Dogs’ Theme Song by Murray Weinstock a listen.

I do sincerely wish True Chews success. Their products seem as simple as they are satisfying. Six chews for eight bucks might be pushing it, and I don’t think the dogs really care about the natural smoke flavor. The Shiba will chew wood if you let him.

”

I’m giving this product an enthusiastic B+ rating.

text by R.J., photos by M.C.

* M.C. would like to highlight the fact that all True Chews are clearly labeled as US-made products, which provides some assurance for those of us concerned with country of origin for our pets’ edibles.

[Disclaimer: The House of Two Bows received a sample bag of treats from Chewy.com in exchange for our honest review.]

REVIEW: Prime Pet Supply online retailer

Tags

dog food, fromm family dog food, grizzly pet products, hurtta, jaraden, joint supplements, prime pet supply

Service: Prime Pet Supply mail order services
Web address: PrimePetSupply.com
Physical address: 2824 Steinway St. Ste 228; Astoria, NY 11103
Phone: 1-800-801-4386
E-mail: support@primepetsupply.com (customer support); contact@primepetsupply.com (business and media inquiries)
Social media: on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.

All right, I confess. This summer, I gave in to the lure of convenience offered by online pet supply mail order companies. We haven’t visited some of our favorite local pet boutiques in months, not for lack of desire, but time. This is what happens when the sole driver and primary dog supplies purchaser at the House of Two Bows ends up with a 9 to 5 office gig, a condition which I understand afflicts large populations of North America.

Trapped in my downtown office tower cubicle, I came to appreciate the type of service offered by companies like Prime Pet Supply. Indeed, finding a reliable online supplier of pet goods will be important in upcoming months, for reasons I shall reveal later…

Prime Pet Supply is a brand new company, based in Astoria, New York. We were invited to try out their services by Serkan Kutlubay, who is listed as the company founder along with co-founder Vanessa Quick (according to the American Pet Products Association; this information is not readily available on their site, though I always prefer to know who’s behind a brand). Their company promises the following:

We believe that our pets’ food and treats should be prepared with the same care and attention to healthy ingredients as the food we feed ourselves. We do the research for you and hand-pick each and every item to ensure that there have been no complaints regarding the quality of the product or its formula. Prime Pet Supply stands firm in our mission to offer only the highest quality. [from PrimePetSupply.com’s About Us page]

Wow! That’s a very high bar they’ve set for themselves. Let’s see how they measure up.

So the number one pet expense category that I care about is food. It’s not something that I usually purchase online, preferring to examine the package and check my own labels in person. But when I know what I want, it’s easy to pick it out from a list.

What I first noticed when entering the dry foods product category was that Natura products seemed to dominate the inventory: Innova, EVO, California Natural, HealthWise, Karma were all represented. Alas, we don’t feed any of these brands, and especially not after the last round of recalls, which unfortunately had occurred right as I began shopping from Prime Pet Supply. Concerned about how their company handles their stated commitment to quality in light of such a widespread recall, I shot an e-mail to Serkan with my concerns.

His response:

“The moment we received the recall notification that morning, we immediately marked out of stock all products related to the recall. After 15 minutes, all the recalled Natura products are marked as out of stock. I believe we acted fastest to that matter. […] So I am proud of my company we didn’t make any single sale after the recall. In next 2 hours we sent an email to all our Natura product customers and notified them about the recall, not only notified them about it, but also, we recommended them replacement brands such as Fromm and Great Life and also send instructions about receiving refund from Natura.

“I believe we handled this incident pretty well. We received many thank you email from our customers that day.

“From what we heard so far is very promising, the company [Natura] is doing their best to prevent future recalls and I believe this incident won’t be repeated. One reason we sell their pet foods, because of the ingredient and formula quality. However if they issue another recall then probably we will stop selling at least they dry food line.”

I was impressed with the thoroughness of his response. This is a point in favor of Prime Pet Supply, even if I don’t have the same faith in Natura. Currently, Natura products continue to be sold on their website. They offer several other options that I was happy to choose from.

The order I placed was as follows:

• Fromm Grain-free Pork and Peas recipe (12 lb. bag), $35.90
• Grizzly Pet Products Joint Aid – sensitive tummy formula (10 oz.), $14.90
• TOTAL: $50.80 $15.80 (after discount)

Under normal circumstances, orders under $69 tack on a $5.95 flat rate shipping charge, but we received a promotional discount and free shipping in exchange for this review.

So I did notice that their prices are not the lowest compared to other online retailers, and the free shipping threshold seems a bit high. However, they had the box at our doorstep fast — in just two days time, even though the company is stationed out on the East Coast like most of the other major online pet supplies retailers. You can also save 15% on items scheduled for auto-shipment. And of course, you save on gas and taxes, as compared to shopping locally.

The box was a little beat up in transit, but that’s not really their fault. What they may need to do, however, is to add more packaging in the box, as things do get jostled around within, especially when the package includes a large, heavy bag of kibble!

