# Taste of the Wild?



## PoodleUp (Apr 11, 2008)

Has anyone tried this food?


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## Kela (Aug 12, 2008)

Yes! I liked it actually. I got it one day when my store ran out of Innova Evo. I did switch back to Evo once they restocked but I would consider feeding this again if necessary. I did feel that it was slightly greasy feeling and my dogs poop wasn't quite as firm and he was a tad more gassy with this than the Evo.

The only downside I've read is the people who make the food aren't always the most forthcoming with information. I'd still go with Evo or Orijen if those are options for you but its a worthy backup imo.


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## Pamela (Sep 9, 2008)

I am using IAM's mini chunks for dry and Pedigreed can - we give half a can and 1 1/2 cups dry - Teddy is very gassy - does anyone use these brands? tHANKS!


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## rmillstein (May 26, 2008)

Marley eats the IAMS dry, but not the Pedigree... he's hardly at all gassy. We give him as much as he wants, and he's still skinny!


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## Pamela (Sep 9, 2008)

wow that's great - just like Gabie - she is just right but was skinny for so long. But Cassie eats the same thing and is fat. It's weird.


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## T o d d (Sep 25, 2007)

Moose downs his food so fast and seems to be always hungry. If we give him more he has diarrhea... should we let him eat until he is full? He throws up sometimes if he eats to fast or drinks to fast too


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## rmillstein (May 26, 2008)

Some dogs self-regulate and some don't -- the latter is why we see fat dogs. Some dogs will just eat-eat-eat. If Moose gets diarrhea when he eats too much, that sounds like a reason to control his portions to me!


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## Kela (Aug 12, 2008)

I personally wouldn't recommend Iams or Pedigree. You can find some higher quality foods for the same price roughly and a good food can really do wonders for a dogs health, energy, coat and more. 

When I go shopping for food, I flip the bag over and look at ingredients. I avoid anything that has animal by-products on the label or has a lot of corn or other cereal grain in it. You also want to see a good strong meat as the first ingredient, and preferably a few meats in the first 4 or 5 ingredients listed. The ingredients are roughly listed in order of how much they are in the product. Why do I avoid by products? These are meats that are considered too low grade for human consumption. This means taco bell makes these look good! 

Here is a pretty neat website that reviews almost all dog foods out there and tells you why they like or don't like all of them: http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/

Todd - You definitely want to regulate the food in my opinion. Tribble will eat everything in front of him at all times...he would quickly become a big fattie if I let him eat as he wanted!


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## rmillstein (May 26, 2008)

Kela said:


> I personally wouldn't recommend Iams or Pedigree. You can find some higher quality foods for the same price roughly and a good food can really do wonders for a dogs health, energy, coat and more.!


You know, I hesitated to chime in because I know many people believe this very strongly. But then I thought, better to have the conversation and see what we all can learn.

I have no doubt that there's a lot of truth to what you say. But here is what I know: Marley was fed IAMS by his previous owner and we were trying to keep things the same as much as possible. He is now 4. He's never sick. His coat is beautifully soft. He has a ton of energy -- we do our best to tire him out, but never quite manage. Most of the other dogs he plays with tire out long before he does. He is quite "regular" and his poops are firm and normal looking. And plenty of dogs live to ripe old ages eating these sorts of foods.

So, what's the answer here? Maybe it's just that a strong dog, like a strong person, can get away with eating things that others can't. *shrug* But my thought is that if something isn't broken, I won't try to fix it. There are too many other things to worry about.

And the reason we didn't try to regulate Marley's diet is because we didn't want to make him totally food focused. I see a lot of dogs like that. Of course, if the dog won't self-regulate, you have no choice.

I respect other people's food choices, and I am always interested to hear what people are feeding their dogs. Things can always change.


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## CurlyDog (Aug 20, 2008)

*Foods*

I noticed that a lot of people feed Evo. Right now Max is on Veterinarian Formula Holistic and I'm still searching for what might be best. What I don't like about this one is that it isn't listed on the ratings sites that I've seen. Evo was listed in the highest category. I think Taste of the Wild was as well. Vets always preach no people food but I imagine that is to avoid junk. Does anyone out there feed a homemade raw diet? I doubt I'd have the time. I've tried to get Max to eat raw veggies but no luck.


