I was looking through the dog food aisle at Publix. I had a $1 off coupon for Busy Bones by Purina. I read the packaging. It showed poultry by-product as the fourth ingredient but the beef stock and brewers yeast in the ingredients sounded healthy. It also had gelatin, bone meal and liver meal so I thought well, I’ll give it a try .I’ve really been hard on my little guys, most of the time they get slivers of raw carrot as a treat. They like this but it doesn’t keep them busy chewing and they need something to chew on. My husband will roast bones for them every now and then but these are messy for them to eat in the house. They want to take them to bed. We end up making them stay outside with them. I wanted something that would keep them occupied, not make a mess, was safe for them and wouldn’t cost too much.
According to the Busy Bones package it said “Give your dog a unique chew that really is a treat! Busy Bone® brand Chewbone Treat keeps your dog busy to the bone, and he’ll work at it eagerly because Busy Bone® also scores high on the taste charts. It has a fun twisted bone shape that will keep your dog both entertained and enthused. Busy Bone® is the ideal alternative to rawhide chews”. I couldn’t stay in the store reading all day so I bought a package of Busy Bones. I figured I could research them when I got home.
I like to give my dogs treats as rewards, as a way to clean plaque off their teeth and just as something to keep them busy and happy. One of my dogs was food trained, the other just is a foodie and will work for treats. He’ll also check your hands for something before he’ll respond. Very annoying but funny. “Hmmm”, he seems to be thinking, “Shall I obey? Is she making it worth my while? How long should I make her wait?”
The busy bone is a 5″ long twisted bone shape with a marrow like center called the meaty middle. It’s a bit over an inch wide. The package says it’s now even longer lasting. I like long lasting in a treat. It’s suggested you feed on an easy to clean surface. That was worrisome. I have tile floors everywhere but they like to get in bed with their treats. My one guy will carry his treats around for days hiding them here and there. Usually in plain sight unfortunately. He “covers” his treat with imaginary stuff by pushing the stuff he thinks he sees, his imaginary covering material, up and over the bone. It’s pretty funny to watch. The other, bigger dog is usually one of the watchers and moments later he goes and snags the treat.
Directions:Feed one Busy Bone Dental to your dog as a treat daily.
Warnings:
This chew snack is not suitable for puppies or toy breeds.
Busy Bone is a treat or snack and is not intended to replace your pet’s main meal.
Provide fresh water for your dog daily.
Feed on an easy to clean surface.
For your pet’s health, see your vet regularly
Ingredients:
Rice, glycerin, water, wheat flour, gelatin, chicken by-product meal, wheat gluten, calcium phosphate, added color (Red 3, Red 40, Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Blue 1, Blue 2 and other color), Ascorbic acid (a preservative), calcium propionate (a preservative), Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (Min) 8.0%
Crude Fat (Min) 1.0%
Crude Fiber (Max) 2.0%
Moisture (Max) 18.0%
Calcium (Ca) (Min) 0.25%
natural and artificial smoke flavors, BHA (a preservative), BHT (a preservative), citric acid, calcium carbonate.
The more I read about Busy Bones the less I felt I should give this to the boys. They are 5 and 8 lb Chihuahuas. The next thing I read was that these are not suitable for puppies or toy dogs. Well, that’s what these guys are. So, bye bye chew bone treat, back to the store it went. Between the possibility of staining things, the not for toy dogs warning and the poulty by products I was completely turned off.
When I got home I went to the Purina site and to the Epinions site and validated my decision. It was not recommended in any of the articles. I oculdn’t find out why it was not recommended for toy dogs. Perhaps its the size, perhaps small dogs have more sensitive digestive systems. Nothing I looked up explained that. .
The company also makes:
Chew eez (raw hide)
T Bone
Beggin Strips