I deliberately ordered one large and one small item to see how they would handle the packaging. Grizzly Joint Aid comes in a pouch, not a bottle, so the beat up box didn’t affect the product itself. I also chose this item because it comes from a company I generally like, and I had not seen it offered by other online retailers. Always nice to learn about a joint supplement that I can offer in custom, measured doses.

Both Bows were most interested in the kibble. Good thing it arrived as quickly as it did, as we were getting down to the crumbs on their last batch of Fromm’s Salmon Tunalini. They haven’t tried Pork and Peas before, so it was a risk to splurge on a 12 pound bag; Prime Pet Supply doesn’t offer this new recipe in 4 pound bags. Since we’ve done well with this brand and with pork in general, I decided to go for the plunge. It’s working out well so far.

When buying food from an online retailer, I suspect most people go in knowing beforehand what they want to purchase, since returns can be such a bother. Unfortunately, Prime Pet Supply seems to be missing the majority of our regular food brands, though they do have a handful of others that look promising and unfamiliar to us.

On the upshot, they impress us with available brands in other categories, such as dog clothing. They offer Hurtta brand jackets and Jaraden pet carriers, which have caught my eye as well tailored, high end products that we do not see from other “all-purpose” pet suppliers. They also draw my attention to items of interest that I don’t normally scout out at local stores, like “natural” flea and tick deterrents from Alzoo.

The company is also in the midst of actively expanding its selection, as well as soliciting feedback from its customers. They are very interested in us, to the point where I had a live chat representative pop up one afternoon when I was sitting on the website… Woah. That was a little unexpected. I must admit that I brushed “Benny” off by quietly closing the window without bothering to say hi. Nevertheless, I like that this option is available during regular business hours, and that Serkan himself is so active and prompt to respond to e-mails.

Will this be my first go-to site for all my pet needs? Well, probably not… considering that my pets don’t need much by way of material goods other than edibles, and I’ve noted some of Prime Pet Supply’s inadequacies on that score. Will we check back and keep an eye on this site? Yes — especially if they can continue to differentiate themselves in other categories. They’re good for some surprises and a friendly, easy shopping experience. Time will tell what else they have in store.

Final Scorecard (in order of my priorities):
Cost effectiveness: B+
Customer service: A
Convenience: A
Selection: B
Quality of received products: A
Packing: B

OVERALL SCORE: B+

[Disclaimer: The House of Two Bows received a discount in exchange for our honest review. The opinions expressed in this post are from M.C. and the HoTB.]

REVIEW: Primal freeze-dried products

Tags

dog food, dog treats, freeze-dried raw, honest kitchen, primal raw, sponsored reviews

Product: Primal Freeze-Dried Canine Chicken Formula (complete meal)
Quantity: 14 oz. bag (approx. 64 nuggets)
Price: $27.99*
Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken Necks, Chicken Gizzards, Organic Kale, Organic Carrots, Organic Yams, Chicken Livers, Organic Broccoli, Organic Apples, Cranberries, Blueberries, Organic Pumpkin Seeds, Organic Sunflower Seeds, Minerals (Zinc Sulfate, Copper Carbonate, Sodium Selenite), Organic Parsley, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Salmon Oil, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Quinoa Sprout Powder, Dried Organic Kelp, Alfalfa, Natural Vitamin E, Mixed Tocopherols (natural preservative)
Guaranteed analysis:

Crude Protein (min), 37%
Crude Fat (min), 37%
Crude Fiber (max), 1%
Moisture (max), 2%

— AND —

Product: Primal Freeze-Dried Turkey Liver Munchies (treats)
Quantity: 2 oz. pouch
Price: $6.99*
Ingredients: Turkey Liver
Guaranteed analysis:

Crude Protein (min), 52%
Crude Fat (min), 5%
Crude Fiber (max), 1%
Moisture (max), 3%

Manufacturer: Primal Pet Foods
Country of origin: USA
Company information: 2045 McKinnon Ave, San Francisco, CA 94124; Phone: 415.642.7400 or 866.566.4652; Founder and President: Matt Koss (est. 2001)
Web Presence: Primalpetfoods.com; on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.

* Prices are based on one local retailer. We received one bag of each product from Primal Pet Foods in exchange for our honest review.

Primal was Bowdu’s first raw food love. If you search through the early archives of this blog, you’ll find me singing the praises of this company’s products, as they did so much to help us transition to a healthier diet during Bowdu’s summer of immune system meltdowns. Bowdu learned to literally sing for his dinner once we started feeding Primal raw, as demonstrated by this post and video back from 2010. He still serenades me every single night during dinner prep, and it’s all thanks to Primal that he found his voice.

However, it’s been a while since we’ve stocked any Primal meals, mainly because our limited freezer space has been occupied by meats, now that we’ve got the swing of a more DIY raw feeding system. So when Primal offered us a chance to test out a couple items in their freeze-dried product line, we gladly accepted the offer.

Primal’s freeze-dried raw offers several advantages over their frozen product. It’s lightweight, easier to store, and easier to prepare, though the process is entirely different. When we fed their frozen raw, I would portion out the appropriate number of nuggets the night before, thaw for about 24 hours in the refrigerator, then quickly temper the meat in hot water before serving — the last step being the extra push that really encouraged both Bows to take to a raw diet, as the warmer meat was more appealing to them. The freeze-dried products appear to use the same recipes, but the format is different.