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## Purple Poodle (May 5, 2008)

Just because its not broken does not mean it could not be better 

My Aunt and Uncle had two Golden mixes who lived on Ol'Roy for 13 and 14 years, they dogs were healthy and happy and had plenty of energy. Would I feed my own dogs Ol' Roy? Hell no. Its like you said some people can eat junk food and chips all day and not gain a pound and still look and feel healthy and have nice hair etc. but that does not mean they have good cholesterol, even blood pressure, or level blood sugar levels. *shrug*

Looks can be deceiving, I have currently been feeding Pedigree to all of my dogs and because I free feed I saw a MAJOR difference in how much they eat and poop. When I was feeding a better quality of food they ate less and pooped less. I have been researching dog foods for over a year now and have yet to find one I love. Yes, every dog is different as is every dog food and some foods may not be good for some dogs but to me, what my animals eat matters and just because they CAN live on it dose not mean they SHOULD. 

Anyway...

I have heard of Taste of the Wild but have not fed it myself.


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## Kela (Aug 12, 2008)

You know what your dog acts like, what his poop looks like, and what his coat feels like from feeding Iams. Have you given a premium dog food a try just to compare? Even if you think he is at the peak of health 100% I think it still is worth a try. If you see no results and no change in anything after a few weeks to a month, I really would be very surprised. Worst case scenario, you just go back to Iams after the trial, no harm done. 

I really hope I'm not sounding pushy or anything of that nature, I would hate to think that I've upset someone or anything like that. This is just one of those subjects that I'm truly passionate about. I've "converted" quite a few friends and coworkers over to high quality foods for their pets and I've honestly had nothing but surprise at how much better the switch was. They didn't even expect to see results at all, but I haven't met a single person who was disappointed with a premium food who went back to another brand.

Anyone reading though should keep in mind that it is best to do food changes of ANY kind slowly. Immediate changes to most animals diets will likely cause diarrhea for a few days.

*Edit* Here is a good website about ingredients - http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=badingredients

While this list is LONG and you may have a hard time finding a food that doesn't contain any of them, it is still an interesting read (in my opinion..but I'm a nerd!)


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## Kela (Aug 12, 2008)

Chris Abbott said:


> I noticed that a lot of people feed Evo. Right now Max is on Veterinarian Formula Holistic and I'm still searching for what might be best. What I don't like about this one is that it isn't listed on the ratings sites that I've seen.


Is that the full name of it? Veterinarian Formula Holistic? I haven't heard of that one either. Do you know who manufactures it?


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## T o d d (Sep 25, 2007)

rmillstein said:


> You know, I hesitated to chime in because I know many people believe this very strongly. But then I thought, better to have the conversation and see what we all can learn.
> 
> I have no doubt that there's a lot of truth to what you say. But here is what I know: Marley was fed IAMS by his previous owner and we were trying to keep things the same as much as possible. He is now 4. He's never sick. His coat is beautifully soft. He has a ton of energy -- we do our best to tire him out, but never quite manage. Most of the other dogs he plays with tire out long before he does. He is quite "regular" and his poops are firm and normal looking. And plenty of dogs live to ripe old ages eating these sorts of foods.
> 
> ...


I agree, if it's not wrong fix it.
Just like people food some ingredients are better than others but it doesn't mean you can't survive / be fine with one or the other.

What's good for one person may not be good for another just like people.

If it works it works if not change it.

If the ingredients are "bad" that's a fact, but if your dog likes them and does ok that's fine too 

That's my thought on the whole thing at least.


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## CurlyDog (Aug 20, 2008)

It's called VF Complete Holistic Adult Formula, and made by Arkat. I tried it because the kennel/training center we use sells it. I figured that would be a good place to start while I consider others. 

http://www.arkat.com/VFcomplete.html


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## Kela (Aug 12, 2008)

Looks like pretty good stuff!


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## Pamela (Sep 9, 2008)

My dogs are healthy also - and full of energy. My vet told me to use Eukabana or Iams and Iams is what the local store carries so that's what we use. The Pedigree is just to wet the dry becuase, unfortunately, ginger could see that is what the minis eat and wouldn't eat dry alone. The minis wouldn't eat the dry alone either - they were actually given cat food by their breeder - weird huh?


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## SECRETO (Aug 20, 2008)

Here is good site to determine which foods are best. This list's all the dog foods by 5 stars, 4 stars so forth. 

