Freshpet: Dognation Oatmeal and Cranberry Cookies

The other type of Ready to Bake cookies Freshpet sent me are the Dognation Oatmeal and Cranberry cookies. Here is Part 1 of the review.

Ingredients:
Oats, Evaporated Cane Juice, Palm Oil, Eggs, Cranberries, Water, Baking Soda, Carrageenan.

Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein (min): 5.0%
Crude Fat (min): 18.0%
Crude Fiber (max): 1.5%
Moisture (max): 19.0%
Calorie Content (calculated): 4,210 kcal ME per kg / 72 kcal per baked cookie

Like the other cookies, I received, these also have cane juice but again, since these are treats, I will not worry about it's inclusion.

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350° F. Place cookies 2″ apart on ungreased baking sheet. Gently flatten each cookie with the palm of your hand. Bake for 10-14 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. Cool completely on baking rack before serving. Store baked cookies in an air tight container for up to 14 days.

Unbaked cookies

Each box comes with 18 cookies and costs roughly $7 per package. A bit more than the other kind, but still doable.

These cookies smell pretty good, better than the peanut better type.
Each dog got one cookie as an initial test. Like the other cookies, they were an instant hit. All the dogs scarfed their cookies down quick.
Conker really liked these and was offering behaviors in return for the cookie in my hand. He does not offer behaviors very often, he usually needs to be given a command. This must be a pretty good cookie if he was doing that. 

Baked cookies

The cookies digest easily which is always a plus for me. I didn't have to "transition" Conker to them like I do with some treats. They are a bit big for smaller dogs but they can be cut or broken into smaller pieces for dogs who don't need an entire cookie in one sitting.

These are a bit on the fragile side so I wouldn't go sticking one into your pocket if you don't want a ton of crumbs getting left behind.

These cookies are a lot of fun, and since the dogs enjoyed them so much, I will probably buy them every now and then if I can find them. I like how they are made with oats instead of grains like wheat, and the baking thing is cool. No need to make the dough yourself with these!

I recommend people who are looking for something a bit different to try these, for dogs who can have a large treat, and for dogs who are not on a grain-free diet.


I'd like to thank Freshpet for giving me the opportunity to review these cookies, and for sending them to me so quickly. I enjoyed baking and giving them a test run (as did the dogs).

Freshpet: Dog Joy Peanut Butter & Oatmeal Ready to Bake Cookies

Freshpet has recently asked me to write a review on their new line of ready to bake cookies. They sent me one box of each kind, and today I will talk about the Dog Joy Ready to Bake Cookies.

They came with a cute little apron and were packed in a nifty lunchbox with some ice packs to keep them cool, as well as some literature on their products.

Box of cookie dough

Ingredients:
Peanut Butter, Oats, Evaporated Cane Juice, Palm Oil, Eggs, Water, Baking Soda.

Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein (min): 10.0%
Crude Fat (min): 25.0%
Crude Fiber (max): 1.5%
Moisture (max): 15.0%
Calorie Content (calculated): 4,800 kcal ME per kg / 82 kcal per baked cookie.

I'm a bit skeptical about the cane juice and palm oil, but since this is not a "food" and is instead a treat, I will not worry about them.

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350° F. Place cookies 2″ apart on ungreased baking sheet. Gently flatten each cookie with the palm of your hand. Bake for 10-14 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. Cool completely on baking rack before serving. Store baked cookies in an air tight container for up to 14 days.

Unbaked cookies

The box comes with 18 cookies, about 12 ounces and costs around $5 per box. (Freshpet gave me a handy price guide! No more guessing how much stuff costs.)

The cookies smell good (to me, not others in my family) and have a peanut buttery scent to them. Not surprising, since the first ingredient is peanut butter.
The dogs seemed to know the cookies were for them, and waited patiently (except Conker) for them to bake and cool. Once ready, each dog got to try one cookie and all three greatly enjoyed them.  Conker tried to steal the Girls' cookies but that is expected, he always does that. But even Juneau tried to steal, which is rare for her. These must be pretty good if Juneau is turning to crime to get another bite.

