A Food Friday Update

Wait, what?

Koira has been spending a lot of time nappy on my be. I picked up both an electric throw blanket, and an electric mattress pad this past week. The days are too warm to make running the heater reasonable, because the house would be too hot in the day. But the nights are too cold for no heat. So we've been using the electric blankets and mattress pad instead, and Koira is taking full advantage.

Is that my treat container?

But of course I had to disturb her for a quick photoshoot, because I need to give an update on how the dogs are doing on the Nutro Wild Frontier that we are trying out this month. As soon as she realized there were some cookies (kibbles) involved, she was much less grumpy.

I think it is safe to say that both of my dogs are loving the Nutro food. They are loving it enough, and consistently enough, that I have been using it as their training treats for a lot of stuff, and they are treating it as just as high value as something like Zuke's. Since the kibbles are small, they work great for training, and I have yet to notice that nasty kibble smell on my hands after using it as treats, even after quite a bit of it passes through my hands and gets slobbered on.

I use a ViewTainer as a treat container. I can't be bothered to wear a treat pouch, because I feel like treats spill out all over every time I try. And no matter what treat you use, just putting them loose in your pocket spells getting nasty pocket gunk. The ViewTainer is a great option for me, and is pretty cheap, running just a few dollars at the hardware store (it is meant for nuts and bolts and such which is why it is at a hardware store).

And while the ViewTainer isn't the point of this post, I did realize that I don't think I've ever posted about using it before, and wanted to give a pretty awesome (if I do say so myself) tip for those of you looking for a good treat carrying method. I like using dry treats or kibble because I am bad at remembering to put things back in the fridge after training, but even wet treats work well in these. And even in my purse rattling around the treats don't spill out, even when I use a treat as small as this Nutro kibble.

Back to the kibble update, though, I have to say, I am pretty thrilled. I almost didn't review this kibble, actually, because I haven't really liked other Nutro kibble that I've tried. Not because of anything wrong with it, really, just that I have this weird aversion to the kibble size/shape that a sample of it was when we tried it ages ago, and it has just stuck with me. And I'm actually regretting that now, because if this is the quality that can be expected with a Nutro food, I've been missing out. My dogs are still thrilled at every meal. They have had zero digestive upset of any kind since starting this food, with consistent, formed stools that aren't too hard or too soft and mushy, with pretty consistent color (though the various treats and chews they get can change color a bit).

Picture of Ptera instead of dog poop, regardless of how well formed and consistent

The dogs' coats are shiny, and I actually was just noticing today how extremely soft Ptera is right now. Ptera is still shedding like mad, but she has been doing that consistently for the past six months since I brought her home, so I wouldn't expect any food to change that. Ptera has been getting a little more in the way of eye goop than earlier in the summer, but I think it is just as likely to be the change of seasons stirring up allergens as anything to do with the food she is eating. Her eyes were super goopy in the spring too, and while they were clearer over the summer, they have never been totally clear, so like I said, may well be allergies. Especially since she has been sneezing a good bit pretty much all month (again, she sneezed a bunch in the spring too, so I think she is allergic to some stuff around here).

We do still have some time left for trying this food, but honestly, at this point, I can't see much going wrong. The dogs are eating enthusiastically, whether given as a meal or as a treat. Their coats are soft and shiny. Stools well formed and consistent day to day. But we'll make sure to let you all know how things turned out for real after we finish a full month of Nutro.