Wy Renegade wrote:

In regards to knowing when quality starts to decline, all you have to do is pay attention. It really doesn't take long for that type of information to make the rounds.

I think you're missing the point here. People don't want to wait around and find something new when the quality goes down. By the time word spreads it'll be too late, since by then people will already be using the lower quality product and noticing the effects. None of the people posting here want to be using it when that time occurs. We won't know when changes will be made and it's not like the company will be announcing that it's lowering it's standards.

You know they can change ingredients on the label without changing the actual label for 12 months? How about a subtle change like switching to a much lower quality ingredient but it's still the same ingredient so there is no label change necessary? I know from experience how big a difference it can make when I tried sticking with Wellness after they switched manufacturers. I knew immediately when I finally ended up with a bag of food from their new manufacturers and I've never used them since. I regret waiting till I came across their inferior dumbed down food and having to feed my dog the crap their food turned into which made my dog sick. So yeah, these people have very good reason to stop buying Zukes well before the inevitable happens. The inevitable changes will affect someone's dog and no one here wants it to be theirs.

I haven't bought Zukes in over a year anyway so this doesn't even affect me personally, but I wouldn't hesitate to drop Zukes immediately if I was using it based on this news. I used to recommend Zukes but I certainly won't now.

siku&nikolai wrote:

Kristina, what kind of treats do you use on a day to day basis?

My whole thing is, how will you know when their quality declines, they aren't going to tell you. They will just make some changes. But I do get what you are saying, I just do not agree Randy in this particular case.

I use carivore crunch, any of Bravos dry roasted treats (favorite being the venison liver,) and grizzly salmon oil makes a new dog treat similar to carnivore crunch.

I'm seriously disappointed in this decision - we will be buying a few more bags of Zuke's Mini Natural's, as the store by us has a shipment prior to their Purina decision. After that, we will be buying more Primal, Grandma Lucy's, and other meat based treats.

<--- *Sad Panda* I am bummed out.

We have used Zukes on occasion when we forgot to bring bait to a show but it is so easy to just make your own healthy natural treats. The added benefit is knowing exactly what goes in them. You can make large batches and freeze them in portions so you have them on hand anytime you need them.

There are some great recipes here: http://www.sherob.com/info/cookbook/cb4.html

I personally stick with the meat treats. I don't do "cookies" with flour in them because it always seems to give my dogs gas that can clear the whole house. I don't do liquid smoke either. I just like to keep them as natural as possible. But there are some other great recipes there. With treats like this, the dogs love them and you know exactly what they are eating.

I called the company and they sent me samples for going in to a couple of my local independently owned pet stores.  I was expecting maybe one bag but I got loot!



I snapped one in half and gave it to my sledheads and they went crazy for them as they did the Z Bones!

You can get them on Amazon.com but they are $18.99 for a bag of 13 plus $7.40 shipping a bag!  Multiple bags will still add on to shipping but it's a few bucks instead $7....still, ouch!  

You can call Hound Dog and Cat out in California and she'll ship them for only $5.
http://hounddogandcat.com/pages/contact
Karena, the store owner, also made a nice donation to Nanuk and his family, so I'd rather support her!  (If you've been following, Nanuk is the husky that was burned in a house fire earlier in January, and one of our members, Samira, has been helping this family out with gathering up donations.)

Thats awesome, I will buy from her if I decide to get them. When you look at the pricing, and the fact that they already have proden in them, I would save money in that sense. Let me know how you think they work as you continue to use them.

What is the gel for?

The gel is for endurance. So if you do long hikes, or skijor or mush, then the endurance gel could be a benefit for your pups.

Wy Renegade wrote:

Sorry, but I base my purchases of food and treats on facts, not opinions. Right now Zukes produces a quality product, until the facts prove that they no longer are, I will continue to use them. Rest assured that as soon as quality goes down, I will no longer use them, but I'm not going to stop using them because they sold out to some parent company that I may not like until the facts show that the quality of the product has declined.

Nailed it, perfectly valid. Those who would rather have their dollars go to smaller and/or more ethical parent companies are also justified.

Secondly, whoever gave you a negative treat for that post has not read the rules. They should really just eliminate them because I lose my faith in humanity every time they're misused "You don't raise your dog the same as me? You're a bad person and mistreating your dog!"