On January 15, Zukes announced the news....   

http://www.zukes.com/meet-zukes/for-media/press-releases/zukes-partners-with-nestle-purina-petcare

Zuke’s Now Part of the Nestlé Purina Family!

We are very excited to announce that Zuke’s is now part of the Nestlé Purina family.This change brings with it greater support for both customers and stores alike. It also brings exciting new opportunities for Zuke’s and you, our valued customers.
• Zuke’s will continue to be run as an independent company, by the same people in Durango that you have always trusted.
• Every treat and chew will be made in the same facilities in the USA.
• Our top-quality, natural, wholesome ingredients will be sourced from the same suppliers.
• Every recipe will remain the same, or be improved, but will never be compromised.
• Zuke’s treats will continue to be sold exclusively in the same pet specialty, online and natural grocery retailers where you find Zuke’s. To put it simply, our passion for pets and the products we provide has not, and will not change. We will continue to be the brand that you trust, providing treats that help keep your pet healthy and happy.

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My pups got a Z Bone every day as their treat that helped keep their teeth clean and now I'm sad.... I'm not sure how long it will take for a shift in product quality but I will be looking for a similar treat to switch to.

I really do hope that they keep to what they have stated above that quality will not change, but we've seen it happen with other companies.

Too bad...I really liked Zukes, and they were a small, local company that I supported.

I saw that, I was bummed too.

Yeah, I like Zukes! Oh well, I guess it's time to find another treat.

I really liked Zuke's too but I definitely will not use them after Purina takes over.

I really enjoy the Little Wolf treats in their place. They SMELL like fresh fish and the like and Mishka loves them.

This sucks because the dental treats are Bode's favorite (and one of the only dental treats that I feel comfortable letting him have).

Does anyone have any recommendations for good dental chew alternatives?

I found Blue Buffalo has a similar product.  Ingredients are similar, but Blue Bones have ground rice in them with additional vitamins over Z Bones.

http://www.bluebuffalo.com/blue-bones

I don't like the ground rice, but I'm OK with most of the other ingredients but this is the closest I can find so far.  I'm still looking.  I may end up going with a buffalo smoked ear dog chew (also comes in natural (non-smoked) if I can't find anything else.  Ginger may not like it but Storm may love it as we got some ears from Costco once and Storm loved it but Ginger was completely uninterested.

http://www.naturalk9supplies.com/Dog-Treats/bingo-buffalo-smoked-ear-dog-chew.aspx

Made of 100% natural grass fed buffalo, the Bingo Buffalo Smoked Ear Dog Chew Treat is low in fat and has no preservatives or chemicals. Bingo Buffalo Smoked Ear Dog Chew Treat is easily digested for any age dog and the chewing promotes gum and teeth health. Bingo Buffalo Smoked Ear Dog Chew Treat is also a very good source of protein giving your dog the energy they need to live a healthy and active lifestyle.

100% Natural
Made from free range, grass feed cattle
No preservatives or chemicals
Easily digested
Great source of protein
Chewing promotes dental health.

What a shame, Zuke's made some pretty good stuff and I liked their products. Their training treats were especially good as far as size and content goes. Why must Purina kill everything they touch? D:

Oh no! Thats awful! We only feed exclusively Zukes treats. I guess I will be looking around for another kind now. Luckily I did buy a ton of them at Christmas when it was buy one get on free, so I'm good for awhile at least, might even stock up some more.

Stuff like this makes me so mad. What ever happened to quality over quantity. I just don't think I could ever believe that they won't change stuff to cut down cost or something. I wish brands like this didn't sell out to larger name companies. I feel like people who take the time to feed Zukes care about their dogs health and when you switch to a company like Purina, your probably losing a lot of those people.

Here's a great alternative to the Z Bones!  And they are a Colorado based company!
And is has ProDen Plaque Off in them!

http://www.indigenouspet.com/dental-health-bones.html

I do know of a store in the Los Angeles area that has them but am checking if they have them to purchase online. If these are cheaper, and they are available for online purchase, I'mma get these instead of stocking up on Z Bones!

So far, this is the only store I know of that you can buy Indigenous Dental Health Bones from over the phone (they will get it on their online store soon).

