Alternative to Rawhide
Written: Aug 21 '03 (Updated Aug 21 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good alternative dog treat
Cons: Price is high; cannot purchase in bulk; large breeds eat them quickly.
The Bottom Line: A good treat and dogs enjoy them, but the price is high and they don't last very long.
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| Bryan_Carey's Full Review: Treats Pedigree Jumbone for Large Dogs |
Pedigree is a division of Kal- Kan, Inc., a pet food company based in the state of California. This business is known mostly for its dry dog food in a bag and its soft food sold in cans. Most all of the advertising dollars that Pedigree spends is directed toward these types of dog food products.
However, Pedigree makes other dog snacks too, and many of them are not well known at all due to the lack of advertising. One such product is Pedigree Jumbone, a dog treat that comes in three sizes and is manufactured to provide your dog both chewing enjoyment and good nutrition.
Characteristics of This Treat:
This treat is similar to a rawhide bone but with a few key differences. Jumbones are solid on the outside, but they contain a soft, meaty center at their core. The outside is tough, and it’s made to help keep your dog’s teeth clean and reduce buildup of tartar. The inside is softer and is designed as a treat for your dog. After he/she has spent so much time chewing up the outside, a soft, delicious core awaits the completion of the treat.
Pedigree makes these treats in two sizes: large size and small/medium. The small size is intended for dogs under 50 pounds while the large is intended for dogs over 50 pounds. You can serve different bone sizes to different size breeds regardless of the recommendation, of course. Pedigree mentions this only as a general guideline.
Pedigree recommends serving your dog 1 or 2 of these treats per week if his/her weight is between 25 and 50 pounds (Note: This treat is meant for adult dogs, not puppies); 2 or 3 treats per week if the weight is between 50 and 100 pounds; and 3 or 4 treats if the weight is greater then 100 pounds. This expense can really add up, as I will describe, especially if you own a large breed of dog.
There is virtually no aroma to these treats at all. The outside of the bone is like rawhide, so you don’t need to be concerned at all about any offensive smell.
Nutritional Analysis:
Each Pedigree Jumbone contains the following nutritional breakdown:
Crude Protein (Minimum)……………….7 percent
Crude Fat (Minimum)………………………..5 percent
Crude Fiber (Maximum)…………………….4.5 percent
Moisture (Maximum)……………………….18 percent
Ingredients:
Jumbones are made with the following ingredients: RICE FLOUR, GLYCERIN, SUGAR, CELLULOSE POWDER, WHEAT FLOUR, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, SODIUM CASEINATE, NATURAL POULTRY FLAVOR, DRIED ANIMAL DIGEST, DRIED MEAT BY-PRODUCT, POTASSIUM SORBATE (A PRESERVATIVE), VITAMINS (CHOLONE CHLORIDE, D-CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, VITAMIN A SUPPLEMENT, NIACIN, RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE [VITAMIN B6], VITAMIN D3 SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN B12 SUPPLEMENT, ], THIAMINE MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], FOLIC ACID, DI-ALPHA TOCOPHEROL ACETATE [SOURCE OF VITAMIN E], SODIUM TRIPOLYPHOSPHATE, SALT, CALCIUM CARBONATE, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, DICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, ZINC OXIDE, and COPPER SILFATE.
Customer Service:
Some of the more basic questions about Pedigree can be answered on- line at pedigree.com. Other questions should be directed to the Pedigree information hotline, phone# 800-525-5273 in the U.S. or 800-667-2424 in Canada.
Final Thoughts:
Pedigree Jumbone is a good alternative to rawhide and other dog treats. It combines the good taste of meat that dogs enjoy with the scraping action that rawhide provides to help keep your dog’s teeth looking shiny and bright.
I often give my dog rawhide bones and other chewy treats to occupy his time and give him something to do. When I discovered this product, it sounded like a good idea because it had additional nutrition and other qualities that made it a cut above a piece of rawhide. And when compared to ordinary dog biscuits, Jumbone seemed solid enough that it would last my dog a good long time. The large size Jumbone is about 6 inches in length, so I was convinced that it would take my canine companion a good amount of time to finish one.
I purchased the larger size Jumbone and then timed my dog. The bone seemed pretty solid so I walked away feeling confident that he would take several hours to finish off this product. Much to my surprise, he took only about 15 minutes to eat one of these bones (!), and he wasn’t even eating at his usual rapid pace like he often does when he consumes a doggie treat. I realize that since my dog is larger (85 pounds) and has strong teeth and jaws that he would probably consume these treats faster than the average pup. But I didn’t think he would finish one that quickly. In the time it took for me to read a few pieces of mail, he had devoured the entire treat. I can only imagine how quickly he could have eaten one of these treats if he attacked it with vigor.
I like the fact that Pedigree packages these in different sizes so that dog owners can find a bone that is most suitable for the breed they own. But I don’t like the high price and I don’t like the fact that these bones are sold in single packages. You cannot purchase a large number in bulk, to lower the per- unit cost. You have to buy them one bone at a time, and when you consider how quickly they are consumed (by large breeds anyway), the expense can escalate rather quickly. I paid $2.99 for one of these treats. For the same money, I could have purchased an entire box or bag of other dog treats. With a price at this level, it’s not really worth it to serve these on a regular basis.
Overall, Jumbone is a pretty good product though. With a smaller breed, an owner could buy the large- breed size and feed it to his/her small dog and the little fellow would probably be occupied for hours. For larger breeds, the product is still good and my dog enjoyed it. But he quickly wanted another and I had only purchased one. I was convinced that this bone would last for much longer than it did, so I bought only one bone.
Pedigree Jumbone are a nice alternative to rawhide bones and other dog treat products. They have very little fat and Pedigree loads them with nutrition, with additional vitamins and minerals added to the treats to ensure the long term health of your dog while keeping the teeth clean. A few more options when purchasing (like buying in bulk) and a lower price would entice many dog owners to give these bones a try. But these are still good, and they provide chewing enjoyment along with a dose of added nutrition to your dog’s daily diet.
Recommended:
Yes
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