I only feed premium food to our dogs. We have been on Health Wise made from California Natural and love the food. It may be pricier than Pedigree but the ingredients are better, they eat less and they poop less. My Pitbull has very sensitive skin and almost everything makes her loose hair. (big blotches)
There are only a few that she is ok on like; Taste of the Wild, Solid Gold, and California Natural. I myself like the better foods and wouldn't feed anything less to my crew. 

Here is the site:

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/


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## Kela (Aug 12, 2008)

Pamela said:


> My dogs are healthy also - and full of energy. My vet told me to use Eukabana or Iams and Iams is what the local store carries so that's what we use. The Pedigree is just to wet the dry becuase, unfortunately, ginger could see that is what the minis eat and wouldn't eat dry alone. The minis wouldn't eat the dry alone either - they were actually given cat food by their breeder - weird huh?


Eukanuba has a new food out that (while it isn't the best) is far better than the regular stuff. It comes in three flavors and it is pretty cheap at PetsMart while they are trying to get the word out about it. I think it is called Naturally something. It was 6.99 for the little bag.

Something to remember is that many vets are paid to endorse certain products. This doesn't mean that your dog won't be fine eating those products, but they may not be optimal. Some of these companies also fund research and other ventures with veterinary schools, so these are the only products that some of them might know about. In my pre-veterinary program, we had a nutrition course that covered nothing more than the basics. It was about how to formulate food and how much % protein a food should have, but nothing about what individual ingredients might be optimum or not.


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## CurlyDog (Aug 20, 2008)

Re: http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/

This is a good site. I recently found that the food we're using is NOT recommended despite the fact that it is considered to be a premium brand. I'm thinking of switching to Orijen. Still reading up on these... It seems to be that grain free is considered best.


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## Kela (Aug 12, 2008)

I want to give Orijen a try even though I'm happy with what we're on now. Maybe I should do a taste test to make the ultimate decision...let the pups choose!


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## CurlyDog (Aug 20, 2008)

Just bought some Orijen today. I am so impressed with the ingredients. I would probably do better on this diet! It is quite a bit more expensive but you get what you pay for I suppose. I will only have one dog on it so it won't be too bad. Abbie is 11 and has always had a sensitive system so we'll leave her on the Iams. Max likes it so far. I just gave him a taste and added a bit to his food. I found on the website http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/ that the one we were using (VF Holistic) was not even recommended by them. 

I'm learning more and more this time around that dogs should have a more varied diet, changing foods periodically is good, and that grain free foods are better. I guess if I get him used to changing food he won't be so sensitive and will be better off.


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## Liafast (Apr 9, 2011)

*Tase of the Wild Food*

I fed my newfoundlands taste of the wild and they kept 'puddin poop'. I was not overfededing them, switched them over for 10 days and kept them on it for several months. They also had VERY stinky poop. I think it was to rich for the newfies. I currently feed all 7 of my standards raw.


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## itzfoxfire58 (Jun 18, 2011)

Liafast said:


> I fed my newfoundlands taste of the wild and they kept 'puddin poop'. I was not overfededing them, switched them over for 10 days and kept them on it for several months. They also had VERY stinky poop. I think it was to rich for the newfies. I currently feed all 7 of my standards raw.


Hi, you kept them on it for 10 days??? My Spoo has had several accidents in the last 9 days and I'm wondering if its the food, he acts like himself and gobbles up the food I give him. I'm wondering if it the same thing if its to rich for him. Feeding him TOTW Salmon


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## Liafast (Apr 9, 2011)

I kept them on it for several months, I did the food change slowly over 10 days.


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## itzfoxfire58 (Jun 18, 2011)

Liafast said:


> I kept them on it for several months, I did the food change slowly over 10 days.


Hmmmm I'm thinking maybe the food is to rich for him, I guess I'll give him the Diamond puppy food and take the TOTW back to store, wait a while and start him on blue buffallo. Thanks


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## Liafast (Apr 9, 2011)

I have also had issues with diamond large breed puupy...or it may have been a reaction to the rabies shot. I put my massive standard and another standard on diamond because the latter standard was allergic to grain. My big boy lost all the fur around his eyes. I switch to raw chicken and within 2-3 weeks his fur started growing back in. I will never feed dog food again and my dogs have great poop and the freshest breath and teeth. I have a 5 momth old standard on raw and he has such wonderful neck and shoulder muscles.


