buster cube and kibble

[MPbandmom]

I just ordered and received 2 regular size buster cubes. I have been feeding the dogs some meals out of a food dispensing egg which I found at Walmart. It is similar to the kong wobbler. Wanting to give the dogs some different feeding challenges I ordered the buster cubes. Problem is that their kibble doesn't seem to really fit into the cube. I feed them Natural Balance Potato and Duck Limited Ingredient food which is a flat disk shape similar to a Charlie Bear treat. Their size doesn't seem to be particularly consistant as some will fit inside but others get stuck in the center.

What brand/type of kibble do others use for this toy? Are there any other types of treats that someone could recommend for use with this toy? We aim for grain and chicken free products.

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

[MPbandmom]

I went to the store where I purchase the Natural Balance and asked if they had something of comprable quality that came in smaller pieces. They recommended Pinacle which has a turkey and potato and a salmon and potato. Since the dogs had seemed to prefer the duck to the salmon, I selected the turkey variety of this new food and brought it home without really reading the ingredients. Now that it is home and I have taken the time to fully read the package, I don't think I will be making this the dogs' new kibble.

However, it fits perfectly into the buster cube. Since new foods are normally supposed to be introduced gradually, will it still be okay to use this food every few days for buster cube treats until it is gone? I went ahead and gave them some this evening, kind of as a test of the buster cubes, and Sirius had a great time with hers, but so far Sky has not touched hers. Sky has the stomach that is more sensitive to something new anyway.

They seem to be doing well on their current kibble, so I kind of don't want to totally change their diets again. I will have 2 food dispensing toys that should work with their current kibble, so if it doesn't hurt to give a different variety of kibble every now and then in the buster cube to provide a different food acquiring challenge, I think that would be the better option.

What do the experienced dog feeders think?

[Fundog]

It really depends on the dog. My Dottie also has a sensitive digestive system (fiber reactive colitis), resulting in runny stools on certain foods. But this past week we ran into a bit of a money crunch, getting down to our last $30 to see us through until the next payday. In addition to the basics we needed from the grocery store, we were out of dog food. We could not afford to get our usual, and the feed store was closed that day anyhow. So we just picked up a small five dollar bag of grocery store generic to see them through. They like it well enough, as I think they were getting a bit tired of the other. I haven't gone out and actually inspected their stools, but they seem to be doing okay on it. Come Tuesday we are going to the feed store to get a big bag of the regular food, though. I am thinking about seeing if there is another variety we can get of the same quality and price, though, since my girls do get tired of being on the same old, same old day in and day out forever.

[MPbandmom]

Sirius was a little runny today, but then she also had a stressful day yesterday which could have also contributed. I took the dogs to visit my parents yesterday, which they love, but had to run some errands while I was out that way which required leaving the dogs alone in the van for a few short periods of time and involved driving on some roads a bit more hilly and curvey than usual at speeds a little faster than around town, and when I got to my parent's house, I found that Sirius had thrown up in the van. She has gotten a lot better about not getting sick in the van, but some trips still get to her.

I guess we will try the new kibble in the buster cube one more time a few days from now and see how it goes. I guess if it seems to be a problem, I will donate the remainder of the bag to the local animal shelter. Either way, I might try to locate a large buster cube to look at and see if it has larger holes. The standard size seems perfect in the amount it holds as compared to what my dogs would normally eat at a meal, too bad their kibble doesn't fit in it.

I have been thinking about adding a little more variety to the dogs kibble as well. They have recently come out with a venison and sweet potato version of the food that the dogs are currently on, so I have been thinking about mixing the two flavor varieties together. I also sometimes mix plain yogurt in with their food. Sometimes they seem to love it, other times they don't seem interested in it.

[Fundog]

I was actually out walking around with the girls in the yard his morning, and am pleased to find that all their droppings were "well-formed"-- frozen, but well formed.

For variety in their regular food, we do various things, from adding warm water, or even some of our leftover home made soup (we pint up what we don't want to use anymore, and freeze it, then warm in the microwave to add to their dry food). Sometimes I will sprinkle a handful of frozen vegetables on-- the extra fiber is especially good for my two, and they enjoy it without too many extra calories.

As for making meal times interesting, I don't have a "Buster Cube," but I implement many other things/home made puzzles to get the same result. Dottie isn't as good at puzzles as Annie is, so I have to make them much more simple for her, and more difficult for Annie. So if the alternate food you are offering is working out in their tummies, then you might try looking for another type of container that the bits would fit inside-- even a cardboard box with holes cut out in the sides would do.