Posh Markies! (Pedigree Better By Nature Wholegrain Rolls Dog Treats)

Member Name: FourPaws

Product:	Pedigree Better By Nature Wholegrain Rolls Dog Treats
Date:	03/12/08 (286 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Contains seeds & wholegrains, made with lean beef, good for teeth, no artifical colours/flavours

Disadvantages: Expensive for a product that is so similar to cheap Markies

*What are Pedigree Better By Nature Wholegrain Rolls?*
These treats are part of the Pedigree range of products for dogs that includes a wide variety of dried foods, cans, pouches and treats and chews for dogs of all life stages including puppy, adult and through to senior, as well as catering for special needs such as sensitive stomach kibble and diet dog foods.

*The product itself*
My two dogs are both extremely active and energetic, they don't stop from the minute they wake up until the minute they go to sleep, so they are constantly on the move and burning off whatever they eat. Because of this, they can get away with enjoying a variety of treats added to supplement their normal diet, the Pedigree range is a huge favourite with both them and me- the treats are a good quality and enjoyable for them, and affordable and readily available for me, so smiles all round.

These treats are part of the new Pedigree 'Better By Nature' range which started off as just dried food, then pouch foods were brought out and most recently- a selection of treats. The Better By Nature range has been produced using more natural ingredients than the regular Pedigree range apparently, and contains different wholesome ingredients such as seeds, whole grains and vegetables. The first treats from the range that my dogs sampled were these Wholegrain Rolls. They look much like the hugely popular Markies treats produced by Pedigree- a lightly coloured crispy biscuit outer filled with a crunchy meaty centre, around an inch in length and half an inch thick. The difference is though that these Wholegrain Rolls, as the name suggests, are made with wholegrain flour instead of regular and have the added benefits of whole grains, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and lean beef mixed in. The pieces of pumpkin and sunflower seeds are clearly visible in the outer part of the biscuit, they create quite a rough texture to the biscuit, and the treats are slightly speckled due to the whole grain flour, the dark meaty part in the centre of the biscuits is flavoured with the lean beef. The smell is nothing awful, just a mild meaty and biscuity smell as to be expected and the treats appear to be very crunchy- when the dog bites into them they crumble very easily (and create a lovely mess everywhere until your dog hoovers up every last morsel with its tongue!). Reassuringly, the treats have no artificial colourings or preservatives and are a natural source of Omega 3 and 6 as well as vitamins and minerals.

The hard crunchy texture of the treats, combined with the rough and slightly abrasive feel of the biscuit will help in keeping teeth clean and healthy and breath fresh and, as we all know, wholegrain is good for the heart and pumpkin and sunflower seeds are regarded as healthy snacks for us humans so I imagine the same goes for dogs, Gillian McKeith would be proud of Pedigree for these ones!

*Packaging*
Pedigree Wholegrain Rolls come packaged in quite rustic papery looking plastic bags. On the front we are told that they are a new product and the famous Pedigree rosette logo sits at the top of the bag, a clear panel is situated at the front of the pack allowing you to see the treats inside. On the reverse of the bag is all the usual information you'd expect to find such as ingredients, nutritional information, a feeding guide and contacts for the Pedigree company. The bag is easy to open and unlike some poorly designed packaging, the whole bag doesn't split open when you tear open the top, a sticky tab is included with allows you to fold down and restick the bag after opening to keep the treats fresh and crunchy.

*Price & Availability*
As these are quite a new product, not all pet shops and supermarkets seem to stock them yet, but I'm sure they will do soon as Pedigree is a hugely popular brand. I purchased my 350g bag, which contains about 20 rolls, from Pets At Home for £1.89.

*Ingredients & Nutritional Information*
Cereals (Min. 4% Wholegrain Flour), Meat and Animal Derivatives (Min 4% Lean Beef), Various Sugars, Oils and Fats, Seeds (Min 4% of a Blend of Pumpkin and Sunflower Seeds), Minerals, Derivatives of Vegetable Origin.

Pedigree are hardly well known for high quality ingredients in their foods, and these treats do seem to follow trend, despite being part of the apparently 'Better By Nature' range. On the plus side though, the wholegrain flour and seeds are healthy and they contain lean beef which reduces the fat content compared to regular dog treats.

Protein 16%, Oil 13%, Ash 7%, Fibre 1%

Protein levels are good- they contain enough to be beneficial to muscles without causing hyperactivity or stomach upsets caused by too much. Oil is also good, as it helps promote a strong and glossy coat. Fibre content is disappointingly low though, and ash, as always, isn't needed.

*My opinion*
When new dog treats come on the market I am always keen to try them out on my two dogs, and these newly released Wholegrain Rolls were no exception. I spotted them about a month ago whilst in Pets At Home and after being persuaded by the promise of no artificial colours or flavourings, a packet made its way into my trolley. I was a slightly confused, and actually a little amused when I saw they contained pumpkin and sunflower seeds as Grace and Benson are most definitely dogs, and not rabbits, but all the same I took a pack home to my monsters to see what they thought of them.

At any one time there is always a rather large selection of dog treats in the cupboard so it wasn't until a couple of weeks later that the pack was opened and the dogs got to sample one. When I took one out I was surprised to see that they were pretty much exactly the same in appearance to the Markie treats that Pedigree produces, with the only difference being the pieces of seeds visible in the outer part of the biscuit. The dogs were given one each, and like every other piece of food I have ever offered them, they were crunched and swallowed without really hitting the sides- I've come to learn that Grace and Benson's opinion isn't really valid enough for a dooyoo review anymore, as they will eat anything, and I mean anything, that is given to them. So my friends fussy little Shih Tzu was also drafted in to help with a taste test! His reaction was a bit different to that of my two to say the least! A few sniffs at the biscuit and a couple of licks later he decided he wasn't even going to try and taste it and it was given to Grace to demolish. So it's clear they aren't going to appeal to all dogs, my friends dog will eat a Markie but was obviously put off by the pieces of seed in these Wholegrain Rolls.

I'll definitely be buying them again for my two though, they clearly enjoyed the treat and I felt happy and confident in feeding them as I know my dogs were getting something good inside them at the same time, and I like the fact that they will help clean teeth with their hard crunchy texture and that they have no artificial colours or flavourings in them. My only real moan is the price though, without the seeds and whole grain flour, they would just be exactly the same as Markies, which cost £1.05 for 500g compared to the £1.89 these cost for just 350g.

*Pro's & Con's*
+ Made with whole grain flour
+ Contains healthy sunflower and pumpkin seeds
+ Natural source of omega 3 and 6
+ Good for teeth
+ Contains lean beef
+ No artificial colours or flavourings

- Practically the same as Markie treats
- Expensive for what they are
- Some dogs won't like to visible seeds

Summary: A nice, healthier dog treat for an occasional change