Tasty Tuesday Treats (#ChewyInfluencer)

As seems to be a common factor for all furbabies in this family, pup Astrid can be a picky eater. She's nowhere near as picky as my little feline food snobs, but for a dog, or at least for the dogs that I've had in my life, she is a rare specimen of a picky eater. But, then again, I've never accused Astrid of being your run-of-the-mill pup.

Astrid is especially picky when it comes to texture, such as when it comes to any dry food or treats. She's not a huge fan of having to crush food with her giant teeth. I always tell her that that's what they're there for, but she's not buying what I'm selling. So, she is simply not a fan of big, crunchy treats. Or even little crunchy treats, for that matter. What does Astrid prefer in terms of texture, then? Softer foods. When it comes to treats, therefore, she loves those labeled as being soft and chewy.

That's not all, though. Astrid's also picky about flavor. Anything especially healthy, like carrots or corn or apple, those are just plain nasty if you ask her. And apparently, I recently learned, if a food is advertised as containing liver, that's a no-go. And although any turkey a human is eating is to die for, apparently turkey flavored dog food is just plain gross. So, what flavors does Astrid like? Beef. Chicken is pretty good, too, and ham and bacon, of course. But that beef, that stuff is legit.

That's all why, when I saw Hill's™ Science Diet™ Flexi-Stix™ jerky treats offered as part of this month's Chewy.com Blogger Outreach Program, I immediately knew those would be the perfect thing for Astrid to review. These treats come made from either real beef or real turkey, and we, of course, went for the beef.

As the label indicates, these treats are made with no artificial ingredients, neither artificial flavors nor preservatives. Beef is the #1 ingredient. What's more, they include glucosamine and chondroitin for healthy joints. Astrid was diagnosed with a bit of a faulty right hip joint way back when she was a puppy, so any added goodies for this are a plus for her. And, these treats are made in our very own USA.

The treats come in little sticks, roughly a couple of inches in length. But, they are soft and can also easily be broken into smaller pieces if need be.

Right from the get-go, a certain somebody knew what I was up to.

Astrid only forgot her manners and tried to steal one of the jerky treats from the counter once. I guess, for the purpose of this review, that's a noteworthy transgression.

Now, how about the real test? After being reminded that she has to patiently wait for her snacks like a civilized lady...

...Astrid finally performed a taste test.
 

Suffice it to say, Astrid couldn't gobble these treats down fast enough. There was no chance of me grabbing anything resembling a decent action shot, but you can probably get the idea.

In short, Astrid loves the Hill's™ Science Diet™ Flexi-Stix™ jerky treats in beef. They're soft and chewy, just how she likes them. And, in her humble opinion, they obviously taste delicious!

Happy Tuesday, furiends!


Disclaimer: As members of the Chewy.com Blogger Outreach Program, we received the Hill's™ Science Diet™ Flexi-Stix™ jerky treats in beef in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are our own. We only review products that we believe will be of interest to our readers, and we never recommend a product that we do not believe in.

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Our Tip of the Day:

Today's tip is a bit different than the usual, and relates to a discussion with and postulation made by Astrid's veterinarian at her annual this year. Although no studies have resulted in any solid conclusions, it is perhaps possible for dogs (or even cats or other furbabies) to display traits common to the autism scale as known in humans. For example, Astrid's veterinarian commented that many of her traits would in fact compel him to diagnose her with a canine form of Asperger syndrome. Astrid's obvious, consistent need for a calming Thundershirt in order to not pull or feel anxious on walks or anywhere in public (including the vet's office) first clued Astrid's vet in on this. There are other examples that we gave Astrid's veterinarian and that further compelled him to explain that he believes our furry friends can indeed display signs of autism and other unique social or compulsive traits often found in humans. In Astrid's case again, for example, her aforementioned aversion to crunching food, and her dislike for and frequent retreating from sounds such as the clanking of dishes being cleaned or put away, would further prompt Astrid's vet to place her on a canine version of the autism spectrum. Just a couple more examples include Astrid's overall aversion to and anxiety being around large groups of people, or even other dogs, again especially when in large groups.

That all being said, please always understand that even our furbabies can have compulsions and preferences, some more severely than others. Please always keep this in mind if your furbaby shows a dislike for particular textures of food, sounds, sights, or certain other stimuli. We are all different and unique in our own ways, and that of course includes our furbabies.