You drop the desired number of nuggets into a bowl, and add water. I use water pumped out of my trusty Zojirushi heater (not straight off a boil, but hot), and let it cool to still-warm temps as the product soaks and rehydrates.

The instructions recommend about 1/4 cup of water for four nuggets, which is what you see above. I was impressed that rehydration happened within seconds. Once soaked, the nuggets were easily broken down with a spoon to help force water into the pores. This is quite different from other freeze-dried meals we’ve tried, which took much longer to reach an edible consistency. Primal’s freeze-dried nuggets are ready within minutes. Ideally, you want the end result to appear gloopy and mushy, as extra moisture is part of what rounds out the nutritional superiority of raw meals.

Bowpi (20 pounds) should get eight nuggets a day, and Bowdu (30 pounds) should get about twelve. They are both accustomed to quite a raw variety now, but I still eased them into the product by combining it with The Honest Kitchen’s Keen, which they’ve had regularly for the last couple months. This gave me a chance to compare the two products side by side.

They are comparable dehydrated pet foods from two companies with nutritional philosophies that I respect. The difference is that THK uses slow, air-drying processes, where ingredients are brought up to high enough temperatures so that they can’t bill their product as completely raw. Primal, on the other hand, can call itself a raw diet, as freeze-drying, or lyophilization, is a different (and more expensive) process. They also use High-Pressure Processing (HPP), a “unique, non-thermal process that kills pathogenic bacteria through high-pressure, water-based technology,” to ensure the food safety of their raw poultry products.

The Honest Kitchen formula that I happened to use for this comparison took slightly longer to rehydrate and came out bulkier. Some THK formulas do contain grains though, whereas Primal’s are all grain-free. Another major difference with Primal is the smell. Primal definitely registered in my nostrils as a RAW product, though not in an unpleasant way. It’s the scent of fresh meat and produce, which I’m sure added to the olfactory experience for the Bows.

Suffice to say, it was a big hit! I couldn’t really get pictures of the meals because they were consumed way too quickly.

What I could get the Bows to pose for were the Turkey Liver Munchies. This was just what I needed to help Bowpi weather some of our off-leash outings in the midst of fireworks season. I mentioned in a recent post that she gets extremely skittish when strange sounds are in the air. Though delicious liver treats were not a cure-all, they were an effective “adhesive,” keeping Bowpi closer than she otherwise would have stayed.

Bowdu is cool, Bowpi is hiding — but at least she’s with us

It’s hard enough for me to find raw turkey liver, so at least I can get it in this form. I love that these treats are made with a single protein, named organ. Even though we’re paying by the ounce, retail cost is reasonable, relative to other freeze-dried treats currently available. I just have to ration the goodies. Each bag contains many pieces in a variety of sizes. It’s best to break up the bigger chunks, as too much liver in either raw or dessicated form can be overkill.

But speaking of breaking things up — this is my biggest complaint. Like many freeze-dried products we’ve encountered, the pieces are just too crumbly, so you often end up with a bag of flakes or dust instead of whole, manageable pieces. I counted the nuggets I was able to count, and got to 40 pieces before I ended up with…

… this. Smithereens city. Given that each bag is supposed to contain about 64 nuggets, the crumbled portions account for over a third of the bag. Yikes!

This wouldn’t be so bad if rehydration and feeding guidelines were based on approximate dry volume, instead of nugget count. The crumbs still absorb water the same way, after all. Once you get used to the routine, it’s not too hard to eyeball the amount and adjust the moisture levels to the needs of your own pet. Meanwhile, the liver treat crumbs can be sprinkled onto any meal as a topper. Nothing need go to waste. Nevertheless, I do wonder if there’s a better way to package the product.

My other main issue is, unfortunately, cost. This is not an item that I can afford to feed exclusively, as both Bows would go through a single bag in about three days! I sometimes don’t even spend $9 a day feeding myself, let alone my dogs. To me, this is suitable as an occasional treat or perhaps emergency rations. I would much rather pack freeze-dried nuggets than heavy tubs of kibble on a camping or cross-country trip, for example. Resealable zippers add to the convenience of these products, but it all comes at a premium.

Overall, I have no complaints about the quality of ingredients, the processing method, or the reputation and overall standards of the company. Primal offers a lot of additional information about their products on their website, including where they source their ingredients and detailed nutritional data beyond what is required on the packaging, down to the percentage of organic ingredients, organ meat, bone content, and even calcium-to-phosphorus ratio (for example, see the complete listing for the chicken formula).

Reviewing these Primal products was like coming “home” in a way. They are familiar to us from our early days of food experimentation, and they’re also local. The company is headquartered just across the Bay in San Francisco, and they maintain strong links with local businesses and animal partners. However, Californians are not unique in how we treat or want to treat our pets. Primal products are distributed from coast to coast in the US and Canada, for now. They are one of several modern pet food companies that has helped raise the bar for how we live with our pets, and so they remain one to keep an eye on.

