Three Dog Bakery - All Natural Food and Treats for Dogs

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Okay, I'll admit it....I actually took a bite of one of these treats because it smelled so good. And you know what? It WAS good! No wonder my pups love them!

What the heck am I talking about? I'll explain.

Recently, I was given the opportunity to try several products from the Three Dog Bakery on my guys. I was sent samples of their dry kibble, wet entree meals, and assorted treats. I was familiar with their treats (especially the cookies with carob chips which my pups love) and the entree meals, which I feed my guys for dinner occasionally. I was aware of the company and their philosophy, and liked what I saw. I had never tried the kibble, though, so I was looking forward to letting my 4-legged critics give it a try.

First a little background on the company. Three Dog Bakery was founded in 1989 by Mark Beckloff and Dan Dye....and of course their three dogs, Gracie, Sarah, and Dottie. The company has grown to have stores all over North America, as well as Japan and China, not to mention their online store.

In addition to dog food and treats, they have an assortment of "bakery" items that, quite frankly, I wouldn't mind eating myself. There are "pupcakes", personalized bone shaped or round cakes, sandwich cookies, Beagle Bagels, and many other items. They are basically just like cakes and cookies for people, only with less fat, no refined sugar, and nothing artificial. Their treats come in flavors such as peanut butter, carob chip, vanilla, apple and oatmeal, mint, sweet potato, and molasses.

Three Dog Bakery promotes their products as "all natural food and treats for dogs." They do not use any preservatives or chemicals, artificial colors or flavors, fillers, refined sugars, or salt. Their food and treats are made in the USA. Pet owners are encouraged to bring their dogs to the store with them, where they can try out various free samples...and probably do a lot of drooling!

A look at the ingredients they use and their manufacturing process gave me nothing at all to growl at (sorry, I know that was corny). High quality proteins, grains, vegetables and fruits are listed. They do not use any by-products. Let's look at a couple items individually.

Their Bakery Blend dry kibble is baked rather than extruded. If you have been reading my blog all along, I explained in an earlier entry about those processes. Baking gives a crunchier, more nutrient-dense kibble than food extruded at high heat levels. There are several formulas, but I will look at the wheat-free lamb and rice (the chicken formula does contain wheat). The ingredients listed are: Lamb meal, ground oats, lamb, ground potatoes, chicken fat (preserved with vitamin E), dried eggs, beet pulp, cranberries, blueberries, garlic, sage, ground flax seed, and a long list of vitamins and minerals. I found nothing in the list that would be cause for concern or make me hesitate to use this food. My guys loved it, by the way.

I tried their Entree for Dogs Chicken, Carrots and Green Beans flavor on my dogs. The food is sealed in foil-lined pouches, ready to eat. The stuff smelled good enough that it made me hungry! It looked like a stew I would make for my family. The ingredients are: Chicken, carrots, green beans, cooked rice, flax seed, and a list of vitamins and minerals. There are a couple other flavors as well.

You already know the dog cookies are good...I admitted to trying one!

Three Dog Bakery has a couple of charitable, non-profit organizations they created. The Three Dog Bakery Foundation offers financial assistance in the form of grants to any properly licensed, non-profit dog or cat group with a focus on rescuing dogs and cats. The company donates up to 1% of their profits to help support the Foundation. The Gracie Foundation acts as a "red cross for dogs" in need. It works to provide immediate response and crucial supplies to pets in emergency situations, offering financial assistance to properly licensed, non-profit companion animal groups.

All in all, I am very impressed with the company, its products, and their general philosophy and charitable work. I would not hesitate to recommend any of their food or treats to anyone, and will continue to use some of them myself.

Give them a try. Your dogs will NOT be disappointed!

Oh yeah.....they do make "We Pity the Kitty" all natural cat treats as well.

Their site: http://threedog.com/

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Natural...and safe....alternatives for flea and tick control

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I've never been a fan of using chemicals of any sort on my dogs, but after researching the spot-on products and reading all the information on side effects and the EPA findings, I would definitely not use them now!

We do need to control fleas and ticks on our pets, yet at the same time we don't want to subject them to possible harm from chemical pesticides. Where does that leave us? Are there natural flea and tick controls that really work?

