Even though the economy is struggling and people are cutting back on purchases, one industry still seems to be holding their own, some may say they are even thriving, and that would be the pet industry. The American Pet Products Association (APPA), estimated that Americans will spend approximately $45.4 billion on their pets in 2009!
I am a pet owner who views my dogs snack and dog food purchases like I do my own food, which means I try to buy her products that are natural and healthy. A few years ago I made a committment to no longer support companies who put animal by-products into their foods. Unfortunately, my husband doesn’t see things in the same light. He simply picks up what looks good to him, and throws it in the shopping cart.
Today he came home with a bag of dog treats called Ol’ Roy Special T’s Dog Treats, which are “savory steak flavored” dog treats, which he purchased at WalMart (they are manufactured by WalMart). These come in a red plastic bag, with a convenient resealable zip style strip along the top. The bag states that these treats are “made with real beef”. The name “Ol’ Roy” was the name of Sam Walton’s Bird Dog, and the dogs picture graces the front of the bag.
Also pictured on the bag is a mound of T-bone shaped dog goodies, and although the bag says “actual size”, the treats (in my bag at least) were a little larger than the picture. The bag holds 10 ounces of the Special T’s.
Special T’s are slightly rectangular shaped, measuring 1 1/4″ at the top, and narrowing down to 1/2″ at the bottom. There are three layers, the inside has a tan colored “T” shaped section, followed by a reddish brown layer, then outlined with another tan shaped edging. They smell like liquid smoke, not at all a bad smell.
Guaranteed analysis of Ol’ Roy Special T’s Dog Treats are:
Crude Protein, minimum …………. 14.00%
Crude Fat, minimum …………….. 5.00%
Crude Fiber, maximum …………… 4.00%
Mooisture, maximum …………….. 30.00%
Ingredients are, as I stated, very important to me. If they are to you, take a minute to read the list: wheat flour, soy grits, water, corn flower, sucrose, propylene glycol, animal fat (preserved with BHA and citric acid), soybean flour, beef, salt, natural smoke flavor, calcium carbonate, phosphoric acid, sorbic acid (a preservative), calcium propionate (a preservative), artificial color (titanium dioxide, yellow #6, red #40, red #3 and blue #2), natural steak flavor.
Based on the ingredients, this would not be a dog treat that I would be drawn to. Granted, there are no by-products, so I give WalMart props for that, but my vet told me long ago that when choosing a dog food or treat, the first (and preferrably the second and even the third) ingredient should be meat. In these treats, beef is the 8th on the list – after others like grains (which many dogs are allergic to), sugar, propylene glycol and fat!
After telling my opinion of these, I can also say that our dog is a very fussy eater. I have bought treats made by Nutro that she refuses to eat, but she seems to love these Ol’ Roy Special T’s Dog Treats. While they are on the softer side, they still require a bit of chewing to consume. Our dog is small, only 9 pounds, and she would take a bite, spit out part of the treat and eat what was in her mouth, then pick up the remainder, spit part of it out and eat, and this went on until the entire treat was gone. She comes running when she hears the rattle of the bag, so they really must taste to a dog, which is the point, in part, of rewarding your pet.
Still, I would limit these treats to only one or two a day. They are lower in fat and high in protein, so there are certainly worse choices on the market than these. And the bag only cost $2.43, so they are pretty inexpensive. If you have a very small dog, you could easily break these in half to make them go further. Or if they are available, you can opt for the Ol’ Roy Tiny Special T’s Dog Treats.
To conclude, these are neither the best nor the worst dog treats that we have given our dog. If you are on a tight budget, they might be right for you.
Reference:
- www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10316846
- www.zootoo.com/petnews/bearmarketcantdogpetindustrysn-1231