FINAL GRADES:
Primal Freeze-dried Canine Chicken Formula: A-
Primal Turkey Liver Munchies: A

REVIEW: Orijen Alberta Wild Boar freeze-dried treats

Tags

acana, champion pet foods, chewy.com, dog treats, freeze-dried raw, mr. chewy, off leash, orijen, pork, sponsored reviews

Product: Orijen Alberta Wild Boar singles freeze-dried treats
Manufacturer: Champion Pet Foods
Quantity: one pouch, 2 oz. (approx. 45 pieces) [also available in 3.5 oz packages]
Price: $7.99 via Chewy.com
Ingredients: Wild boar liver, boneless wild boar
Guaranteed Analysis:

• Crude Protein, 40% min.
• Crude Fat, 50% min.
• Crude Fiber, 1% max
• Moisture, 2% max

Country of origin: Canada
Company Information: Champion Pet Food; 11403-186 Street NW; Edmonton, Alberta; T5S 2W6 Canada
Web Presence: ChampionPetFoods.com, on Facebook

Champion Pet Foods, the makers of Orijen and Acana, have quite a reputation for making what they call “biologically appropriate™” kibble with a surplus of whole prey ingredients that is supposed to mirror what dogs and cats would eat if left to fend for themselves in the “wild.” That part of their marketing platform has always been less impressive to me than their claims of sourcing “authentically fresh regional ingredients” that come from named, sustainably farmed sources. They are generally brands that the Bows do well on (Acana, specifically), though they’re priced beyond our capacity to feed them exclusively.

Knowing they’ve got a solid foot in the market for high-end pet consumers, Orijen has boldly trotted out a new freeze-dried treat. This product is so new, I didn’t even know this was in the works until alerted by the folks at Chewy.com, who gave me the opportunity to review from the selection which includes single-protein blends of beef, bison, duck, lamb, or wild boar, as well as three blends based on some of their popular kibble recipes, Regional Red, Tundra, and Orijen Original.

from the Champion Pet Foods channel on YouTube

(Call me weird, but I actually seek out company-produced PR videos to get a sense of how the company markets itself and what kind of information they think is valuable for others to know. I do, however, take their presentations with a healthy sense of skepticism and intent to read between the lines, wherever I can.)

For this review, we chose the wild boar recipe, primarily because there are very few completely pork-based pet foods on the market. I’m already favorably disposed to this line of treats for offering novel proteins catering to pets with protein sensitivities (as seems to be the case with so many dog people we know)

Upon receiving the 2 ounce bag in an oversized box from Chewy.com, I admit thinking… this is it?? as I shook the lightweight package before the Bows. Freeze-dried products tend to be very porous, so it’s hard to feel like you’re making a satisfactory purchase at the outset. It’s one reason that I’m not a huge fan of this type of food processing. Previous experiences have left me feeling that the crumbly mess that often accumulates at the bottom of the bag makes it a particularly un-economical way to feed.

These treats, however, aren’t quite as crumbly as others we’ve tried. Chewy.com’s protective packaging seems to help ensure that you’re not getting a pouch full of crushed bits.

Lightweight they may be, freeze-dried products tend to be pretty rich — though these are less than 7 calories per treat. At any rate, you really don’t need to feed many of these at a time. The Bows, however, were completely taken by the novelty of the smell, taste, and texture.

They glommed so close when I busted out these treats that I realized this would be the perfect incentive for practicing more “difficult” maneuvers. They’re a good size, not particularly messy, and totally irresistible. I don’t do much complex training with the Bows, but I do frequently take them off leash in high distraction areas, something which neither Shiba Inu nor Basenjis are known to be good at…

Okay, so the Bows are already accustomed to off-leash walking on vast acreage, and this is only one lesson of “Off Leash 101,” so my video may very well simplify the process and exaggerate the efficacy of these treats… What is unusual, however, is the way that both Bows remain underfoot and jump up like unruly Compsognathus, Jurassic Park style. Point is that this is a special treat, as confirmed by the Bows’ responses!

Given how effective these are, I think the price point is just right, at least relative to other freeze-dried dog treats on the market. I’m not willing to spend more than $10 on a pouch of treats that will be finished off in days or a handful of training sessions, but Chewy.com’s price for the small pouch is fair for the quality of this product.

I’ve yet to see these at my local pet stores, so I don’t know how normal retail price compares. We are grateful that Chewy.com provided us with a free sample in exchange for our honest review.

Final Grade: A

REVIEW: Bugsy’s Box pet subscription service

Tags

Bugsy's Box, dog food, dog toys, dog treats, Exclusively Dog, made in China, nootie, pugs, subscription boxes, yumzies

Product: Bugsy’s Box pet box subscription service
Quantity: One big box of treats, toys, and accessories
Price: $29/box for a single month, as low as $19/box for a six month plan, shipping to US or Canada included*
Ingredients and materials: All kinds
Company information: 1320 State Route 9 72228; Champlain, NY 12919
Web Presence: Online at Bugsysbox.com, Facebook, Twitter

Everybody’s doin’ the box… the subscription box, that is. We’ve gotten a chance to try out several pet-specific boxes now (see the list under “Mail Order and Other Services” on our reviews tab). The latest to pass through our mail slot is Bugsy’s Box, named after the company owner’s 3-year-old pug who, in their words, “simply takes our breath away while hanging around the office daily.”