The answer is a resounding "yes". There are a number of natural options that work quite well in eliminating fleas, ticks, and other insects from pets, homes and yards.

We should consider the life cycle of the flea to get a perspective on controlling them. Most commercial flea and tick control products target the adult fleas that are on the pet. Understand, though, that only about 5% of the flea population consists of adults that are actively on the animal. Nearly 85% of the flea population consists of eggs and larvae. Another 10% consists of pupae, which are in a cocoon that is pretty much impenetrable. Some of the eggs may be laid on the pet, but most eggs and larvae are found on the ground, in the carpet, around baseboards, etc. From this, it would seem that the most effective treatment for fleas would be directed at the eggs and larvae.

You may notice as well that some animals seem to always be plagued with fleas, ticks, worms, etc., while others...even those in the same household...are rarely bothered. Animals with a weakened immune system may develop severe allergy symptoms from just one or two bites. It makes sense, then, that in order to protect our pets from these parasites, we need to start on the inside, building their health and resistance with a healthy diet and appropriate supplements. There are a number of really good supplements on the market (Nupro, Animal Essentials, Missing Link, and others) that provide needed nutrients and probiotics, herbal supplements, and immune boosting ingredients.

There are several inexpensive nutritional supplements commonly found in most cupboards or in your local supermarket that are great for parasite control. Fleas seem to particularly dislike the taste of garlic and yeast (nutritional or brewer's yeast). Mixing these in with your dog's food can make their blood unpalatable to fleas. Garlic cloves can be crushed and added to food with a spoonful of brewer's yeast. An easier, and less smelly, way to add the garlic is to buy odorless garlic tablets and putting them on the food, either crushed or whole. These supplements will take close to a month to build up in the pet's system enough to be effective in flea control, so it is best to start them early in the spring before fleas and ticks become active.

If your dog already has fleas, a flea comb is very effective in trapping fleas and flea eggs and removing them from your pet. Daily grooming is best. Believe it or not, Dawn dish washing liquid works wonders for a flea infested dog. The oils in it will suffocate the fleas, keep the eggs from sticking to the hair follicles, and keep the dog's skin/fur from drying out. There are good natural shampoos available as well that contain various essential oils which kill fleas and ticks. It is important to start by shampooing the neck and working your way down to keep the fleas from swarming up to the dog's face and ears. These work well for getting rid of fleas present on the dog, but do not have any residual effect.

Essential oils are a very effective, traditional way to repel fleas and ticks. The best oils for the job are:

• Peppermint
• Cedarwood
• Lavender
• Tea Tree
• Citronella
• Melaleuca
• Cinnamon
• Rosemary
  

Cedarwood and Peppermint oils block a specific neurotransmitter in insects called "octopamine" which regulates their nervous system. When exposed to these octopamine blockers, insects such as fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, flies, bed bugs, mites and lice lose their ability to function and die quickly. These oils and others can be applied to your pet's collar, mixed in with their regular shampoo, or mixed in a spray bottle with water and misted onto your dog's fur.

I have been using a mix of cedarwood, peppermint, cinnamon and rosemary oils in a shampoo and a spray on my dogs, and I haven't had any problems with fleas or ticks since. The added bonus is that my dogs smell faintly like potpourri!

For every flea you see on your pet, there are 4 or 5 times that many, at least, in your house or yard. Steam cleaning carpets will kill flea eggs. Vacuum and clean floors once or twice weekly to get rid of flea eggs, larvae and pupae. Wash the pet's bedding thoroughly.

Boric acid powder can be sprinkled on the carpet. The powder will remain down in the carpet even after vacuuming because of the fine particle size. It kills flea larvae on contact and is residual.

