Toys Part 2, Snacks and Food

Keeping Bella in toys that both stimulate her and that she can't instantly chew up is challenging. I've never owned a dog that enjoyed toys or was a hard chewer, so this is an interesting problem—and potentially expensive. Stuffed squeaky toys are a complete bust. Kongs are duro and fun, but I want to give her something that is not always food related. Her cocktail ball is good and she spends quite a bit of time with it for little calories. But what else?

Today I discovered the Teaser Ball at Immortal Dog. It feels like brittle plastic, and to me, didn't look very entertaining. (How much fun could a ball inside of a ball be?) But Nicole at Immortal Dog was correct—it works for heavy chewers and holds her attention. Be forewarned—the toy is quite noisy on wood floors. There was lots of banging around which I'm sure didn't do the floor any favors. None-the-less, Bella was extremely eager to play with it and went at it with gusto.

Now this store, Immortal Dog, is new to me and I'm uncertain how I came across it. Since I became aware of it, however, I've read several write-ups, all very favorable. One of the most encouraging things beyond the stellar inventory, is the owner, Nicole Bembry. She's a bundle of energy and knows her stuff. After mentioning Bella's propensity to destroy toys, she showed me several she thought would last including the Teaser Ball.

Any of you who have fed your dog hooves, know how stinky they are. The last one I gave Bella, she ate up in a single sitting only to throw it up again hours later. The hoof I gave her was small and thin, so perhaps I need to look for the really beefy ones (no pun intended). But Nicole suggested a really cool new chew toy called Snooks. It's made in Oregon from super-dried organic sweet potatoes strung on a hemp rope. Where a hoof smells stinky, these smell, well, like sweet potatoes—a hint of cinnamon and fall.

Bella went crazy when I brought them into the car, but to be honest, I'm not sure if it was the Snooks or her new food or both. I'm trying Legacy Puppy Food. It's not a designated large puppy brand, but is grain free, for what that's worth. Bella has pretty stinky stools and farts quite a bit. Although I feed her good food and give her a slow transition between different brands, I wonder if maybe she has an allergy to grains? I'll ease her into this new brand and see. It's got quite a bit more protein and fat than the last batch of food she's eaten (Avoderm Large Puppy).

My vet advised feeding Bella large puppy formula so as not to promote too fast of growth . This Legacy product may be both too rich and too high protein. However, the product I was looking for (Orijen Large Puppy) also is high protein and fat. My vet changes her dogs' food with each bag, easing the transition between products. Her take was that altering the foods not only gives the dog variety in taste, but also in ingredients and nutrition. I like that philosophy and am trying it with Bella.