HOUND DOG + CAT FOOD AND SUPPLY
5450 W PICO BLVD #103 LOS ANGELES, CA 90019
PH: 323-272-3701
FAX: 323-272-3726
EMAIL: HOUNDDOGANDCAT@GMAIL.COM


STORE HOURS

M-SAT 9AM - 7PM

SUN 10AM - 6PM

Personally I think you all are jumping the gun a bit. Lots of different companies are bought out by larger corporations, that doesn't necessarily mean the quality of the product goes down. Ferrari is and has been owned by Fiat Motor Company for quite a few years, as are Dodge and Jeep. Does that make the Ferrari comparable to a Jeep? Hardly. JMO

If there is a change, will Zukes products change immediately? Probably not. So products that are currently out on the shelves are still Zukes products.

Only time will tell if Zukes keep their promise about keeping the integrity of their products.

In the meantime, I found a product that is similar to Z Bones that I'd like to try that could turn out to be a better product.

I don't think people are jumping the gun at all. You cannot compare the dog food/treat business to cars.

Just take a look at Purina's track record; they bought brands such as Iams and Eukanuba at a time they were good, family owned brands. Now, I wouldn't suggest my worst enemy feeds those brands. Look at Beneful; one of the WORST food brands. Purina was involved in the well known Chicken Jerky scandals.

Purina has proven time and time again they are not a company to be trusted and anything they buy out turns to shit.

Sheba&Kennedy wrote:

Purina has proven time and time again they are not a company to be trusted and anything they buy out turns to shit.

I agree completely, which is why I'm SHOCKED that Zukes would sell out to them. I just never really saw that happening.

And when you get them Claudia, I hope you do a review! I just got the Proden plaque off to start trying, and I would love to move on to these dental bones if they turn out to work well!

I will do a review!
I called Indigenous Pet to ask where I could buy the Dental Health Bones and they said they are trying to get in a couple of places in Colorado. They also asked if I could go to my local independent pet store and ask if they would bring it in for me and in return they would send me free samples. So once I get to try them, I will post a review.

Yay! Indigenous Pets is going to send me samples of their Dental Health Bones!

I called my neighborhood pet store to see if they carried or will bring in Indigenous Pet Dental Health Bones because 'Zukes has now partnered with Purina'. When I made that statement, the person who answered (not the owner) said, 'Oh, they were SOLD to Purina'. When I asked, 'Did they partner with Purina or were they sold to Purina?', she replied, 'They were definitely SOLD to Purina'.

  

Well that's that, being sold to Purina is perhaps the only thing in the world that is worse than partnering with them.

R.I.P Zukes, you used to be a great brand.

They certainly skirted around THAT issue in their post, huh?....

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.

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.

Actually I think most of the people on here would agree with you, until they actually decrease the quality of the product there isn't any reason to not continue buying from them. However the "fact" is that this particular company has a very bad track record and has already ruined several decent brands. Also buying a company is far, far different from partnering with them. So the statistics aren't exactly on their side and that's why many people on here are upset and looking for other alternatives. I don't think that we'll have to wait very long for quality issues to show up either, but that's just my personal spin on things.

That's how I interpret this whole mess anyways...

A good friend who owns/runs a pet supply store is no longer going to stack his shelves with their product.

Saying you will use them until "quality declines" is silly. Why give the dog anything produced from a manufacturer who has proven time and time again that cost and profit trump quality.

On a personal note I haven't seen a real desire to use these treats since I saw they use things like maple syrup in their products. What does a dog need maple syrup for? Once I saw that I got over them quickly.

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 get what you all are trying to say, but I think that calling all products from what is a very large company that produces many different brands of food for many different types of animals of many different qualities crap, is a bit of a gross over-exaggeration. I know that a month or so ago, when my pups had some stomach issues for a couple weeks and puked up all the various brands of food I tried as soon as they ate it, I was damn glad when the vet gave us some Purina Prochoice, and I have to say despite my general dislike for Purina's dog food, it worked and my pups are now happy, healthy and eating their normal food again.

Personally, I've never used Iams, nor am I familiar with it, but have been familiar with Eukanuba for a while and I have never seen it as a top-rated food, but perhaps my experience with that particular brand doesn't go back far enough. Guess my personal opinion is that decline in quality is as much a factor of our society as it is a factor of any big company cutting costs. I personally remember when Science Diet came on the market and was THE top rated dog food, wasn't long before its quality declined, and it wasn't because it was bought up by some big name company (at least not at that time).

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.