Product Review: SmartBones—Peanut Butter & Chicken Flavors

Like most dog owners, I pay attention to the type of dog food and treats I feed my dogs. Rawhide chews are one of the things I don’t give them since I’m concerned with the numerous chemicals used to process them, which presents a problem for me. How do I fulfill my dogs’ urge to chew (sparing my shoes and other valuables) and avoid giving them those icky rawhides?

Enter SmartBones. According to their website, SmartBones are made using extruded, wholesome grain starch and other vegetables such as sweet potatoes, carrots and peas in place of rawhide and combines it with chicken jerky.  Oh, and did I mention that they are over 99% digestible and fortified with vitamins and minerals? This dog mommy is intrigued.

So of course, when I received my packages of peanut butter and chicken flavored SmartBones, I was eager to have my four-legged taste-testers try them, but not before I read the ingredient label. After which I made one note: this product is not a suitable rawhide alternative if you have a dog that suffers from corn, barley or chicken allergies, since all flavors contain both. With that in mind, my pups could not participate in this trial, but their border collie friend, Glory, was more than happy to help with the review.

As soon as I opened the bag, Glory knew something good was heading her way and she was not disappointed — she loved her SmartBone. Once she had it in her grasp, she went right to chewing. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it lasted about as long as a rawhide chew would typically last. I was a bit concerned about carpet staining, but that didn’t seem to be a problem for us either. Overall, I would say SmartBones is a great alternative to rawhides if you are a dog owner who isn’t ingredient restricted due to food allergies.  Hopefully in the future, SmartBones will come out with a flavor set that can accommodate dogs with allergies — I’m sure my dogs would love to try them.

 

Written By Gabriella Martinez  | Photo By Luminaria Photography