How did Bugsy’s Box stack up?

Not very well, I’m afraid.

Disapproving pug is sad that his fellow pug brethren could not do better!

A typical assortment from Bugsy’s Box contains “5 to 7 items which are a variety of high quality, hand picked, well reviewed dog treats, toys, care items, healthy supplements, accessories and more surprises such as coupons which are often included as a bonus” (Bugsbysbox.com front page). Included in this month’s offering was the following:

• Barking Bus animal cookies by Exclusively Dog, 1.5 oz box
• YumZies mini training treats by Nootie, Barbecue Chicken flavor, 6 oz. pouch
• Animal Safari soft toy by PetLou, 9″ size
• Lightweight Loofa stuffingless plush by MultiPet, 12″ size
• Fetch and Glow Ball by American Dog Toys, Size Medium
• Incredibubbles by PetQwerks, Peach flavored 3 oz. vial
• EcoDogPlanet Doggie Bags, 20 count box
• Carob flavored wafer cookies by Exclusively Dog, 3 count sample pouch

The box seemed very full, with a descriptive preview card printed on nice paper, making a great first impression. I zipped off a quick note to the company representative acknowledging receipt, and let him know it could take us a few weeks to adequately try out everything before formulating our honest opinion.

Well as it turns out, our turnaround is much faster because there are several items in the box that do not make it past this human’s quality control checkpoint.

I’ll start with the edibles, always the most coveted prizes here at the House of Two Bows, and three of the eight items in the box. I was initially intrigued by the Barking Bus animal crackers in cute retro packaging. However, on closer examination, I was rather dismayed by the ingredients:

wheat flour, sugar, vegetable fat, corn syrup, salt, natural vanilla flavor, cornstarch, sodium bicarbonate, lecithin, garlic powder

The sample pouch of carob flavored wafer cookies, also made by Exclusively Dog, did not fare any better with maltodextrins, sugar, dextrose, and caramel color on the list, ingredients that I find to be completely unnecessary in dog treats. Despite the assertion that Exclusively Dog treats use “wholesome, natural ingredients” that are even kosher, I take issue with how they are NOT truly “specially formulated for dogs,” as claimed.

We’ve seen a similar trend of dog cookies that look (and smell) cloyingly like junk food for people at PetCo. Exclusively Pets doesn’t appear to use the same formula, but the physical products look awfully similar and follow the same concept.

Top: Exclusively Dog Barking Bus animal crackers; Bottom: PetCo Animal Friends bulk cookies

So this may not be the same thing, but it’s not exactly “hard to find at your local per [sic] store,” as the insert card claims. Since at least one of my dogs already has a hard time battling plaque and tartar, which is fueled by sugar, I would rather not feed these cookies at all.

It turns out that the highest quality edible in this box is the pack of YumZies training treats, of which there was a generous pouch. However, we’ve had these before, and unfortunately, we didn’t think much of them …

Okay, so maybe Bugsy’s Box finds its strengths in other categories. Even though the Bows don’t usually take much interest in toys, perhaps there’s something there to redeem the box. Four out of eight items, after all, are of this category. Let’s see which ones my dogs would choose first!

Since Peepsy likes to shred towel-like items, she must want the Loofa SMILE! plushy! Yes?? *dangle dangle*

Erm, no. Apparently I was misprioritizing her sleepytime by asking her to help review these items. It’s just as well that she didn’t care to put anything in her mouth, as both plushes, with their brightly colored dyes and embedded squeakers, are made in China. Like many conscientious pet owners, we have concerns about purchasing any Chinese-made goods that could possibly be ingested. Perhaps I’d be less adamant about this if the Bows were still teething pups ripping through a dozen toys a month or if we didn’t have other options for mental stimulation, like hiking and other outdoors activities.

The IncrediBubbles and Fetch and Glow ball fare marginally better, being made in Taiwan (a separate country from China with better manufacturing oversight). However, the irony is that the glow ball comes from a company that calls itself American Dog Toys (headquartered in Minnetonka, MN). This reflects badly on Bugsy’s Box when they claim on their insert that “our treats, care items and essentials are all made in the USA or Canada!”

Someone either forgot to edit the placard or didn’t screen the products carefully… At least all the food items, questionable ingredients aside, are made in the USA.

On a more positive note, the specially formulated, pop-resistant IncrediBubbles were so superfluous as to be endearing. I had never considered bubbles as an interactive toy before, let alone a light calorie treat! I mean, they’re peach-flavored, after all! Anyway, Bowdu was surprisingly interested.

… for a while.