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## georgiapeach (Oct 9, 2009)

For those having trouble with TOTW, which variety did you feed? I've found that the fish or lamb varieties are a little lower in protein and fat, which made a big difference with my dogs. My dogs also had problems with the other two varieties, which are higher in protein (not so bad) and fat (which is what I think the problem was). 

With that said, I now feed Wellness Core, which is also a very good food. It's got a good protein content, while not being too high in fat. I think only working dogs need a diet higher in fat; our non-working dogs don't need it - it can lead to stomach upset/overweight. I switched b/c my dogs were on TOTW for a long time, and I've heard that they should be switched every so often to avoid becoming sensitive to foods. 

I noticed that some people switch foods relatively quickly (10 days was mentioned). When changing from a lesser quality food to a better food, you may want to switch more slowly to avoid "pudding poo". For example: 1/4 new - 3/4 old for a week; 1/2 new - 1/2 old for a week; 3/4 new - 1/4 old for a week; then all new.

Feeding foods such as Pedigree, is like feeding your dog french fries (very tasty, but not very nutritious) - it's almost all corn, with lots of fillers and by-products. Many of the so-called premium brands are the same way (Science Diet, Iams, Eukanuba, Royal Canin, etc.). Check the ingredients on the bag. Many of these foods have a corn product in the first 3 ingredients. Dog foods were first developed to use the corn waste products that humans didn't eat - I was amazed when I read this! Corn is simply a filler and goes right through a dog's system; hence more poo when on a heavy grain (esp. corn) kibble.


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## CurlyDog (Aug 20, 2008)

When I was feeding Taste of the Wild, the Wild Prairie gave one of the dogs terrible gas. The others were ok. 

I feed mostly raw now and switch kibble constantly to keep Raleigh used to a variety. For example: The breeder sent him with what she was feeding him. After a few days, I started to blend in Fromm's Surf & Turf. When the breeder's food was gone, I bought a bag of Orijen and started to feed that as treats. When the Fromm's got low, I transitioned to Orijen... and so on. 

I did notice something interesting. When we were getting ready to go visit family (including older immunocompromised parents) we phased out the raw for the trip. Raleigh's stools loosened and he started scooting. I took him to the vet and his anal glands needed to be expressed but were not infected. When we came home and started back with mainly raw (kibble for training) the stools firmed up.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Pamela said:


> I am using IAM's mini chunks for dry and Pedigreed can - we give half a can and 1 1/2 cups dry - Teddy is very gassy - does anyone use these brands? tHANKS!


Iams and Pedigree are both VERY low quality foods. I wouldn't touch them with a 10 foot pole. 

There are much better foods out there. I would suggest looking here: Dog Food Reviews | Dog Food Ratings


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

CurlyDog said:


> I did notice something interesting. When we were getting ready to go visit family (including older immunocompromised parents) we phased out the raw for the trip. Raleigh's stools loosened and he started scooting. I took him to the vet and his anal glands needed to be expressed but were not infected. When we came home and started back with mainly raw (kibble for training) the stools firmed up.


This is because a raw diet keeps the stool very firm, which naturally expresses the anal glands. When a dog is eating something that gives them soft stool for an extended period of time, the glands do not get naturally expressed.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

CurlyDog said:


> Just bought some Orijen today. I am so impressed with the ingredients. I would probably do better on this diet! It is quite a bit more expensive but you get what you pay for I suppose. I will only have one dog on it so it won't be too bad. Abbie is 11 and has always had a sensitive system so we'll leave her on the Iams. Max likes it so far. I just gave him a taste and added a bit to his food. I found on the website Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble that the one we were using (VF Holistic) was not even recommended by them.
> 
> I'm learning more and more this time around that dogs should have a more varied diet, changing foods periodically is good, and that grain free foods are better. I guess if I get him used to changing food he won't be so sensitive and will be better off.


I would switch from Iams for your sensitive dog. Even though your dog has a sensitive stomach, they deserve a quality diet with quality ingredients. There are kibbles out there designed for dogs with sensitive stomachs. I would try California Natural. Switch very, very slowly. Maybe even over a month's time. Add in probiotics and some pumpkin. Also, what about raw? Raw is best for sensitive stomachs. The only food worse than Iams is Pedigree. And Ol Roy. Another thing you might consider with your sensitive tummy dog is The Honest Kitchen. Anything but Iams :scared:

Also, it seems that dogs who are kept on one food forever tend to have the most sensitive tummies. Millie had a very sensitive Tummy as a puppy. She got loose stool all the time and I was thinking she was heading toward some serious digestive problems. Well, we switched to 100% raw and now she has a stomach of steel. I can even throw kibble in there sometimes now with no ill effects like before. I truly believe that varying their diet is the answer.
Re: Orijen - I love it! I have Tiger on a mix of Orijen Large Breed Puppy and Raw right now. I feel very comfortable about this, even though I wish I wasn't feeding kibble at all.


