treats | nature's logic venison

I've always said that I pick out treats based on their ingredient list, and for me - named products and a super short ingredient list are the best. I love picking up something like wagger's champion chips where the ingredient is simply "100% beef lung".

However. We are now raising a puppy. Who is picky when eating. And needs to be trained, socialized.

So I went out to find a treat that was like a meal (think protein bar) but was also nutritious and its protein source named. I found Nature's Logic Venison Treats.


It has a monster list of ingredients, but all of them pretty good (yes, there is a grain - millet):
NGREDIENTS: Venison Meal, Lamb Meal, Millet, Chicken Fat, Montmorillonite, Brewer's Yeast, Flaxseed, Dried Egg Product, Spray Dried Chicken Liver, Pumpkin Seed, Animal Plasma, Kelp, Natural Flavoring, Cottage Cheese, Suncured Alfalfa Meal, Egg Shell Meal, Avocado, Chicory Root, Tomato Powder, Almonds, Spray Dried Cod Liver Oil, Apple Powder, Blueberry Powder, Apricot Powder, Carrot Powder, Pumpkin Powder, Cranberry Powder, Broccoli Powder, Spinach Powder, Parsley, Artichoke, Rosemary, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Dried Bifidobacterium Bifidium Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus Coagulans Fermentation Product, Dried Pineapple Extract, Dried Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Extract, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Extract, Dried Trichoderma Longibrachtium Fermentation Extract, Mixed Tocopherols.
Nature's Logic Natural Venison Meal Snack Recipe Canine Treats are intended for intermittent or supplemental feeding only. 

For my purposes, feeding puppy while training throughout the day, this treat will do. If I were feeding him raw, perhaps I wouldn't use this treat because of the grain and extensive list of ingredients - but most are what some raw feeders supplement anyway (like alfalfa, brewer's yeast, spinach, etc).
Plus, they look decent in our 'doggie treat' jar:

the most disgusting thing I've fed. yet.

was from a can.



Tripett New Zealand Green Vension Tripe. I have seriously never thought I would vomit from feeding something until I opened this can. Just thinking about it makes me nauseous!  And I've fed some pretty gag-worthy things before... organs, brain, tongue, feet, etc. But nothing - and I mean NOTHING - smelled this putrid.

But wouldn't you know... the dogs LOVED it. Ate every little morsel they could find.

The Tripett Beef Green Tripe wasn't as bad, still the 'tripe-y' smell, but not nearly as horrible as the venison. And the dogs also enjoyed it. I enjoyed the limited ingredient list (as compared to something like Solid Gold's version)

From Best Bully Sticks.com:

Tripett Pure Green Venison Tripe is from venison raised and fed on the grasslands of New Zealand. Like the lamb tripe, venison tripe is easy for puppies to digest and is a great alternative for your pooches who are allergic to beef. Green Tripe (Green simply means the tripe is pure and unbleached) contains the partially digested grasses in an animal's stomach and is rich in digestive enzymes, gastric juices, taurine, amino acids and essential fatty acids which are important to all aspects of your pets' health. Tripett is intended to be mixed with dry or raw food. It is not a replacement for your pooches current dog food.
Ingredients: New Zealand Venison Tripe, Water, Garlic, Vegetable Gum  

Ingredients: Beef Tripe, Water, Garlic, Vegetable Gum

Food Review: Ziwi Peak Venison & Fish Cuisine

Ziwi Peak

After requesting a free sample of Ziwi Peak Venison treats, we decided to find a place to purchase a small bag of their daily cuisine (which happened to be Planet Dog).

We tried the Venison & Fish Cuisine.
Venison & Fish (meat min 50%, venison organs min 19.5%, Hoki fish min 15%)
Per their website:

INGREDIENTS: Venison - Meat (min. 50%), Liver, Tripe, Heart and Kidney (min. 19.5%), Fish (min. 15%), Chicory Syrup, Green-lipped and Blue Mussel (min. 4%), Fish Oil, Lecithin, Kelp, Vitamins and Minerals, Parsley, Naturally preserved with mixed tocopherols
Additives: Vit. D3 592 IU/kg, Vit. E 7.4mg/kg, Copper (copper proteinate) 9.8mg/kg.
Calories 1778 KJ/100g.

GUARANTEED ANALYSIS:

Protein (min.)	34%	Ash (max.)	8%
Fat (min.)	26%	Fibre (max.)	1.8%
Moisture (max.)	15%	Calcium	2%
		Phosphorus P	1.1%

Based on the information on their website, we are to assume "fish" means "Hoki Fish", though in the ingredients it does NOT specify.

Based on the feeding instructions, our dogs would get 2 scoops a day (in the 22lb range). The Ziwi Peak advantage claims to help mirror a more natural hunting diet than dry commercial kibble by being free of fillers, grains or preservatives and promoting the original nutritional values of their ingredients.
It is true, even the most picky of eaters cannot resist Ziwi Peak:

I would suggest trying this food. Ziwi Peak is very open with their Quality of Animal Protein and Certification of Proteins sourced and used. Though they may be a little pricey, you end up feeding less because the food is so thoroughly digestible.