Product Review: Sweet Little Butterpup™ by Lincoln Bark

At i-pets.com we vigorously endorse our USA rawhide chew treats - great for long, satisfying chew sessions. But we know that there are times when a quicker snack is needed. But that snack also has to be 100% natural, made with human grade ingredients like yummy peanut butter, sweet pumpkin and crunchy oatmeal and also be healthy and delicious.

We were thrilled to receive a sample of  Sweet Little Butterpup™ treats to try out  and critique. First, we appreciate the fact that they're made right here, in the good ol' USA, in Chicago, by Lincoln Bark. They contain the Chia Seed superfood, which promotes canine health with more antioxidants than blueberries and  8x more Omega-3 Fatty Acids than wild Salmon!

Butterpup™ treats contain no wheat, soy, corn, preservatives or additives. They come in a cute little munchable, crunchable nugget of great flavors: Chicken Liver, Salmon, Oatmeal and Pumpkin.

So ... what's the verdict?

We'll let Poppy tell you.

#1 - Chicken Liver:

Two crunches and gone! Poppy likes 'em!

#2 - Pumpkin Peanut Butter:

Two crunches and gone! Poppy likes 'em! (She also licked her lips, wagged her tail, and looked around for more.)

Ok, ok,

#3 - Oatmeal

We have to confess that there was no crunch this time - Poppy swallowed the little nugget in one piece. Good thing they're so small. Mission accomplished, we thought we'd stop for the day.

Sweet Little Butterpup™ treats HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - great quick, little, healthy, reward treats.

Please visit Lincoln Bark to see the varieties of Sweet Little Butterpup, and other treat  selections.

(Photos of Poppy by Julie Corsi)

New softer rawhide treat for older dogs

Older dogs might have worn down, loose, or sensitive teeth, but they still crave chewing.

An exciting new product is a softer rawhide chew and this one has the added supplement of carrots.

Doesn't your older doggie deserve a treat?

Get them at i-pets.com

Deer Antlers: Tough Chews for Tough Dogs

Naturally shed deer antlers 100% organic - now for sale at i-pets.com

Male white-tailed deer (bucks) have antlers during spring, summer, and winter moths. The antlers naturally fall off, or "shed" in late winter, early spring, when mating season is over.

Antlers are made of dead bone - they are a great alternative to rawhide chews, especially for dogs who are aggressive chewers or who have a sensitive digestive system, disturbed by the fat and protein in rawhide chews.

Antlers on deer are bone material.

During growth they are covered with a skin that helps provide blood and nutrients to the antler.

When the antler growth stops due to testosterone-levels rising in the animal, the skin is rubbed off - this creates the colorization and "staining" of the antler.

The antlers carried by i-pets.com are "natural sheds," collected in the forests of Illinois. Deer have not been harmed to collect these antlers. Because they were gathered in the wild, we have washed them with a mild peroxide solution, just to be sure they are dirt and germ free.

Deer antlers are a clean, odorless, non-staining, non-greasy treat to keep active chewers busy. The antlers will not crumble or splinter and harm your dog.

In the wild, shed antlers are not around for too long - they are a favorite treat for wild animals - even squirrels and rodents love them because they are rich in minerals and calcium.

But not all dogs like antlers.

Just as some dogs aren't crazy about rawhide or pig ears, there are those who aren't attracted to antlers, either.

Because antlers are odorless, your dog might not be aware of their excellent chewability. Try rubbing on a little peanut butter or some beef juice left over from your steak dinner when introducing antlers for the first time.

As with all treats, please supervise your pet carefully, especially the first few times you're offering this new treat.

(Holly, pictured above, is a four-month old pup, who really, really likes deer antlers. She says they're much more enjoyable than the table legs she was chewing before.)