Baked cookies

The cookies are a bit big for Conker, so he will only get one half, or one whole if he eats less of his normal food to compensate for the cookie. For dogs smaller than Conker (under 25 pounds) you might want to quarter the cookies before baking (to avoid crumbling) or only give your dog one cookie every couple days, or reduce their overall food intake to make up for the large cookie.

I like these cookies, and if I can find them, will probably buy some in the future as a fun snack for the dogs.  They are priced like other "cookies" that are similar in type and weight. The only differences are that these need to be baked, and they are rather large.

I recommend these for dogs who aren't on a grain-free diet, and to owners who want to try something a bit different than what is normally available as treats, and to owners who would like to try baking for their dogs without having to actually make the dough.


That's Part 1 of the Ready to Bake cookie review!  Here is Part 2.

Freshpet: Vital Slice and Serve

I recieved two 2lb rolls of Freshpet's Vital Slice and Serve in my sample box.  I got one Turkey roll and one Bison & Beef roll.

Vital rolls on the bottom.

Here's the technical stuffs.

Turkey Ingredients:
Turkey,Turkey Liver, Spinach, Blueberries, Cranberries, Pomegranate, Carrageenan, Natural Flavors, Broccoli, Inulin, Flaxseed Oil, Green Tea Extract.
Beef & Bison Ingredients:
Bison, Beef, Beef Liver, Spinach, Blueberries, Cranberries, Pomegranate, Carrageenan, Calcium Carbonate, Natural Flavors, Broccoli, Inulin, Flaxseed Oil, Green Tea Extract.

Vitamins:
Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Riboflavin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid. 
Minerals:
Calcium Sulfate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Tricalcium Phosphate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite.

Turkey Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein (min)  6.0%
Crude Fat (min)  4.0%
Crude Fiber (max)  1.5%
Moisture (max)  78.0%

Beef & Bison Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein (min)  8.5%
Crude Fat (min)  7.5%
Crude Fiber (max)  1.0%
Moisture (max)  76.0%

On the roll and website it states that a 21-40 pound dog should get 1/2 to 1 pound daily.  I gave Conker just over 1/4 of a pound for the first couple days since he also got a piece of turkey neck.  For the last bits of the roll he got 1/2 pound. 

Vital turkey roll.

Each roll lasted roughly 5 days.  I started with the turkey and added it to the Complete Meals for a one-day transition period.  It went smoothly with no problems, probably since the products are quite similar.
The worst part of the transition was a little incident that occurred when I was giving Conker a taste test of the Turkey recipe.   I gave him a piece by hand, the bowl was on the floor, and let him try it.  He liked it, so I gave him another piece.  After I saw how quickly he ate it I figured I should move him to my room so he wouldn't savage the Girls like he sometimes does with food he really likes.
Well, he didn't like my hand grabbing his bowl and instead of savaging the Girls' faces, he savaged my left index finger. He sliced it open in three places.
So if that doesn't give you an idea of how much Conker liked this food (enough to guard against me), then I don't really know what else to say about that.

Note:
This was entirely my fault.  I should have told him to leave the bowl and move it away with my foot first instead of just reaching for it with my hand.  Conker is very good about not guarding food from me but with newer stuff, especially stuff he really really likes, sometimes he slips up a bit.


Like the Complete Meals, Conker got a bit of a funk in his fur.  It wasn't very noticeable unless you pet him a lot or shoved your nose into his fur but the trade-off was again a lack of super rancid farts. He didn't lick his front paws as much as he did on the Complete Meals but he still did a bit more than normal.  It might have just been a lingering effect from the chicken in the Complete Meals or he could have also had some sort of problem with something in the rolls.  I don't know what caused it but since he doesn't eat Vital full-time I won't worry about it.

Like I said before, if it weren't for the lack of stores carrying the Vital line, it would probably be a regular or occasional part of Conker's diet.
I might use something in the Select line for times when Conker has to be watched by someone who wasn't comfortable feeding raw food.  The one store that carries it does have the beef kind, which is probably what I'd use with Conker.  It costs about $4.99 for 1 1/2 pounds and 14.99 for 6 pounds. 