Another really great flea controller is diatomaceous earth. Diatomaceous earth is an all-natural product made from the fossilized skeletal remains of single-celled plants called diatoms. It is a very fine powder to us, but to insects it is a lethal dust with microscopic razor-sharp edges which cut the flea's protective outer covering, leading to dessication and death. It is completely harmless to humans and animals. Apply it to areas where fleas seem most prevalent. A dusting on the pet's bedding and furniture, a light sprinkling on carpets and wood floors, a teaspoon or two beneath appliances or cupboards and along baseboards is all that is needed. The dust will work its way into cracks and crevices where fleas might hide. The effectiveness of the dust does not wear out, but it can be accidentally sucked up when vacuuming so you may need to reapply in certain areas. Be sure to buy the unrefined type of diatomaceous earth, not the type used in swimming pool filters.

For outdoor flea control, there is a great biological control available. Nematodes are microscopic worms that eat flea larvae and naturally control the population. They are applied via a lawn sprayer, and, within 24 hours, brings about a 90% decrease in the number of flea larvae. It is a good idea to reapply them every spring to make sure the population is adequate to keep fleas in check.

If ticks are a major problem, there is a rather unconventional option to control them. If you live in an area where you are able to have them, guinea fowl are about the best tick control available. They love ticks, and a small flock of them will rid your yard of ticks, grasshoppers and other insects in a very short time. They are hardy, healthy birds and can be trained to come when called. The eggs can be eaten, as can the birds themselves. Check out these sites:
http://www.guineafowlinternational.org/ or http://www.lymediseasepa.com/GuineaHens.htm

As you can see, there are quite a few options for parasite control that do not involve any toxic chemicals. If used diligently, you can keep your pet happy and pest-free this summer.

A word of caution...cats are very sensitive to most essential oils and many do not recommend using them on cats at all. They are also more sensitive to garlic than dogs. You may want to check with your vet before using any of these methods on cats.

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Halo shares its recipe for "Spot's Stew"

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Halo is a terrific company that sells natural and holistic pet foods and products. I can testify that their stuff is first rate. I have personally used their supplements, grooming products and foods with great results. The best part is there are no chemicals or filler ingredients in any of it. Their "Spot's Stew" is wonderful. All the ingredients are human-edible, and all their grooming and flea products are all natural herbals.

If you want a great recipe for homemade dog food, try this one!
Dateline: Tampa, Fla.

Release Date: Monday, December 01, 2008

Halo shared their recipe for Spot's Stew, the original inspiration for the company, to help people and their pets have a healthy Thanksgiving.

The formula was developed when Halo founder Andi Brown’s pet cat, Spot, was struggling with allergies and other health issues. Spot’s Stew was created in her kitchen in 1986.

The recipe can be tweaked to accommodate cats and dogs.

Spot’s Chicken Stew from Halo
2 ½ pounds whole chicken
¼ cup chopped fresh garlic
1 cup green peas
1 cup coarsely chopped carrots
½ cup coarsely chopped sweet potato
½ cup coarsely chopped zucchini
½ cup coarsely chopped yellow squash
½ cup coarsely chopped green beans
½ cup coarsely chopped celery
1 tablespoon kelp powder
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
11 to 16 cups spring water

For dogs only: Add 8 ounces whole barley and 6 ounces rolled oats, and adjust the water content to a total of 16 cups, or enough to cover the ingredients. According to Halo veterinarian Donna Spector, cats require zero carbohydrate content in their diet, so this would be an unnecessary addition for cats.

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a 10-quart stainless-steel stockpot with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat as low as possible and simmer for two hours – the carrots should be quite soft at the end of the cooking time. Remove from the heat, let cool, and debone the chicken.

With an electric hand mixer, or using a food processor and working in batches, blend all the ingredients into a puree; the stew should be slightly thicker for dogs and more soupy for cats. Using zip lock bags or plastic yogurt containers, make up meal-sized portions. Refrigerate what you’ll need for three days and freeze the rest.

Serving size:
Amounts will vary depending on age, activity level, health, weight and season, but here are some guidelines: The average adult cat will eat roughly one cup a day. For dogs consult the table below. The amount shown should be split into at least two meals daily.

Dog’s Weight/Daily Portion

• Up to 10 pounds - 1 to 1½ cups
• 11 to 20 pounds - 2 to 3 cups
• 21 to 40 pounds - 4 cups

For each additional 20 pounds, add two cups.