What recession? Our pampered pets are still living the good life

Americans continue spending heavily on their pets even as they have given up restaurant meals, vacations and new cars. Even though job losses and foreclosures have forced some people to give up their animals, pet-related spending in the United States actually climbed by 5 percent from 2007 to 2008. Industry experts expect the numbers to rise again this year, to a total of $45.4 billion spent on food, supplies, medical care and animal purchases. Though some consumers have scaled back on products such as accessories, American Pet Products Association President Bob Vetere said many remain choosy about what they feed their pets. The tainted-pet-food scares that killed dozens of animals in 2007 have led many consumers to buy higher-end brands. ** A survey conducted by BIGresearch, a market-research company, shows that 61.2 percent of people surveyed in December said they owned pets, up slightly from 59.4 percent the previous year. Retail and animal experts say families staying home more may see getting a new pet — particularly one from a shelter — as a relatively low-cost investment that will reap benefits for years. Source ** Obviously, great news for i-pets.com, where we continue to sell USA manufactured rawhide treats, free of chemicals and additives. See what our happy customers say about i-pets.com.

Political Doggy Treats

Peanut butter & honey flavored political treats for your partisan canine! The perfect gift for the politically savvy and the dogs who have everything. Available as Democratic donkeys and Republican elephants. $8.95 from Organic Doggy Kitchen Organic Doggy Kitchen donates $1 from each bag sold through their online store to the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria .

Milk-Bone celebrates 100th Anniversary

Milk-Bone is looking for photos of memorable "Milk-Bone Moments" between dogs and their pet parents to celebrate 100 years of baking tasty dog snacks. Enter your photo online at www.milk-bone.com, where 100 finalists will be chosen and America will vote for their favorite. Just photograph a special moment between you and your dog, and you could win big bucks. The grand prize is a $100,000 contract to serve as the first ever Milk-Bone 100th Anniversary Spokesdog, plus a digital camera.

Halloween Eyeball Cupcakes

Yes, they have unleashed devilishly decorated spooky Halloween Eyeball cupcakes for all those crazy canines - original and spooky good! A wonderful soft treat any dog will love.

Pupperware, anyone?

One of the hottest new concepts in critterland is the home pet party, a gathering of animals and the people who are willing to open their wallets for them. The events are ringing up revenues for companies like Shure Pets, based in Chicago. "The pet economy is on fire," says Andrew Shure, president and founder of Shure Pets. "Our society is more affluent, people are marrying later and maybe not having kids, and they tend to treat their pets like their children," says Shure. Shure launched his company in 2003 and has seen revenues increase every year, he says. Shure Pets has 1,600 "independent pet consultants" throughout the country, in all 50 states. "We're growing, though we're still a tiny company," he says. On average, parties ring up about $400 in sales, says Shure, and consultants earn 25 percent commission. Party hosts earn credits toward merchandise. Photo credit: Sacramento Bee/Autumn Cruz

Bush Biskit Dog Treats

Bush Biskit Dog Treats Maybe it's time to sit your puppy down and have a serious talk about the facts. It's time you found out if your little bundle of unconditional love is a conservative, a liberal or a new fandangled progressive. Maybe you need to think twice about leaving Fido home alone to answer the never-ending stream of political phone surveys during the day!

Greenies dog treat lawsuit settled

The makers of Greenies, one of the nation's best-selling dog treats, have settled a class-action lawsuit claiming the teeth-cleaning product injured or killed close to a dozen dogs. U.S. District Judge Gary Fenner on Monday agreed with a joint request to dismiss the case. Alan Sash, who represented 10 dog owners against Kansas City-based manufacturer S&M NuTec, said the case was settled but the terms were confidential. In their lawsuit, Sash's clients claimed S&M NuTec, the company that invented the treats, knew of the dangers Greenies posed for dogs but refused to adequately warn consumers or pull the treats from the shelves. The company repeatedly said Greenies were safe when used as directed, which included buying dogs the correct size of treat and making sure the animal adequately chewed it and didn't gulp it down. Still, the company changed the packaging of Greenies to make its warnings more visible and came out with a new formula late last year that it said was more digestible and designed to break down into smaller pieces during chewing.