So that's it for my Freshpet review!  I really liked this food so if you can get it in your area and don't mind spending a bit more for your dog's (or cat's) food or just want to give them something different on the weekend, I highly recommend you try Freshpet.

In case you missed them, here's Part 1 and Part 2 of the Freshpet review.

Freshpet: Dognation Bones

Freshpet has a line of dog treats and chews called Dognation.  In my free sample box I revived a pouch of Dognation Bones.  They are "Crunchy Brown Rice with Real Chicken Center" bones.  Chews that mimic a real bone like a beef bone or something.

Bones are in the back on the right.

Ingredients:
Brown Rice Flour, Water, Vegetable Glycerin, Tapioca Starch, Whole Ground Oats, Gelatin, Chicken, Natural Chicken Flavor, Calcium Carbonate, Apples, Parsley.

Nothing looks terrible here, and the only problem for me is the chicken content.  The chicken flavor is the only kind of Bones Freshpet makes right now, but as an occasional treat I don't think it will be a problem for Conker.

The "bone" is about 5 inches long.  The outside is the rice stuff, the inside the chicken part.  The chicken is kinda like marrow while the rice like actual bone.  It didn't last as long as a real bone though, but it did help clean a bit of the gunk off Conker's teeth that had built up a bit since he started eating Freshpet.
So I can see why these would be beneficial to your dog if you fed them Freshpet's food.  Like I said in part 1 of the review, the food has no benefit to the teeth, so giving your dog a "bone" every week or so will help keep the teeth healthy and clean.

For the first sample I let Conker have only half of the bone.  He really liked it and was not happy when I took the remaining half away, but I wanted to be sure there wouldn't be any problems on the back end.
Things were a bit soft and... odd looking, but the next time around everything was fine.
Conker really enjoyed chewing the bones.  The first time it took him about 20-30 minutes to get through half, then only 20 minutes for half, and the second bone I gave him he went through in 30 minutes.  I originally only wanted him to have half but he chewed it so quickly I didn't notice until it was gone.
So for Conker they aren't incredibly long lasting.

These, like all Freshpet's stuff, need to be refrigerated and they tell you that if your dog doesn't finish a bone in 2 hours to take it away and refrigerated it.  They also say to use up the bones in 14 days after opening.

Again I'm not sure if I can get these locally or what they're price is.  Once I find out I'll update this.



Anyways, that was part two of the review!  Here is Part 1 and Part 3.

Freshpet: Vital Complete Meals

Some of you may know about the company called Freshpet who makes a food somewhere in between kibble and raw.  It's cooked, but it isn't dry and it's not canned.  More like... bologna.  For dogs, but better.

I sent in my resume for Freshpet's blogger program and appear to be one of the last ones chosen to try out the food in return for a review.  I went to their site and could not find the blogger program page, so I guess they are no longer taking in applicants.
Anyways, I am very glad I was given the chance to try out some of their foods and was quite surprised when I received an unexpected package on my porch a couple weeks ago.  Before I even opened the box Conker seemed to know it was for him.  He got super excited as I brought it inside and sliced open the tape.  He impatiently stuck his nose in before I could even see what was in there. This is what was inside the box.

All the food I received was from the Vital and Dognation lines.

Two bags of Complete Meals (one pictured)
One 2lb roll of Turkey Slice and Serve
One 2lb roll of Bison and Beef Slice and Serve
One pouch of Dognation Bones

Today I will talk about the Complete Meals.


I started off with the Complete Meals and I didn't transition Conker to the new food.  One day he got raw, the next he got Freshpet.  Well, I did give him a hunk of turkey neck and while things were a bit soft on the other end, there was nothing really bad worth noting so an instant switch is possible.  Even with a dog who's had issues with that sort of thing in the past, Conker did fine.