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Just what IS in my dog's food, part 9: Dyes

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Dyes

Dyes are another unnecessary ingredient in dog food, since dogs do not care about the color of their food. This is strictly aimed at making products look more appealing to humans, for example by hiding the grey color of poor quality rendered products or visible variations in ingredients, or attempting to make a food look like it contains more meat by adding red dye.

While natural substances like caramel coloring are harmless, they are still unnecessary and generally only serve to make a food look more appealing and uniform to the human eye.

Science also tells us that food dyes are linked to serious disease. The Public Citizen Health Research Group has tried, unsuccessfully, to force the FDA to ban dyes linked to disease. They report that in 2005, over 6 ½ million pounds of Red #40, over 4 million pounds of Yellow #5, and over 600 thousand pounds of Blue #2 were used in pet foods and other products. Red #40 is linked to lymphomas, Yellow #5 is linked to allergies, thyroid tumors, and lymphocytic lymphomas, and Blue #2 is linked to brain tumors.

What to avoid:
►Blue 2, Red 40, Yellow 5 and 6, other "numbered" dyes

http://www.feingold.org/Research/dyesinfood.html

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Just what IS in my dog's food, part 7: Flavorings - Yum or Yuck?

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High quality foods do not really need any flavorings, but natural ones are harmless and may even add a little nutritional value. The sole purpose of flavoring agents in pet food is to make the food palatable to the pet.

The food that comes from the manufacturing plant is often so rancid that no dog would touch it. So why does your dog come running when you open a new bag of commercial pet food? Because that overpowering odor wafting from the bag smells like dinner to him. Fat is sprayed directly on the morsels of food, and that is what you and your dog smell. The fat that entices him to eat is gathered from the rendering plant, restaurant grease, and other sources of fats and oils that are too rancid for human consumption. The restaurant grease is gathered from various establishments and stored in huge drums, sometimes outside for weeks at a time in extreme temperatures. Fat is also used as a sort of glue to stick other flavors to pet food morsels. These flavors and the sprayed fat trick pets into eating the food.

While it is true that pet foods must meet certain standards set by AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) in order to be labeled as "complete and balanced," there are problems with the quality of the standards themselves. (more....)

In addition to these issues with the standards set by AAFCO, there are further problems with the pet food industry's labeling practices. The labels follow a secret code, and consumers do not have the key to decipher it. In fact, most consumers do not even realize that there is a hidden meaning in the label's wording.

The "Flavor" Rule states that a food may be labeled as "Beef Flavored Dog Food" even if it does not contain any beef, as long as the flavor is "sufficiently detectable." This is achieved by using meals, by-products, or various parts from the animal listed on the label.

It almost seems like a company can call a food "turkey flavored" if a turkey just walks past it!!! Okay, perhaps that's a bit extreme, but you get my point.

The following is taken directly from the FDA website section on interpreting pet food labels:

"Under the "flavor" rule, a specific percentage is not required, but a product must contain an amount sufficient to be able to be detected. There are specific test methods, using animals trained to prefer specific flavors, that can be used to confirm this claim. In the example of "Beef Flavor Dog Food," the word "flavor" must appear on the label in the same size, style and color as the word "beef." The corresponding ingredient may be beef, but more often it is another substance that will give the characterizing flavor, such as beef meal or beef by-products.

With respect to flavors, pet foods often contain "digests," which are materials treated with heat, enzymes and/or acids to form concentrated natural flavors. Only a small amount of a "chicken digest" is needed to produce a "Chicken Flavored Cat Food," even though no actual chicken is added to the food. Stocks or broths are also occasionally added. Whey is often used to add a milk flavor. Often labels will bear a claim of "no artificial flavors." Actually, artificial flavors are rarely used in pet foods. The major exception to that would be artificial smoke or bacon flavors, which are added to some treats."

What exactly are these items they refer to? Here are the gory details:

Animal Digest
AAFCO: A material which results from chemical and/or enzymatic hydrolysis of clean and undecomposed animal tissue. The animal tissues used shall be exclusive of hair, horns, teeth, hooves and feathers, except in such trace amounts as might occur unavoidably in good factory practice and shall be suitable for animal feed. If it bears a name descriptive of its kind or flavor(s), it must correspond thereto.

