No bones about it, this food is great for dogs on the go
By Keith Turner
June 25, 2008
Summertime traveling with dogs is a fun and rewarding experience . . . but it can be a messy one as well.
Dog food bags or boxes are hard to store and can easily tip over and turn a car into a giant box of dog food in no time. Attempt to bring cans or fresh food ingredients, and you’ve got even more issues.
However, a product has hit the market that takes all the fuss and muss out of DogCar travels while also providing your pup with a meal that is fun for him to eat because it’s shaped like a bone.
It’s called WholeMeals Food for Dogs and it was developed with veterinarians who were looking for a new approach to healthy nutrition that would be easy for owners and fun for their dogs to enjoy. The bone-shaped meal is the first meal to resemble real bone, with a shape specifically designed to give your canine a bit of a challenge at meal time.
The result of WholeMeal’s bone shape is that dogs no longer have to eat from a bowl, preferring to take the bone in their forepaws and chew in a natural way to get their food. According to WholeMeals, scientific research shows that the smooth and angled edges of the bone-shaped meal gives dogs what they love best — and what is built into their DNA — the ability to pick up their meals, eat with their paws and chew longer and more thoroughly.
Available in four sizes (Toy, Small, Medium and Large), the bone-shaped meal is designed with varied surfaces to fit into different parts of the mouth. The chewy outside helps prolong mealtime because your pup has to work to longer to eat her meal. A special dual texture helps keep teeth cleaner and reduces tarter and plaque build-up.
Dr. Marty Becker, the popular veterinary contributor to ABC-TV’s “Good Morning America” and veterinary adviser to DogCars.com, is convinced that WholeMeals is a good way for dogs to eat.
“The secret behind WholeMeals food is the fact that owners appreciate the food as an entire meal with all the nutrients their dog needs,” said Becker. “The meals are about freedom; they make feeding easier for owners and more enjoyable for dogs.”
Speaking of Dr. Becker, you can see him on ABC’s Good Morning America tomorrow (June 26) as well as on XM Radio channel 155 and on ABC’s GMA NOW, which is an extended version offered to viewers through cable, broadband and cell phones. Click here for more details.
So now summertime travels with your canine crew can be less messy and more fun — for everyone!
Based on the first 5 ingredients, I wouldn’t use it.
Rice Flour, Chicken By-Product Meal, Meat Broth (unnamed, yum), Wheat Flour, Glycerin.
Howbout some actual meat somewhere?
Comment by John — June 25, 2008 @ 11:51 pm
I looked at this food in the store and the ingredient list looked dreadful.
Comment by YesBiscuit! — June 26, 2008 @ 11:01 am
I had the same concerns with the ingredient deck until I spoke with my Vet. He explained some of the digestive benefits of using Meal and further the dental benefits associated with the shape so I tried it. My dog absolutley loves it!
Comment by Marc Steinman — June 26, 2008 @ 2:53 pm
I also spoke with my vet and he said there is nothing wrong with by-product as a protein source, and that it is real meat. I bought it for my dog and she loved it. I loved that it took her longer to eat than inhaling her regular kibble. I love Whole Meals!
Comment by Deborah — June 26, 2008 @ 4:21 pm
By-products are “meat” in the sense that they are parts of an animal - namely the parts no one would normally feed to a pet (intestines, undeveloped eggs, heads, etc) unless it was as part of an entire animal carcass. “Meat broth” comes from some unknown animal source, probably a mixture of carcasses deemed unfit for human consumption and routinely rendered together under the label “meat”. If the manufacturer doesn’t know the source, I’m not going to feed it to my pet. The dental benefits associated with the shape can be more healthily achieved from feeding actual raw bones (such as beef necks) from known, trusted sources. Rice and wheat flour should not be main ingredients in a dog food - neither should glycerin. This is a terrible excuse for a “dog food” IMO and I would recommend anyone considering feeding it - or ANY food - do some research beyond asking his Vet. It’s always best to have more than one source of information to my mind.
Comment by YesBiscuit! — June 27, 2008 @ 7:44 am
Many vets are not terribly well informed about pet nutrition in general, anyway - take a look at the ingredient list on a bag of the Prescription Diet food they love to push - total junk. Dog food companies push a huge amount of propaganda and money at vets, starting in school. (Think drug companies and human medicine.) Many give in.
Comment by John — June 28, 2008 @ 10:25 am
Unfortunately, the nutrition courses taught to veterinarians during vet school are full of propaganda and advertisements with crummy dog foods.. Many veterinarians are therefore not educated about dog food.
If you want something easy on the go, try The Honest Kitchen. Human grade, quality ingredients- grainless and definitely a meat based.
It is dehydrated, just add warm water, stir, and let sit for 10 min.
Comment by Lauren — June 28, 2008 @ 9:29 pm
Expensive as hell, but it’s what I feed my dogs… worth the peace of mind.
Comment by John — June 29, 2008 @ 6:32 pm
This sounds great for my pack of 8-20! Do you send it to Turkey. I do animal rescue and they would be great for me when İ am in a rush to get out of the house quickly.
Comment by Rosemary Tramantano — July 7, 2008 @ 12:37 am