Carrots For Canines & Critters Alike (Burns Carrot Treats)

Member Name: FourPaws

Product:	Burns Carrot Treats
Date:	28/05/09 (77 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Healthy, low fat, no junk, lots of my animals loved them

Disadvantages: Fresh carrots are cheaper! Grace wasn't too keen

*What are these Burns Carrot Treats?*
These vegetable based pet treats are produced by the Burns company, best known for their extensive range of natural, healthy and wholesome pet foods made using only the highest quality ingredients and cater for cats and dogs of every life stage, and more recently- rabbits too.

*The product itself*
Fruit and vegetables are a big part of my diet- I eat an awful lot of junk food so always make sure I get my 5-a-day to help balance that out and being a vegetarian, I tend to eat a lot of vegetables in replacement for meat in my meals and regularly eat at least a couple of portions of fruit or veg with every meal.

Now, Grace and Benson are never far from my side, no matter what I may be doing, it can be pretty much guaranteed they are no further than a couple of steps away from me so when I am cooking in the kitchen, they are there. They can sit on their bed in there and pretend they just want to be near me as much as they want but we all know the real reason they are there- they are hoping to get a few scraps for whatever I am cooking.

So recently, fed up of always tripping over them, I gave them both a piece of apple and carrot each, hoping they would realise I had nothing all that tasty and they would bog off and find something else to do, however, in true Grace and Benson style, they absolutely demolished them and proceeded to eat every other chunk of fruit and veg that I offered them, and having been eating them pretty much daily ever since!

As much as I love the pair of them, it costs a lot as it is buying fresh fruit and veggies for my other pets who need these items in their diet, without Grace and Benson pinching half of them, so I decided to have a little look online for some fruit or vegetable treats designed for dogs which I could alternate with the fresh stuff! Choices were very limited but I did come across two different packets of treats which fitted in which what I was looking for- some fruity dog biscuits which I have already reviewed, and these vegetable treats, so I ordered a pack of each.

These Carrot Treats are produced by the Burns company, who are best known for their range of complete dry dog and cat foods which has been made using only fresh, natural, human grade ingredients and excludes any artificial junk, fillers, chemicals or cheap animal by-products such a skin, feather/fur, organs or bone. These treats, also, have been made according to Burns strict 'no-junk' promise.

The treats are pretty versatile, as they claim to be suitable for dogs, rabbits and other small animals and are made from just one single ingredient and that is carrot, which has been chopped into small, thin slices and left to air dry, so therefore retaining all the natural goodness of the vegetable. They are low in fat and calories are completely natural, having nothing added or taken away.

The air drying process dries the carrot to a hard, dry consistency which is great for teeth- helping to keep them short and clean in rabbits and small animals and they help to remove plaque and build up from teeth and gums in dogs and are high in vitamin A, dietary fibre, antioxidants and minerals making them a nice, all round, healthy and nutritious snack for a variety of pets.

*Packaging*
The treats come packaged in a clear plastic bag which allows the treats within to be seen and there is a small white sticker attached to the bag which tells us minimal information about the product, a feeding guide and of course, contact details for Burns should you have any questions or comments.

Annoyingly, the packet isn't resealable, and there is no sticky tab or anything provided to re-stick the bag after opening, so you may be best transferring the product to an air tight container once opened.

*Price & Availability*
I've yet to see these treats in any offline pet shops, although they are pretty widely available online, including directly from the Burns site.

I purchased my 100g packet (only size available) from www.justthedog.co.uk for £1.46.

*My opinion*
Once I'd ordered these treats, I have to admit, I was pretty eager for them to arrive to see what the dogs thought of them. Vegetable dog treats are something I'd never thought I'd see myself buying, but of course, owning Grace and Benson means nothing is ever normal or 'text book' and I suppose liking vegetables is something that can only be encouraged, as they are obviously as good for dogs as they are for us!