Ingredients:
Chicken, Chicken Liver, Cranberries, Beef, Salmon, Eggs, Spinach, Vinegar, Peas, Natural Flavors, Carrageenan, Salt, Caramel Color, Inulin, Pomegranate, Broccoli.
Vitamins:
Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Riboflavin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid.
Minerals:
Calcium Sulfate, Dicalcium Phospate, Zinc Chelate, Potassium Chloride, Iron Proteinate, Tricalcium Phosphate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite.

Guaranteed Analysis: 
Crude Protein (min)     18.0%
Crude Fat (min)     9.0%
Crude Fiber (max)     1.5%
Moisture (max)     65.0%

This food does contain chicken but there's no potatoes.  And when those two are together, Conker has issues.  There are other proteins in it but they are in smaller amounts so I gambled a bit to see how Conker would do with the chicken.   

The bags contain 1.75 pounds of food and according to the directions, Conker is supposed to eat from 1 2/3rds cups to 2 1/2 cups of food each day.  I only gave him about one cup and he neither gained nor lost any weight but in order to be certain I'd have to feed it for longer than 1 1/2 weeks.  But as some pet owners know, the guidelines are just that.  They are not set-in-stone rules about how much you have to give your dog.

 This food smells really good.  So good in fact that I tried it.  Just a tiny bit, but I tried it nontheless.  It was much less flavorful that I thought it'd be but man did it smell good!  That's probably why Conker choked on it three times the first day he was given it.  He inhaled it faster than anything he's ever eaten before and it scared me real bad.  But after his initial act of stupid, he didn't eat as fast and didn't choke again so I guess he understood what not to do anymore.

So if that doesn't clue you in, Conker LOVED it.  Every morning if I didn't get up fast enough he'd leap off the bed and strut furiously around the room and toss his head in that odd Shiba fashion then stick his nose in my face and... Grunt at me.  He'll whine when he wants something but grunt when he feels like he needs it, like he's got an addiction that needs to be satisfied, and I'm the only one who can give him the cure.
Which is true, but still.  Having an addict that happens to be a dog is quite annoying.

So!  How did Conker do on this food?
Very well.  So well in fact that if it weren't for the price tag and the fact that the only store in GP that sells Freshpet doesn't carry Vital that it would be a regular part of his diet.  Because of that I can only estimate the price which I'm gonna say would be... something around 7.99 and up.  (The equivalent in the Select line costs $5.99 for 1.75 pounds and 8.99 for 3 pounds.)

See, Conker's got these horrid deathfarts on raw.  Every night around 4 in the morning he lets one rip.  And at random times during the day but that late night/early morning one is so regular that it's practically predictable.  No such late night/early morning monstrosity happened while Conker was on Freshpet.  He did fart a bit but it was nowhere near as bad as his normal farts.
Conker's energy levels were normal, he kept his weight, poop was good (almost better than raw, actually) and he liked it a lot.  He never refused a meal which he has done with several raw items and other foods.

The only adverse things I can say about it health-wise was that he did develop a slight "doggish" odor that he normally doesn't have but it wasn't unbearable (only noticeable if you stick your nose into his fur, which I do several times a day) and that there is absolutely no benefit to the teeth.  If your dog doesn't have teeth, or has really sensitive teeth, then this food is great.  It's easily eaten and since it's soft, it doesn't need to be chewed.
Note:
While Conker didn't show any huge signs of a chicken allergy/intolerance, he did begin to lick his front paws which he does not normally do.  Once he was switched back to raw he quit licking his feet so I guess it's gotta be the chicken that caused it. 


So again other than price and availability in my area, this food would be a normal part of Conker's diet.  The Complete Meals wouldn't be a huge portion due to the potential chicken allergy thing but the rolls I tried would be.  If you've got a dog that doesn't have any problems with chicken and you can find and afford Freshpet, I highly recommend you add it to your pet's diet, even if it's only an occasional thing. 

Juneau and Sasha did get to try the Complete Meals and they, like Conker, loved every bit of it.


Anyways, that is part one of the review.  Here are Part 2 and Part 3.