Made in the USA for Dogs: Chews, Treats and Food

I, like many other pet owners will not give my dogs any treats, chews or food that is not made in America, and that is not from a reputable company. Especially with the recent issues with tainted dog food from companies that use products from foreign countries, and our increasing knowledge about the need for proper nutrition for our canine friends, I absolutely refuse to buy a product that is not made in whole from the USA. This however often makes me hard pressed to find chews and treats for my pups made solely in the USA. Each week I travel to the pet store to see if I can find a special treat or chew for my dogs that is made only in the USA. This has proven to be a difficult, although not impossible task. Each package of chews or treats that looks good from the front is turned over and scanned for the “Made in” label. I am often disappointed. I share my disappointment with the pet store staff who often appear surprised that there is a lack of American made chews. If you compared this list to the list of products offered in the pet stores, you will see a huge imbalance of USA made versus China, Brazil, Thailand or Argentina made products.

This article is a compilation of my research done in pet stores and online to find the best treats, food and chews for my dogs all made in America and labeled “Made in the USA. It is my hope that other pet owners can use this information to more easily find special treat for their dogs made in the USA in order to not only support US commerce but most importantly, to ensure you are providing your dog with the healthiest, safest product out there. You should also note that American made products are also more expensive because they are typically made from the best ingredients. There are some USA made products to be found in local grocery stores such as by Pedigree and Purina, but although these are made in the US, these products also tend to have a lot of unhealthy fillers and sugars for your pet. I don’t recommend using them on a regular basis. As always, check the ingredient labels on any product you buy for your pet and always supervise your pet when giving them a rawhide or other chew. If you have any concerns, check with your veterinarian.

A good rule of thumb is, if you cannot find the “Made In” label or are unsure where the product was made, it probably was not made in the US. Companies that make USA products are proud to display this.

Nylabone:

This company provides an array of dog chews and treats that are all natural and safe alternatives to rawhide. They come in assorted flavors and sizes and in recent years, Nylabone has expanded their line to include toys.

Healthy Edibles are easy to digest and a good alternative to rawhide chews. They come in a variety of flavors including peanut butter, chicken, roast beef, ham and cheese and original. These range in sizes from petite to giant.

Nylabone Nutri-dent chews are edible dental chews that are specially designed to help clean your dog’s teeth. These come in a variety of sizes, to meet your dog’s needs.

Nylabone Flexi bone and Durabones are wonderful alternatives to rawhides. These are long-lasting, safe chews. These also come in a range of sizes and flavors.

American Dog Brand:

Pet T Bone. This pressed rawhide bone is a real treat for your pet and is the only American made pressed rawhide I have yet to find on the market. These rawhide chews are very much enjoyed by my dogs and are more appealing to them than regular rawhide. I found these at a locally owned pet store and although they were on the pricey side ($14.99 for a package of 10), they are the only American pressed bone I have yet to find.

Red Barn:

Red Barn products are largely made in the USA. However, some Red Barn products are not USA made, so check the label and don’t assume just because Red Barn is an American company that all their chews are made here.

Filled bones are animal bones that are filled with a variety of flavors such as peanut butter. These are great chew bones for dogs and keep them occupied for hours on end while they try to get to the filling and gnaw on the tough bone. You can refill these with fillings of your choice since the bone is not meant to be eaten and although your dog may bite on the bone, pieces won’t come off and they are sturdier than rawhide.

Red Barn rolls come in a variety of sizes of rolls and are great as training aids. Cut the roll into small pieces and refrigerate what you do not use. My dogs love these and they are softer for training treats, which means your dog is less likely to choke on them and will be eager to please you as they are tastier (according to my dogs) than regular dry treats.

Pedigree:

Pedigree Jumbone is made in Canada. Although not a USA made product, Canada is the closest I would think of coming in purchasing bones outside the US, although my practice is US made always.These bones are long lasting bones with a meaty center. Pedigree donates a portion of their sales for pet adoptions at animal shelters.

Target

Target Brand American Beefhide Retriever rolls. These come in packs of 4 and are about ten bucks a pack, seven on sale. Target also has smaller rolls and chips but it is very difficult to find American ones. They carry products made in China and if you check out their dog section, you will see products sold overwhelmingly coming from out of the country, with only a few American Beefhide offered.

Merrick:

Merrick is a wonderful USA brand with a huge variety of treats/chews to select from.These are more expensive than other chews that are made outside the US but well worth it.

Items from Merrick include:

Beef Puffs

Sausage rolls for a soft treat that can also be added to meals instead of canned food or used cut up for training.

Sarge Jr.: all natural beef chew including tendons, beef and marrow designed for small to medium dogs.

Sarge Meaty Beef Bone: includes tendons, beef and marrow for larger dogs to gnaw on.

Natural Bones are beef knuckle ends designed for your dog’s chewing needs.

Rib in a Blanket: these meaty bones are wrapped in rawhide to provide a double treat for your dog with a long lasting chew exterior and a flavorful treat in the middle your dog will have a hard time resisting and spend a great deal of time trying to get to.

Cow Bunga Rolls are puffed rawhide rolls with a sausage link in the middle.