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## zyrcona (Jan 9, 2011)

Eukanuba: filth marketed at a premium price. I got given a sample of this free at a dog training group. After reading the ingredients in it, I donated it to the local dog shelter. Science Diet, IAMS, etc. are also in my opinion poor quality foods made from rubbish and marketed under a veneer of 'vets advice'.

I feed my dog Taste of the Wild with occasional wet food and raw meat (I find the variety stops her developing a sensitive stomach, and if I need to feed her a new brand, it doesn't upset her). Orijen looks fantastic, but seems to be extremely expensive in my country. There's also something new called Lukullus that I received as a free sample from Zooplus. Dog seems to like it and the ingredients look nice, and it also comes in big pieces which means it might be a good choice for dogs who won't chew their food.

Some dogs who have been fed low-quality food all their lives and nothing else seem to develop sensitive stomachs and become unable to eat other food without getting diarrhoea. A rescue dog I know can only eat a really nasty food called Wagg because everything else gives him diarrhoea.


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## Jkline65 (Feb 23, 2011)

*taste of the wild*

I have had Maggie over a year now. She has Addisons. I try to do every thing right. Her meds cost a small fortune (worth every penny I'm just saying) so I really didn't want to skimp on the food. She was on Eagle Pack when I got her. I wanted to go better so I had her on Acana grain free for a few bags. The gas was horrible and the stools were loose, almost always. I kinda blamed the Addisons. We have a great dog food store in the area with a very knowledgeable owner. He said that maybe the protein amount was too much for her. I switched her to Taste of the Wild (different ones have different protein percentages. There are a few different taste of the Wild flavors. ) I put her on the lowest protein percentage one they made and Voila the has stopped and we get only large solid stools nows. No muss no fuss and she loves it. I also give her a GNC probiotic for dogs which also helps. So yeah, I'm a big fan of The Taste of the Wild and it costs less than the Acana. I think it really depends on the dog.


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## angrymeerkat (Aug 31, 2011)

*Spike eats taste of the wild*

My mini poo loves this food. He is very picky. He started on Iams and eventually refused to eat it. I tried a number of other foods. One of which was Natures recipe grain free salmon and pumpkin flavor. He really liked that. However, the price kept going up and the bag got smaller. After some research, I went with the taste of the wild pacific salmon. Now, he is rarely leaves food behind.


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## tokipoke (Sep 3, 2011)

*Taste of the Wild*

My two cats and my Standard eats Taste of the Wild. They have no problems. with it. Poop less and stool is firm. I feel Orijen is greasier than Taste of the Wild. It's a great food for the price. I like the Rocky Mountain Feline formula for my cats because it has the highest protein count compared to all the other kibble. It's 42%. I've been toying with the idea of going raw, but haven't made the jump yet.


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## spoowhisperer (Apr 26, 2010)

I am a Taste of the Wild fan, I believe it was a huge piece of the puzzle to helping my standard Ellie get back on the road of health. Serious serious ear infections for over a year, prescription foods, IV grade meds, expensive dog dermatologists, you name it, it was a year from hell. Long story short, I got fed up with everything (that wasn't helping anyway, and was wasting her body and coat away) pulled her off everything and started her on Taste of the Wild and her health turned around in a week. Not kidding.


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## Minnie (Apr 25, 2011)

TOTW does not come in puppy formula so is it still a good food for puppies? We still have Bella - 6mo toy (3.6 lbs) on Science diet puppy for small breed because her breeder and vet recommend this food and she is extremely picky.... Turns her nose up at some treats and some other kinds of puppy food (we've tried a couple sample packs - just small amounts) but we've never tried TOTW.

Also is it good for toy size dogs? The small breed Science diet has very small pieces which makes it easier for her.

Thanks!


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## Lilah+Jasper (May 13, 2010)

I think that it is an excellent choice for puppies or small dogs. For my standards, I even use it as training treats because it is small and they love their kibble. The size is even good for my Yorkie - she is tiny and very old (age 16) and can still handle TOTW


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