JERSEY AND CLOVER'S EUKANUBA CONCLUSION

I have spent the past month paying more attention to my dogs’ diet then I have in a very long time, therefore paying attention to my dogs! I have played games with them during feeding time, brushed them more, ran with them to see if they were building muscle, and thought more about how their nutrition affects their overall health. “Feeding the dogs” was not another chore on the endless list but a game of “what will happen today”. If my Pets’ Could Talk, they would recommend Eukanuba as a brand and specifically the Eukanuba Pure formula.

Now that I’ve completed the Eukanuba 28-Day Challenge, I’m giving my readers an opportunity to try any formula of Eukanuba food for free!

I am giving away one voucher for one FREE bag of any Eukanuba Dog Food up to 40lbs to one of my readers that are interested in trying the food.

There are three ways you can qualify:

1) Add a comment to this blog post that tells me why you want to take the Eukanuba 28 Day Challenge and why you should win the voucher

2) Tweet about this blog post and leave the URL to that Tweet in a comment on this post

3) You can blog about this blog post and leave the URL to your post in a comment on this post

You can qualify by one or all three of these methods. I will choose from all comments received and will announce the winner next week!

Check out what other bloggers are saying about their experience with the 28-Day Eukanuba Challenge - http://dogtime.com/eukanuba-28-day-challenge-bloggers.html

FROM THE YARD TO THE BOWL: Eukanuba Observations (Week 4)

Jersey and Clover gobbling up their Eukanuba Pure.

So for three weeks now my dogs (and occasionally the cat) have been happily feasting on Pure. Their coats look great, their breath is not as nice as “puppy breath” but is as good as good breath can be, and their bathroom habits are normal. 

In an effort to be “green”, I have packed away my kids’ summer clothes in the empty thick plastic food bag. Love the bag & the Ziploc closure but I’m not sure someone in 1000 years will find it as enthralling as I do. As well as I washed, rinsed and dried the bag, I’m sure next summer my dogs will find my children just luscious and will be licking them head to toe! 

Bug the cat sneaking food.

My only complaint so far is how uppity my hound has become now that she has wrapped her little lips around these kibbles. My routine has been to let the dogs outside while their food is being prepped. In the past they have occupied themselves by chasing the bushy tailed squirrels that taunt them by running on top of their fence, barking at the white-tailed deer in the tree line and of course trying to one-up each other in doing all of this. Once their hunting was over then would saunter back to the door and peek in expectantly. Their routing has now become running the perimeter of the fence, squatting quickly then racing back to the door. Where Jersey once was a patient well-trained dog, she has now become a foaming mess insistently banging on the door. As to dissuade this behavior I have completely ignored her repeated banging, figuring that if there was no reward then this behavior would stop as quickly as it began. Jersey has called my bluff and has now taken to jumping like a circus dog straight up in the air or doing a full stretch, front legs extended into the air and scratching with her little, dirt caked nails against the screen. Our screen now has holes larger than the manufacturer intended - courtesy of Eukanuba Pure. 

Her highbrow façade continued last night when we held a small dinner party and Jersey helped herself to an entire cheese display. She was caught red handed with the large triangle of imported Brie in her mouth that she quietly snatched off the table. She obviously has realized that she was destined for the good life. She is now a pup eating Pure twice a day with an occasional side of imported cheese. Are dogs really supposed to be this happy?

Click this link to watch as Jersey and Clover race inside to their bowls for a breakfast that is devoured faster than it takes to pour the food. (Note Bug the cat taking advantage of a dog's uncivilized outdoor elimination habits to enjoy some Pure for himself).

WEEK THREE OF THE 28-DAY EUKANUBA CHALLENGE

Days have now passed and Jersey & Clover are loving their new food. They’re probably confused about my interest in their eating habits as I have spent the last two weeks touching the kibbles, smelling the kibbles, comparing the kibbles, kibbles, kibbles kibbles… I have stopped short of eating the kibbles myself but I have to say that my gut reaction was that it looked and smelled like healthy food. I’ve been around dogs for a long time, therefore, I have been around a lot of brands and types of dog food. Thankfully, Pure doesn’t look like rabbit pellets, it doesn’t feel greasy, it isn’t rainbow colored and doesn’t make “instant gravy” when you add water. It has a mild wholesome smell, with darker than expected, flattened pieces.