Sure enough the treats were delivered a couple of days later along with the rest of my order from the site and it was these Carrot Treats I plucked from the box first to have a look at. Peering through the clear plastic of the bag, they didn't look too appetising, they were simply dry orangey brown slices of carrot, each around an inch in diameter and a few millimetres thick but all the same, I opened the bag up to give one to the mutts. Reaching inside, the treats had an odd texture to them, I'd expected them to still be semi moist and therefore quite rubbery but they weren't- they were completely dry, almost brittle and quite rough in texture. They also had a gorgeous rich smell to them, which smelt of nothing but fresh carrots, which was a nice refreshing change to most dog treats that smell nothing like what they are supposed to!

I handed one to Grace first and although she did take it in her mouth, I don't think she really knew that she could eat it and it took a good few rounds of spitting it out, licking it and picking it back up again before she decided to eventually try it. Judging by the noises she was making, the treat seemed initially to be very crunchy but turned chewy before she was able to swallow it. I like this fact as it took her a good few seconds of crunching and chewing before she could eat it so it lasted her longer than other dog treats with are often gulped down without hitting the sides. She did appear to enjoy it but wasn't all that fussed about bothering me for another one straight afterwards which is what normally happens with something she loves.

Benson was next and his reaction couldn't have been more different to Grace. He immediately gobbled up his treat without so much as a second thought and was very keen for another one afterwards. He too, did have to take some time to chew his treat however, so I was pleased with the fact the Carrot Treats would be helping their teeth, even if only a little bit.

So it was a bit of mixed reaction for the dogs, Benson loved them but Grace wasn't all that keen so seeing as they were suitable for other animals aswell, I left the dogs in the kitchen and went to see what some of my other pets made of them (ignoring Benson's barks of protest as if to say ''Oi, get back here with those missus!''). I tried them with my two rabbits first- my boys are getting quite old and their teeth aren't quite what they use to be so I thought they would initially struggle with the hard crunchy treats but they managed them very well, infact, they adored them and couldn't get enough, although I think I would still prefer to give them fresh carrots over these dried ones.

I tried my guinea pigs next. I have 9 in total but 7 are rescue animals with extremely delicate tummies so I broke a couple of the treats up and shared them out, as not to give them too much and they weren't that fussed by them. The rescue ones lived purely on grass for a long time before they came to me so they aren't used to new foods and a couple didn't even attempt to try them. Moving onto the other two, who I've had since they were young and things were a different story here, they gobbled them up with as much enthusiasm as my rabbits had. Equally they were a hit with my hamsters- both my Syrian and my group of Roborovski dwarves. I found these treats a nice way of getting veggies into my hamsters without the high water content of normal veg upsetting their bellies.

Mabel and Tilly, my two donkeys, were also extremely keen, I know these aren't really aimed at this kind of animal but I had to pass their paddock on the way down to where the rabbits and guinea pigs are kept and they came trotting over to see what I had so I let them have a couple each and they really loved them. Although, as with the bunnies, I'd prefer to feed fresh carrots here rather than these dried slices.

I'd like there to have been more information on the packet regarding animals they were suitable for, I gave some to the animals I knew would be OK with them but wasn't sure about my ferrets, macaws, chinchillas or degus' so I left them without. Burns states they are suitable for small animals but doesn't say what they class as small animal which was a bit of a pain. Seeing as they are purely dried carrot, thinking about it, I do imagine they would be fine though.

Overall, a pretty decent treat- they're healthy, low fat, made entirely from vegetable with no added junk, they're high in fibre and are good for the teeth, aswell as being packed with vitamins and minerals. I will probably buy them again, but more for my smaller pets rather than the dogs as although Benson liked them, Grace wasn't mad on them, yet the bunnies and some of the guinea pigs went crazy for them and seeing as they are reasonably priced and you get loads in a bag, they are nice all round option for a little snack for a variety of my animals.

Summary: A nice, healthy treat suitable for many animals- recommended.