Chicken treats, Milly got sick, and I found a great dog store!

A few weeks ago I fed Milly breakfast, gave her a dehydrated chicken treat, and headed to work. When I returned at lunchtime to check on Milly there was vomit everywhere and I was so worried! I cleaned it all up, made sure she was acting normal and drinking, and reluctantly headed back to work for my last two hours. I spent my time at work wishing I was with Milly, worried sick about her, wondering what could have made her vomit 8 or 9 times, and if she was okay.

I went through my mind of possible problems: the day before I had done yard work, and had not yet had a chance to pick up all of the clippings from the yard, could she have eaten something toxic? I mixed in a Taste of the Wild food sample (25% Taste of the Wild, and 75% her regular Fromm) with her breakfast, because I was thinking about switching – did the new food do it to her? And lastly, what I now think was the culprit… I had acquired two bags of Waggin’ Train dehydrated chicken strips – I fed the first bag to Milly the weeks leading up to the incident with no problems, and she loved them, but on the morning of her illness I gave her the first treat from a new bag. I have since learned the problem with Waggin’ Train treats is they are made in China, and there have been all sorts of problems with poultry products coming from China. Though the Waggin’ Train website reassures customers their products are safe, I have read of these particular treats being involved in two recalls in the past few years.

After lots of worrying, Milly turned out to be just fine, but vomiting 8 or 9 times is something to really be concerned about! I have since had her around the same plants that were clipped, and tried feeding her more Taste of the Wild food with no problems… the only thing different I did that day was that bag of chicken treats! I even found the treat in one pile of vomit, so I know shortly after eating breakfast she fell ill. I have saved this bag of treats, and am currently looking for a company to test them and see if there are toxins in this batch of treats. She has not been given any more of these treats, and I will never feed her this brand again (or any other made in China treats).

This incident really frightened me, and I want to publicly thank a wonderful veterinarian in the area by the name of Dr. Amy Poole, who kindly offered her assistance to me on this terrifying day.

Since then I have been on the hunt for some high quality treats to stock up on. I make my own biscuit type treats, but I like to give Milly something that takes her a bit longer to eat when I leave for work.

On Thursday, I stopped by a new dog store (well, new to me) in Clarendon (a neighborhood in Arlington, VA) called A.K.A. Spot. A.K.A. Spot is great, and if you haven’t been there I encourage you to check it out! I had heard great things about the store from my former roommate Mary Katherine, but had never been there myself. I was on the hunt for all-natural treats and found this store to be exactly what I was looking for! They have a large variety of all-natural and high quality foods, lots of collars and leashes (many of which are on sale right now!) and tons and tons of treats and toys! I stocked up on lots of treats and spoke with the wonderful sales associate about my problems with treats made in China, Milly’s dry skin, and countless other dog related topics. Everyone at A.K.A. Spot was extremely friendly, and dogs are welcome in the store! When I need more treats I will be sure to frequent this wonderful local business again! Unfortunately, they do not carry Fromm or Wysong foods, so I will not be able to use them as my food provider.

I’ll post a photo (update: photo posted!) of my wonderful purchases when I get home, but wanted to quickly mention that among the many, many, many treats I bought I also picked up a bottle of doggie beer! It is non-alcoholic, contains beef broth, and was a major hit with Milly and her puppal Hershey. I’ll right a full review of my experience with Bowser Beer at a later date, but it is great stuff, and a fun treat to give the dogs on occasion.

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