So as any dog owner knows, what goes in must come out. Usually the first sign of a change of diet is noticed while the family is unwinding for the day and resting in front of the TV. As you are immersed in your favorite show a slight odor starts to waft across the room. It’s slight enough in the beginning that you don’t really notice it then all of a sudden, WOW! The dog is still sleeping quietly on the rug but the room is now filled with the unmistakable malodorous remnants of his new diet. I was prepared for that inevitable occurrence as I had changed foods cold turkey. Their first meal of Pure was a taste test with their old diet but since then it’s been straight Pure. No gradual transition in this house. I am absolutely amazed that I have neither heard nor detected ANY intestinal upset. I had gas masks poised and ready but they have been completely unnecessary. Love that!

OBSERVATIONS FROM WEEK TWO OF THE EUKANUBA 28-DAY CHALLENGE

I appear to now have an audience as I’m studying this Eukanuba bag. It didn’t take long for ears to perk up at the sound of crinkling coming from the kitchen. Jersey the hound mix is sniffing and hopping and wagging her tail, obviously already decided that anything coming into the house in a bag this large must be for her. Deep long sniffs followed by excited scampering. Ok, Jersey Girl, I get it… you approve already. Clover, the Doberman has taken the opposite approach. She did a quick mad dash to the bag, sized it up, and now has become statuesque with eyes fixed on my every move. She is alert; every muscle is tense and absolutely still. She is focused and couldn’t be bothered to act like a fool like her sister but make no mistake about her excitement; I see a little drool coming out of her mouth.

Ok the anticipation is killing me too. Let’s open this up and get this party started! First, big score for Eukanuba over the competition because for once I don’t have to deal with that horrid white string! You know that insurmountable white string that is intended to open the bag but all it does is make a red indent in your finger?! I consider myself a somewhat intelligent human being yet with every new bag of “white string opener” dog food I am left feeling incapable and defeated. That stupid white string never works right so I pull inappropriately hard every time determined to make it work. The “white string” callus on the side of my pointer finger may actually recede now do to Euk’s easy zipper seal. Maybe not as cool as the “yellow and blue makes green” appeal of a Ziploc bag but I am amazed at the ease of opening & reclosing the bag. Brilliant.

So let’s simulate a real taste test. I put both dogs out into the yard so they can’t witness the scientific preparations that are about to occur in my kitchen. Both my dogs eat out of raised food stands that have two side-by-side bowls. Perfect. “White string, no corn dog food” in one bowl and “Pure” right next to it. Which will the dogs eat first? Will they stick with their tried and true food or will they be enticed by the scent of something new?

Now truth be told, my dogs eat anything. They are exuberant about eating and by far it takes me more time to pour food into their dish then it takes for them to gobble up each and every last kibble. My dogs would throw the bell curve on any palatability study because “First Bite” means nothing to them. Over the years I have tried many different brands and formulas and have never had them turn their nose up at anything. Notice I say “I have tried many different brands” because I have turned my nose up at them. The dogs have been perfectly happy chomping away when I come home and present them with take-out from their new “dog food restaurant”. Ok their take out bag is 30lbs and doesn’t reheat as well as my leftover Citrus Crusted Atlantic Salmon would but the point I’m making is that they were happy with their usual food and I, the consumer, chose to reselect. 

Watching all of this has been my two-year old daughter Bridget. She is mildly intrigued by the commotion but as I walk near the door to let the dogs back inside, Bridget try’s to get my attention. “Mom, food cat. Mom food cat,” she repeats. As I look where she is pointing, sure enough, our cat Bug has silently crept through the kitchen and is eating out of Jersey’s Pure bowl. You’ve got to be kidding me! The first bite doesn’t even go to the dogs, it goes to the cat!

Now Bug is a dog in a cat body and it’s not the first time he has tried to eat dog food. When this happens, I let the two racing canines into the house and the cat goes scampering away to the safety of a hiding spot.

“Watch out cat here comes the dogs,” I think as I open the back door. Both dogs race to their usual spots and start devouring the food. Surprisingly though, Bug has not run away and is now stretching his neck as far as possible to keep stealing some Pure. Jersey is giving a low growl to her feline housemate but never stops gulping. But which food have the dogs chosen? Clover is gulping down her usual diet and Jersey and Bug chow down on the Pure. As if a magical school bell rang, both dogs pick up their heads and swap bowls. Now Clover is voraciously eating the Euk and Jersey is chasing pieces of her usual food around the sides of the bowl. In 15 seconds, both dogs have eaten both bowls of food and are looking at each other to see if there is any food to steal from the other. Split decision? Tie? Hmmm. What conclusions can I draw from that slobber fest?

Stay tuned in the next couple days for more on the challenge!