I’ll definitely pull these out again for another photo day. It’s rather hard to blow bubbles and take pictures while trying to keep the soapy residue off my equipment. The PetQwerks site assures consumers that the formula is “non toxic,” but it does leave a sticky film that should be considered inedible, given how long it persists. Even an hour afterward, I found intact bubbles sitting on the lawn, and I was plucking plasticine bits off Bowdu’s fur the next day…

Speaking of persistent plastics, we’re down to one last item — poop bags from tapioca-based plastics, made in Indonesia, from Eco Dog Planet.

Dog owners always have a need for poop bags, so this is not a gift to be taken lightly. We like these because they are truly practical and ecological… but not particularly economical, at least not as the most worthwhile item in the entire assortment. For a $29 box (which is the month-to-month price), I expect to be wowed by more than a roll of poop bags that will be used up within a week in our two-dog household.

The overall value of this box, based on generous retail calculations, would be approximately $50, though it could be as low as $27 based on lowest Amazon prices and my estimates. Let’s compare to their going subscription rates (shipping included with all prices):

• Month-to-month, single box rate: $29
• 3-month subscription: $23/box = $69
• 6-month subscription: $19/box = $114

So one would have to commit to at least a three-month gamble for this to make economical sense, if you like everything in the box. Alas, our experience based on one box does not make us very optimistic. Was this a fluke? I really don’t know. I do know, however, that there are several competing subscription pet boxes offering better deals at each price tier.

Bugsy’s Box has its work cut out if it wants to catch up with the competition.

FINAL GRADE: C+

* Note: The House of Two Bows received one box in exchange for our honest review. The opinions contained are entirely my own.

On Sunday evening, I e-mailed the company contact, who is apparently the founder, a summary of my criticisms, and offered to publish his response to accompany this review. I have received no acknowledgment as of the Friday morning that this review was posted. Lack of communication factored into my final assessment. Though this review may very well be buried by the search engines, we do not take the task lightly. We always prefer to see companies with demonstrable evidence of their good intentions or desire to improve, and I’m sorry we had very little to go by here.

Comfortis: monthly flea protection in an oral dose

Tags

ADE reports, advantix, adverse drug experiences, allergies, bad reactions, Center for Veterinary Medicine, comfortis, drug reactions, drugs, elanco, FDA, flea allergies, flea dermatitis, flea preventatives, fleas, frontline, milbemycin oxime, spinosad, trifexis, veterinary medicine

When Bowdu was battling his summer of extreme allergies, I became adamant about the need for continuous flea control. In the past, we’d used monthly topicals with apparent success. It was difficult to see any bugs camping out in Bowdu’s thick fur forest anyway. But in the process of trying to deal with his allergies and improve his skin condition after his hypothyroidism diagnosis, our vet — a new one to us, at the time — recommended that we bathe Bowdu a little more frequently during allergic months, and give him an oral flea preventative to complement that measure. She recommended Comfortis (spinosad), which we’d never tried or heard of before from any of our previous vets. We started using it in October 2010 and have been satisfied with its effectiveness.

There are several disadvantages to spot-on topical flea treatments like Advantix and Frontline. The application process itself isn’t an issue, but I never liked the smell — and if I dislike it, I can only imagine how the lingering scent assaulted Bowdu’s sensitive nose. They leave an unnatural residue, I couldn’t bathe let alone touch the dogs for days after application, and even when instructions were followed to the letter, fleas seemed to return well before a whole month had lapsed… as we found out when we got Bowpi, whose short fur made them easier to detect.

The Bows are active, outdoorsy, and relatively social. If we do nothing, they will pick up fleas, and the last thing we need is an infestation in the house. So it’s critical for me to keep them on some kind of flea preventative — Bowdu in particular, as I fear that a single bite could trigger an itch that would cascade into another summer of dermatitis hell.

So Bowdu gets his flea meds pretty much every month here in the California Bay Area, the land of eternal spring. Fleas never seem to go dormant here, and I’d rather Bowdu be on prevention than deal with the aftereffects. I am more conservative dosing Bowpi for a number of reasons.

For one thing, she really hates the taste. Comfortis claims their product is a “chewable, flavored tablet” that is “readily consumed by dogs.” If it tastes like it smells, it must be rich with the flavor of… medicine. Blechk. We learned just how adept Bowpi can be at spitting out pills because of this drug, which she will NOT ingest unless it’s split up and well hidden in a flavorful, sticky meal. Since you’re supposed to administer this with food, luckily this is not a huge issue.

Secondly, Bowpi’s short fur makes it not only makes it easier to find, but also to eliminate fleas by hand. I’ll often let her go without the drug until I do happen to see a bug. Then I snatch it off her white belly or wherever, she gets medded at next meal, and the problem is quickly resolved. It is startlingly fast and effective; one time, I just happened to find a dead flea on her two hours after dosing her. The package claims that one dose will start killing fleas in 30 minutes, and it remains effective for an entire month. I do not exactly understand the internal mechanism by which the drug spinosad works, but it’s obviously potent!

