A way to save some $$ on filling up Kongs

[Barney's Mom]

Lately I have been hearing "ca-ching" in the back of my mind as I constantly buy bones and Kong stuffing to amuse my little terrierist! Well, this lady at dog training had a GREAT idea! Buy some canned dog food, fill up the Kong or hollow bone with it (for the smaller ones it doesn't take much) and then freeze them! Cover the ends with plastic wrap so the filling doesn't leak out.

Vwa-la! At least a half an hour of mental stimulation for my already mental dog!! You can get some really good bones at Walmart that have some of the marrow inside already. When the dog is done with that, save the bone and fill it with the dog food or the Kong stuffing and freeze that as well. Barney seems to love cold things like ice cubes, so the frozen nature of the treat doesn't seem to bother him in the least. And the bigger the bone, the longer it takes for him to get the frozen food out!

Hope this tip is helpful! The nice thing is that a can of pretty good dog food is about 70 cents, where as a can of Kong stuffing is about $7.00 and doesn't last half as long! Plus I think Barney likes the taste of the dog food a whole lot better. I make sure I give him a little less food in his dinner bowl when I give him a stuffed Kong, just so he is not getting too much food to make him plump!

[sheila and Misty]

excellent Idea for teethers! good thinking! not as messy either.

[eastofeden]

I also place bits of kibble and baby carrots in my kongs with the canned dog food before freezing.

This cuts down the amount of canned food I have to use to fill the kongs and with the carrots lowers the number of calories in these treats. Since I almost never feed canned...this is quite the treat for my girls.

[Amber and the zoo]

We do that also...but we add a little yogurt to the mix. It's the only way Ellie will even look twice at a Kong.

Does anyone know how grapes will affect Cairns. We had them for snacks today with the kids and the pups went ga ga over them. Besides a choking factor...anything else that could hurt them??

Amber

PS...Hey, has anyone tried these?...

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000E0DV3E?tag=ev...ASIN=B000E0DV3E

[Eliz222]

Amber, grapes are toxic to dogs, so I would stay away from them.

I freeze my kongs too. I "plug" the bottom hole with a small amount of can cheese. I fill the kongs with dog food (canned), carrots, I even filled them with string green beans! I place them in a freezer bag (I have 12) and just pull them out when I need some peace! LOL!

[Tracy A.]

I stuff kongs with peanutbutter and freeze them.

[Amber and the zoo]

Wow, I had no idea about the grapes and I have had dogs all my life! Thanks for the information. I looked it up on the ASPCA and read their article about it. Hmmm, learn something new everyday I guess! We have grape vines growing all over our west fence so I guess I'll need to watch them and keep them fenced off. Thanks again!

Amber

[Barney's Mom]

I too didn't know about the grape thing. I gave Barney one on vacation and he promptly threw it up..... Good thing!

[Janet]

Grapes and raisins are very toxic for dogs.

Another good filling for kongs- mashed banana then freeze. Good for a hot summers day.

[mrskti]

how big of kong are you talking about? We have the medium size ones, they're about 4" tall. That would be a lot of food in there. If they're not use to canned food, wouldnt that give them diarreah? I ususally put their kibble in them with Peanut butter over the top hole. Ellie eats it so fast, i cant believe it. dori just nibbles. I dont think Dori would eat what she does if Ellie wasnt here threatening to eat it all!!!!

[Janet]

I don't give Gem canned food. I have just smeared the inside of the kong with pate on my finger so far. I will try some frozen banana in summer

[kcsdogs]

That is a great Idea!

[toomanypaws]

I don't give Gem canned food. I have just smeared the inside of the kong with pate on my finger so far. I will try some frozen banana in summer

No canned food here either. I sometimes smear a little peanut butter or stuff a Bil-Jac treat in one.

[bubba]

We have the mini kongs, and I too fill them w/peanut butter, and sometimes put small treats in the peanut butter as well. Skippy sells peanut butter in a tube like toothpaste, so I just squeeze it in...really easy to do and one tube fills several of the mini ones.

pat.

[Barney's Mom]

The kongs I use hold about 1/8 of a cup of food. Using carrots to fill the space is an excellent idea!!!

Some of you mentioned the canned food giving Barney diarrhea. I haven't ever given him canned food before and I too wondered how it would effect his tummy. Believe it or not, since I have been giving him the canned food in the kongs, he has had the nicest BM's in the world! Usually when he goes it isn't firm, but very soft. Now his poops look normal!

Go figure....

I've mentioned in other posts about my husband's dog that he had as a boy, who was fed on cheap low grade dog food and he lived to be 18! I feed Barney holistic food as a rule, but sometimes I wonder if we are all being sold down the river by good marketing and scare tactics when it comes to dog food. I know the first four ingredients of a dog's kibble should be meat and not by-products. I can't help but think of the description Cesar Milan gives in his book of the dogs on his Grandfather's farm. His grandfather never fed them. The dogs just fended for themselves and they lived to be ancient. They definitely were not getting fed designer dog food and most definitely not organic!

Sit, Barney! Good boy!! Here's your organic carrot!

[Amber and the zoo]

Ha ha...organic carrots. It's like baby food...if you buy the organic stuff it's $$$$...you pay for it, but maybe it makes a difference later...who the heck knows yet! Your post reminded me of my great grandpa. I kid you not, his dogs ate table scraps their entire life. That's all. They ate like kings and lived to ripe ripe old ages.

We give Ellie a little canned food mixed in her kibble a couple times a week. She loves it and it has never given her tummy troubles.

[Janet]

I mix a little wet complete food with Gems kibble called Naturediet. It is all natural and contains chicken rice and carrots. Do you sell it in the US? Gem loves it and it makes her dry complete food just a bit more appetizing

[helen]

What are Kongs and where can you buy them at?

[bradl]

It's a rubber toy that bounces unpredictably and can be stuffed with various treats. You can find them at pretty much any pet supply store (PetSmart, Petco) and online at places like Amazon, SitStay, etc.

[Jessica H]

These are all great ideas and I know I am asking the "bad" dog owner question BUT I have a brand new house with brand new carpets. What kind of a mess does it make on the floor when filling it with peanut butter or the canned dog food? I know they are my babies but I also like my new carpets...

[andrewnamy]

You could always make your own treats, would probaly would be alot cheaper then buying them.

Heres a good site that has some recipes!

http://gourmetsleuth.com/recipe_dogbiscuit...%20Dog%20Treats

Remeber not to use raisins or grapes for your dogs treats! These could be FATAL to your dog!