Check out The Animal Rescue Site's online store:

http://shop.theanimalrescuesite.com/store/site.do?siteId=310

They've got a lot of cool dog and cat stuff.  Shipping is just $2.95, and it's fast.  And the best part is, "Every item you buy here funds bowls of food for rescued animals in shelters and sanctuaries."

[Breath Biscuits by Merrick]

Well, we went to the dog bakery, and here's what we got:

Breath Biscuits by Merrick
Ingredients:
Chicken, Whole Grain Barley Flour, Brown Rice, Chicken Meal, Rolled Oats, Whole Potato, Whole Apple, Rice Bran, Flaxseed Oil, Poultry Fat, (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Calcium Carbonate, Yeast Culture, Menhaden Fish Meal, Dried Alfalfa, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Chlorophyl, Rosemary, Peppermint.

Sam's Yams Bichon Fries by Front Porch Pets
Ingredients:
100% Sweet Potato

Mother Nature Puppy Treats by Natura Pet Products
Ingredients:
Whole Ground Wheat, Milk, Cottage Cheese, Eggs, Chicken, Turkey, Chicken Fat [preserved with Mixed Tocopherols (a natural source of Vitamin E) and Citric Acid], Oatmeal, Rice, Apples, Sea Salt.

Both of my little ones liked the Puppy Treats, but they LOVED the Breath Biscuits.  Only one liked the Bichon Fries (the other one chewed on it for a while but didn't eat it).

The bakery owner said he'll be adding the freeze dried Halo treats soon, so I think we'll try those next.

Thanks for the suggestion!  The local dog bakery carries Merrick products, so I'll see if they have the freeze dried treats and get some for my little ones to try.

Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated, also.

Anyone have suggestions for good dog treats?  The Pupcorn and Lean Treats I've been giving my little ones have some ingredients I'm not really comfortable with.

Pupcorn Ingredients:
Corn flour, wheat flour, natural chicken flavor, powdered cellulose, chicken, canola oil, dried cheese product, mono and di-glycerides, corn syrup, yellow #6, lecithin.

Butler Nutrisentials Lean Treats Ingredients:
Skinless Chicken, Chicken Liver, Corn, Chicken By-Product Meal, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Wheat Flour, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Phosphoric Acid, Salt, Potassium Sorbate and Calcium Propionate and BHA and Citric Acid (Preservatives), Iron Oxide.

Danielle, I agree 100% with what you said.  I'm not overly concerned about the secrecy, as I believe it has to do with confidentiality agreements, but it does bother me a bit, and I don't necessarily understand why they don't agree now, in light of everything that's going on, to just admit the relationship and move on.  Maybe Pied Piper is worried that they would then feel forced to disclose all the other brands they make?  Not that they have anything to hide, just that it could be a hassle for them, or some of their other brands don't want anyone to know that they don't produce it themselves.

Canidae definitely could do a better job of PR right now.  I sent them an email suggesting that they update the statement about the recall on their webpage more frequently, just to let us know that they're staying on top of things.  I've been checking their website at least once or twice EVERY DAY, and the only thing that's changed is the date at the top of the message. 

I've had my 2 shih tzus on Canidae for a couple weeks now and plan to keep them on it unless something new comes up to scare me off.  (Although, my little girl developed a half dollar sized hot spot on her neck, which I wouldn't have expected with the skin and coat conditioners...  Could be an allergy, or she got nicked last week at the groomer...  I'm hoping that's all it is...)

Boutique Owner over at Itchmo had some good information about Canidae.  Scroll thru the comments here and you'll find them:
http://www.itchmo.com/read/recall-update-sunday_20070429#comments

I just started feeding Canidae a couple days ago.  I feel better about it than most of the other options available, but there's one thing that kind of bugs me.  I sent them an email with a specific question: "do you manufacture your own products?  If not, what manufacturers do you use?"

I got this response:
"All Canidae products are produced in the USA.  We do not purchase ingredients from any suppliers outside of the US. All Canidae ingredients are grown &/or raised in the USA. In addition, we only purchase the absolute best  USDA grade "A" hormone and antibiotic free meats. Our rice is also grade "A" Pesticide free. Our fish is FDA inspected and passed residual free of ethoxiquin.

  Our cannery is a small facility located in IL. and able to produce the highest quality products.  This small family operated facility only produces products that are of the highest quality human grade ingredients. Our formulations were created by an outside nutritionist that has been developing canned foods for over 35 years. You can feel assured by our quality and product performance that our cannery holds the highest standards in production, and is regulated by AAFCO by (NRC), USDA, FDA, IDA, EU Approved and is Organically Certified.

Our dry foods are produced in TX.  Our plant has been involved in animal nutrition for over 75 years. The original pet food extrusion mill was built in 1978. CANIDAE's involvement with the plant sparked the introduction of our own extruder in 1999. Our dry goods facility also regulated by AAFCO by (NRC), USDA, FDA, TDA and EU Approved. We are currently under production with a brand new plant at the same facility to keep up with the growth and demand of our product line.

In order to ensure the highest quality meat based biscuit ever created, we ventured into the biscuit production business in 2003. Our 100 foot oven runs our fresh biscuits daily in a building opposite our extrusion plant in TX.  Our biscuit plant is also regulated by AAFCO by (NRC), USDA, FDA, TDA and EU Approved."

At first, I read it to mean it's their cannery and their dry foods production facility.  But then I read on another site (I don't remember which one) something about Pied Piper in Texas manufacturing Canidae products.  They don't say on the Pied Piper website, so I sent them an email asking if they make Canidae, and what other brands, too.  Here's their response:

"Thank you for your inquiry. We are a family owned and operated and are not
required to give out public information. However, due to all the recent
recalls we have had several request such as yours because of our good food
safety
procedures. We have to ask permission from our clientele to give this
information out because we are not the owner of the product just the
manufacturer and we respect the ownership rights of our customers. Please
feel free to contact the company Metro Pet as they handle many of our
products and they will be able to direct you into a product you will feel
safe in knowing you are feeding your pet the very best."

I've got another email in to Canidae to clarify, but they haven't responded yet.  I really wish Canidae would have been absolutely clear in their response to my first question.  I'll continue to feed it to my pups, but I'm a little less excited about it than I was before.