A cooked-down broth made from unspecified parts of unspecified animals. The animals used can be obtained from any source, so there is no control over quality or contamination. Any kind of animal can be included: "4-D animals" (dead, diseased, disabled, or dying prior to slaughter), goats, pigs, horses, rats, misc. roadkill, animals euthanized at shelters, restaurant and supermarket refuse and so on.

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Digest
May also appear as dried, or spray dried. Sometimes the type and part of animals used is specified, such as in "Chicken Digest", "Lamb Digest" or "Poultry Liver Digest"

AAFCO: Material which results from chemical and/or enzymatic hydrolysis of clean and undecomposed animal tissue. The animal tissues used shall be exclusive of hair, horns, teeth, hooves and feathers, except in such trace amounts as might occur unavoidably in good factory practice and shall be suitable for animal feed. .

A cooked-down broth made from specified, or worse, unspecified parts of specified or unspecified animals (depending on the type of digest used). If the source is unspecified (e.g. "Animal" or "Poultry", the animals used can be obtained from any source, so there is no control over quality or contamination. Any kind of animal can be included: "4-D animals" (dead, diseased, disabled, or dying prior to slaughter), goats, pigs, horses, rats, misc. roadkill, animals euthanized at shelters, restaurant and supermarket refuse and so on.

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Flavor
A substance, such as an extract or spice, that add flavor to a product.

The manufacturer may or may not give more detailed information about what is used for flavoring and whether it is made from a natural or chemical substance.

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Glandular Meal
I have not been able to locate an official definition for this product so far.

Since it is used as a "source of liver flavor" in poor quality foods, it is safe to assume that it is a meal obtained from the livers and other glands of various, unspecified animals. As with all generic, unspecified ingredients, it is wise to avoid.

Hmmmm.....sounds more like YUK than YUM to me! So, what do we do with this information now? Study those labels!!

What to look for:
►Specific stocks or broths (e.g. chicken, beef), liver of specified animals

What to avoid:
►Any highly rendered products (e.g. digests of any kind), ingredients of unknown origin ("meat broth"), glandular meal, artificial flavor(ing)
►Onion of any form is toxic to dogs and thus has no place in dog food!

Next time we'll look at colorings and sweeteners.


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Just what IS in my dog's food? Part 5: Fruits and Vegetables

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Fruits and Vegetables

Fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables add vitamins, minerals and various phytonutrients. They are nice ingredients but by no means necessary and mostly only included in insignificant amounts. If a brand of food contains high quality protein, carbohydrate and fat sources but no fruits or vegetables, it's still a better choice than one with less ideal main ingredients that does have a few pieces of blueberries, peas or carrots added to make the ingredient list look more impressive. Sharing some of the fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables you eat yourself will add much more nutritional value to your dog's diet - just please do not give onions, grapes or raisins. (more.....)



Here are some of the better ones:
Carrots: Natural source of beta carotene (precursor to Vitamin A needed for immune function), excellent fiber.
Alfalfa: Source of chlorophyll, dietary fiber.
Dried Apples/apples: Provides good source of nutritional fiber.
Dried kelp/kelp meal: Good source of iodine for thyroid function and chlorophyll.
Dried Peas/peas: Source of protein/carbohydrates/fiber.
Garlic: Good antioxidant, antibiotic. IS SAFE TO USE in the small amounts present in food!
Sweet potatoes: Good alternative to regular potatoes provides carbohydrates for energy, nutrients, less sugar than beets.

Most fruits are in insufficient quantities to give much nutritional value to the food, but blueberries and cranberries are certainly good for dogs and people, too! Don't buy a food based on their inclusion since the amounts present in the foods are relatively small.

What to look for:
►Fruits and vegetables are a nice touch but should not be a deciding factor in choosing a brand. Unprocessed, fresh items are preferable to already processed ones, and organic is always the best choice. Sweet potatoes and apples are among the better ones to look for.

What to avoid:
►Apple pomace, grape pomace, citrus pulp
Grape pomace, or any form of grape or raisin, can be toxic to dogs!!
Onions are toxic to dogs as well.

Next time we'll take a look at preservatives..


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