The main reason I take it easy with Bowpi is because of her weight. She ideally hovers around 20 pounds, give or take half a pound. But the first time my vet sold us the drug, she automatically prescribed the same dosage for Bowpi as 30-pound Bowdu. This makes it easier for us to just buy one box specified for dogs 20.1 ~ 40 pounds that we can give to either dog as necessary, instead of having to purchase two separate boxes.

HOWEVER, I do not give either dogs a full pill. I generally break each tablet into four quarters as evenly as possible, and give Bowpi the equivalent of half a pill while Bowdu gets three-quarters.

I do this for a couple reasons. Elanco’s product label for Comfortis states that the 10.1 ~ 20 pound dosage contains 270 mg of Spinosad per tablet. The 20.1 ~ 40 pound contains 560 mg of Spinosad per tablet, or just a little more than double the amount of drug in the previous weight range.

Recommended minimum dosage for the drug to be effective is 13.5 mg/pound — so each dose actually contains just a little more than this baseline amount for the top end of the weight range to ensure the drug’s effectiveness. Bowpi for example, if at a full 21 pounds, would need at least 283.5 mg (50.6% of a pill) and Bowdu at 30 pounds needs at least 405 mg (72.3%). The drugmakers expect the dogs to be able to tolerate some overage, and indeed, my dogs never seemed to have any problems the two times I gave them the full pill.

Unfortunately, many others do. I first noticed an alarming number of online reports of negative reactions to Comfortis collected in the comments section of an entry by Dr. Patty Khuly dated March 29, 2008 on Fully Vetted, Comfortis, the flea-killing wonder drug, and the general state of flea drug resistance. It was introduced to veterinary use that year, and Dr. Khuly was singing its praises. The comments piling up under that post, however, seemed overwhelmingly negative — now at 139 comments at the time of this post and still accumulating, including the top voted comment about a Shiba Inu’s bad reaction. I have seen no followup on Fully Vetted or on Dr. Khuly’s new blog at VetStreet.

And then I started noticing handfuls of Shiba and Basenji people on my breed-specific forums reporting and asking about bad reactions to Comfortis and its sister drug, Trifexis (which contains both spinosad and milbemycin oxime for heartworm prevention). I got curious and asked about specific weights and dosages, and noticed that everyone who reported issues had pets that weighed in the lower 20-something pounds, but were giving full pills for 20.1 ~ 40 pound dogs. In one case, a Shiba owner followed up with a call to the company hotline, and was told that her specific cluster of symptoms (laying in “contorted positions,” being unresponsive, trembling, having difficulty maintaining balance) had not been reported before.

Unfortunately, the company representative was flat-out wrong. The FDA has actually collected pages and pages of documented Adverse Drug Experiences for both Comfortis and Trifexis — cumulative reports available in .pdf form here (search by drug name, not product name). So make no mistake — it is a controlled substance, and no drug is “perfectly” safe, as the full document made apparent to me.

That said, my own dogs have not had any problems with it, especially not after I began minimizing and fine-tuning the dosage on my own. My own conclusion was not that the drug itself was inherently evil, but that it remains important to monitor my pets for their own, individual sensitivities. Because the Bows have not reacted badly, and for us, the benefits outweigh the [unseen, to us] risks, I do plan to continue using Comfortis. Nevertheless, knowing that my specific breeds (and of course, others) commonly fall in that lower 20-pound danger zone, where they seem most susceptible to the possibility of overdosing, I will continue to suggest splitting up the pills as a precaution. No, the drug is not “guaranteed” to be blended evenly throughout the pill, and it’s not scored for ease of division. But this works for me until Elanco decides to fine tune this particular dosage jump.

Note: a similar problem applies in the difference from 40.1 ~ 60 pounds (810 mg) and 60.1 ~ 120 pounds (1620 mg), but the change is most pronounced in the size upgrade I’ve been discussing.

In summary…

Comfortis PROS:

• Highly effective, fast-acting, consistent
• Leaves no smell or residue
• Lasts a whole month
• Allows pets to be bathed as necessary
• Relatively easy to administer with food, though picky pillers may need some tricks

Comfortis CONS:

• Noxious smell and taste may make it unpalatable to some dogs
• Must be prescribed by your vet
• More expensive than topical treatments (approx. $60/box for spot-ons vs. $90/box for a 6-pack of Comfortis)
• Does not take care of ticks
• Poor customer support from company (based on my own experiences in addition to anecdotal information above)
• Potential for adverse drug effects not fully acknowledged

Finally, if you do find that your pet has experienced an adverse reaction to this or any drug, please ask your vet to help you fill out an Adverse Drug Experience form to send to the FDA. Internet anecdotes and the advice of well-intentioned non-professionals such as myself should always be taken with caution. Ultimately, the relevant regulatory agencies also need to be notified through the appropriate channels.

Adverse Drug Experience form: http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/SafetyHealth/ReportaProblem/ucm055305.htm
Comfortis website: https://www.comfortis.com/
Trifexis website: https://www.trifexis.com
Elanco Pet Health (makers of Comfortis and Trifexis): https://www.elanco.com/products-services/pet-health.aspx

Edited to add more relevant links to anecdotal information as I stumble across new info:
Trifexis Toxicity in Dogs: Charlie had a Scare!