Smoked Moo Tubes are smoked beef trachea

Wizzlers are also beef trachea

Wishbone is the Achilles tendon

Beef roll=ups are beef and liver flavored beef rawhide rolls

Chew twisters are neat twisting bones your dog will enjoy chewing on while also getting good cleaning for their teeth.

Texas Taffy are chews that look like beef jerky and made of beef tendon

Beef filet squares

Texas Toothpicks

Bully sticks are designed to become chewy when wet and are a natural way to clean your dog’s teeth.

Pork Rolls are rawhide made from pork hide.

Beef and liver rollos are beef rawhide sticks with beef and liver rawhide wrapped around a sausage hidden within the hide.

Pork Chews are puffy pork hide.

Bulk pig ears: all natural pig ears come in bulk in many pet stores

Flossies come in a variety of sizes and are great for dental hygiene as they provide chewing friction to clean your dog’s teeth.

Greenies:

Greenies come in a variety of sizes are digestible and soluble bones which provide good dental hygiene for your pet. These come in the color green and are on the expensive side.

Drs.FosterandSmith:

You can order a catalogue or shop online at this reputable pet company. This is a wonderful company that offers basically anything you need or can think of to care for your pet, including grooming, dental, medicine, food, treats, bed, and toys. They have a wide selection of items to choose from and often have sales. I highly recommend this company. Their products are durable and long lasting. They do not exclusively offer only USA made bones and chews, but many of their products are USA made. Check out the more information tabs on each product page and you will see if it states it is made in the USA or not.

U.S. Bones.com:

U.S. Bones.com offers a wide selection of rawhide rolls, chips, bones, braids and combones (combinations of beef, pork and lamb rawhide)that are all USA made from 100% beef. This company holds their rawhides to a high standard and donates 25% of their sales to rescue groups and animal shelters.

i-pets.com:

i-pets.com is another online company that offers 100% handmade beef chews. Beef chews come in chips, rolls, knots and braids in a variety of sizes. In addition, they also sell pressed rawhide bones which are imported from reputable international companies which are held to the company’s high standards.

American Kennel Club:

American Kennel Club offers a variety of dog treats. You can purchase these at Toys RUs or google if you can’t find them in the stores. I rarely have seen this line in stores, except for their stuffed toys.

Purina:

Purina is a company which sells their pet products in both pet stores and grocery stores. They offer dog and cat food as well as treats and long lasting chews. While I do not recommend their dog food as I prefer a higher quality brand, their chews are long lasting for an occasional treat for your dog.

TBonz are soft beef chews in the shape of a T-Bone. I don’t recommend these as they are full of sugar.

Busy Bone: although the Busy Bones are not the best treat/chew to give your dog in that it is full of fillers, it can be helpful when you have a puppy to keep her occupied. Busy Bones are really the longest lasting chews I have found on the market. They come in regular Busy Bone, Busy Bone Dental (specifically made to help clean teeth and reduce tartar) and the Ultimate Busy Bone (more expensive and quite large but it lasts for a very long time).

Chew-eez are beefhide rolls with tasty middles. These rolls look like long tacos rolled up and are long lasting and tasty. Affordable.

Beefhide chew sticks look like beef jerky.

Nutro:

Nutro is an American based pet food/chew manufacturer that makes all their food and chews in the USA. This brand makes a variety of canned and dry dog food to meet your dog’s needs. In addition, a variety of biscuits in different shapes and sizes such as puppy drumstick, tartar control and senior are available. Treats are about $3.50-4.00 per box.

Old Mother Hubbard:

Old Mother Hubbard is a wonderful American company that makes a wide variety of treats, chews and food, both dry and canned for your pet. In addition to a variety of sizes and flavors in their all natural dog treats and biscuits, this company makes Jumbo Bones which are larger and thicker dog bones that last longer than a regular dog treat. They also make Bitz, a training treat in peanut butter, bacon, chicken and lamb. Mother’s Finest and Neura and Cupboard Creations are canned dog foods made by this company. One of the most popular dog food products from Old Mother Hubbard, Wellness is the top of the dog food line. Wellness comes in dry or canned food specifically made to meet your dog’s needs in puppy, large breed puppy, senior, Super 5 and Core, which is an all natural high protein dog food. Wellness is the top of the line dog food and I highly recommend this line to any pet owner. My dogs have thrived on Wellness brand and I alternate Wellness with Innova which is the other top dog food company out there that makes a true high quality product and which has worked extremely well on my puppy and older dog.

You can find these products in your local pet store or online at www.oldmotherhubbard.com

Innova pet

www.inovapet.com

Holistic food for your canine friend is another top of the line, all natural pet food designed specifically for your dog’s health needs. This company believes in holistic food and uses only ingredients found in the natural habitat of dogs. Varieties of Innova include Evo, the Ancestral Diet, puppy, large breed puppy, senior and adult dog. Innova comes in wet or dry and they also offer dog treats that come in a bar shape in both small and large sizes. Evo food is great as a training treat as they come in small bites which are perfect for training. You know you are giving your dog a high quality treat. Buy a bag for about nine bucks and it will last you months even doing extensive training.

I hope pet owners out there have found this compilation helpful and I urge you to buy American made products for the health of your pet. If you see a lack of American products at your local pet store, (which you will) complain. Let the managers know that you want USA made products for your pet. If enough people ask for them, they will become more plentiful on the shelves and we will have more quality products to choose from.