REVIEW: Pawalla Mini Box

Tags

aromatherapy, dog toys, dog treats, gerrard larriet, grizzly pet products, pawalla, salmon, sponsored reviews, subscription boxes, training treats, wigzi

EDIT: On 22 August 2013, Pawalla announced that it is “no longer operating as a subscription service.”

Product: Pawalla Mini box subscription service for pets
Quantity: [at least] one treat, one toy, and one other “surprise” item
Price: $12 / month for a full year subscription; $14 / month for 6 month subscription; $17 a month for a single month [BONUS: new subscribers can save $5 with our referral code; if expired, just leave a comment and we’ll issue a new code ASAP]
Ingredients: all kinds!
Company information: Pawalla.com, 9415 Culver Blvd.; Culver City, CA 90232
Web Presence: At Pawalla.com, Facebook, etc.

The folks at Pawalla.com are pretty good to the Bows. In fact, that’s what the company is set up to do — pamper your pets. They recently came up with a more compact version of their monthly subscription box of “all-natural or organic” dog and cat goodies, and sent us a complimentary box in exchange for a review. This was also a good opportunity to see how far they’ve come since we reviewed their full service kits back in July 2012.

In each Mini box, a subscriber can expect three full-size items, including at least one treat, one toy, and one other “surprise” such as a dietary supplement or grooming aid. For this review, we received:

• Grizzly Salmon NuTreats, one pack (6 oz)
• Wigzi Tasties Treats, Roasted Duck flavor, one pack (6 oz)
• Wigzi Lock n’ Play dog toy, medium
• Gerrard Larriett Happy Jasmine Aromatherapy Freshening and Shining Spray, one bottle (4 fl. oz)

How nice of them to include not just one, but two full-sized treat offerings to round out the overall value (as will sometimes happen at Pawalla’s discretion). A quick tabulation of retail price on these goodies tops me off at about $36, with a third of that accounted for by the Gerrard Larriet aromatherapy spray. Now, whether or not one would actually pay $12 for pet-specific fragrances is another matter… and not even the 25% discount code included in the box was enough to convince me that this company offers anything that my dogs need or want. Perhaps if this had happened to arrive on the day of our most recent horse poop adventure, I would have thought otherwise…

Silly to me, but it was indeed unexpected. And the whole point of the Pawalla box is to offer a variety of surprises with the expectation that there will be enough novelty in each box to make the deal worthwhile. So that one dud aside, how’d they do?

The Bows, as usual, showed greatest interest in everything edible.

It was pointed out to me that the above picture makes the Grizzly Salmon NuTreats look like something I picked up on a morning walk. They’re actually quite appetizing, crunchy bites! We mainly know Grizzly Pet Products as a trusted brand in salmon oil supplements. Nice to know they make a training-sized treat with simple ingredients, as well.

The “star” of this box was Wigzi, a Washington, D.C.-based pet product company. Their Tasties treats are grain and wheat-free, made instead with chick pea and tapioca flour. We got the roasted duck variety (other possible flavors include peanut butter and Wisconsin cheddar), which were eagerly gobbled as one of the “forbidden flavors” not typically fed at the House of Two Bows.

The treats, however, are just a bit too crumbly to insert into the company’s own Lock ‘n’ Play chew toy with a treat pouch, which otherwise serves as an interesting alternative to typical rubber chew toys. Wigzi toys are all made in the U.S. (a rare find in non-edible pet products!) from some special “advanced material… [that] has zero BPAs or Phthalates, uses FDA approved material and is also recyclable.” If an object could glow with pride from being manufactured under superior conditions, I suppose this toy would do just that.

Personally, the Bows have limited interest in toys. The few we keep around are usually functional and interactive, as this one is. Too bad we don’t have a heavy chewer around to test its durability, but it does look — and smell! — unique.

Overall, the Pawalla Mini box looks promising if you know you’re going to spend at least $12 per month indulging your pets with extras. No wet foods or “main course” meals are included with Mini boxes, so it’s a good option for those who already have fairly set menus (perhaps cat owners?), and prefer to explore other, supplemental offerings. In this particular box, we really only made use of the treats, which I feel just barely makes it a $12 value — the lowest price per box for a 12 month subscription at Pawalla’s new tiered pricing scheme. At $14 a month for a six month subscription, my pet(s) better be inclined to enjoy both food and toys. At $17 a box for a one-time affair, we’d better be sure to love everything, and honestly, that wasn’t the case with this box.

Like the full-sized Pawalla box, the edibles here were all corn and wheat-free, with no artificial colors or flavors. Having a certified pet nutritionist on board is reassuring, but more importantly, Pawalla cares to maintain consistent high standards. This would make an awesome “puppy-warming” gift for a new pet with no protein allergies who might still be exploring their taste preferences. New subscribers can knock $5 off their first box with our referral code; otherwise, it’s most cost efficient to just spring for a six or twelve-month subscription.

FINAL GRADE: A-

EDIT: On 22 August 2013, Pawalla announced that it is “no longer operating as a subscription service.”