Pedigree Can Stick These Where The Sun Doesn't Shine! (Pedigree Meaty Sticks)

Member Name: FourPaws

Product:	Pedigree Meaty Sticks
Date:	22/05/09 (75 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap

Disadvantages: Awful, greasy and slimy- even G & B didn't like them!

*What are Pedigree Meaty Sticks?*
These meaty treats are the newest addition to the large selection of treat products produced by the world famous Pedigree company, who cater for every canine life stage in their wide range of dog products including dry food, cans and pouches and mixer biscuits, with something to suit every taste.

*The product itself*
As the proud owner of two dustbins on legs, in any given week, we get through an awful lot of dog treats in our house. Grace and Benson have monster appetites and because they are always on the go, the lucky buggers can eat anything they want without putting on any weight, as anything eaten, is burnt off again within moments! They are hardly fussy, if its vaguely edible, or to be honest, even if it isn't, they'll have a go at eating it, which has its downsides in that I have brought more new television remotes in the four years I have owned Benson than I have had hot dinners and no shoe within ten miles of the pair of them is safe, but it of course does have its advantages too- anything offered to them in the way of treats will be gratefully received.

I've tried many different treats from many different brands with them over the years and they certainly have their clear favourites, but even so, when a new dog treat comes available on the market, I like to pick up a pack for them to sample, to keep adding new foods to their diet in a bid to keep it full of variety. So when I spotted this new offering from Pedigree, a pack made its way into my shopping basket as a little weekend treat for the furballs.

Although I can't stand the main meal food Pedigree produces, I wouldn't feed it to Grace and Benson in a million years as it is so full of crap, I've found most of their treats to be pretty acceptable. They aren't made with the greatest of ingredients and they may offer very little in terms of nutrition, but the dogs absolutely love them and they're pretty cheap too, so I'm happy to buy them as occasional treats.

These Meaty Sticks are their latest offering, I'm not sure when they were introduced to the range but I first noticed them in my local pet shop about 3 weeks ago, and seeing as I'm in there at least twice a week, I tend to notice new stock as soon as it is delivered so they are pretty new.

Unlike most dog treats which seem to be either biscuit based or semi-moist, these Meaty Sticks are moist, individually sealed sausage style treats which boast a claim of being made from 95% meat (very misleading however- more on that later!) and have several added properties which make them apparently beneficial to your dogs health, as well as being a tasty treat, ideal for training rewards or for simply showing your dog how much you love them.

Firstly is the inclusion of calcium, which is essential for helping to maintain strong teeth and bones, secondly is the Omega 3 which helps to keep coats soft and shiny, skin healthy and joints supple and lastly, a mixture of various added vitamins and minerals for general over all wellbeing and to help strengthen your dogs natural defences. The Meaty Sticks however, are very soft in texture, so have no dental care benefits and may actually contribute to the build up of plaque and tartar as soft foods coat the teeth and can lead to problems if not removed by hard, crunchy foods or chews.

*Packaging*
The Meaty Sticks come packaged singularly in their own little compartment, and then joined together in a strip, which has been foil lined for freshness. The packaging follows Pedigree's highly recognisable yellow and red colour scheme and you'll find all the relevant information you'd expect on a dog treat such as ingredients, nutritional information, feeding guides and of course, contact details for Pedigree should you have any questions or comments.

*Price & Availability*
These are still a very new treat to the market so availability seems to be limited at the moment, however I'm sure more shops will stock them over time, as their popularity increases. They come in a choice of two flavours- either beef or chicken and are sold in packs of 3.

I purchased my packet from my small local pet shop for 99p.

*My opinion*
Grace and Benson, the poor little souls, act as if they are starving 24/7 and no matter what they have to eat, they'll still play the ''oh I'm such a poor neglected little doggie'' act to whoever will take notice of them, in hope of getting a tasty treat! They come to work with me everyday and it has become a running joke between the regular clients and my colleagues at the surgery that I must never feed them, as they're always on the look our for grub of any description!

So, because of this, a little stash of treats to keep the poor, neglected, starving little dogs happy is never far away from me! As I mentioned earlier, Pedigree treats are a firm favourite- the dogs love them, they're affordable, generally good value for money and very widely available, so they are a good purchase the majority of the time. They don't offer much nutrition wise I know, but whilst the dogs are getting high quality foods for their main meals, I don't mind using few lower quality extras to supplement their diet with, and to use as training aids or bribes!

For this reason, when I noticed a display of these new Meaty Sticks on the counter at my local pet shop the other week, I brought a packet home for my monsters. The main thing that made me buy them was of course they were a new product and I purely just wanted to see what Grace and Benson made of them, but secondly, I was also convinced by the claim of them being made with 95% meat, which is printed in big letters on the front of the packet. My initial thoughts were ''surely there can't be that much meat in a Pedigree product?!'' but all the same, a pack came home with me and upon arriving back at the cottage, I let the dogs sample them straight away.

Having a quick look on the back of the packet, I was disappointed to see that it was, infact, too good to be true. The Meaty Sticks DID contain 95% meat, but only a very small percentage of that was beef and the rest was Pedigree's old favourite 'meat and animal derivatives'. I can't say I was surprised, but I felt it was very misleading all the same as the claim leads you to believe there is a very high content of actual meat in the product, which there isn't. However I did like the design of the packaging and the way you could just open one section to get one treat out, and leave the other two fresh and unopened until you want to give them to your dog.

Grace and Benson were by now drooling at my feet so I ripped open the packet and got a stick out for each of them. The packet was very easy to open but as soon as I had, I wished I could close it up again! I know most dog treats smell unpleasant, but these were AWFUL, really, really disgusting. The treats weren't much better than the smell. Each stick was around 5 inches long and very thin and of a pale brown in colour and they felt horrible. Very sticky and slimy- greasy, even. Absolutely awful.

I would have been quite happy to throw them straight in the bin right then but Grace and Benson had set eyes on them and wouldn't rest until they had their new treat, so I reluctantly gave them one each. Even they seemed rather unimpressed with the treats and that is saying something coming from the dogs who will normally eat anything. They did eat them, but didn't appear to enjoy them and I can't blame them. Afterwards, after just one small treat each, they went on to drink an awful lot of water throughout the course of the day. As much as I hate waste, I wasn't going to give them the third remaining stick and that went out into the dustbin.

Overall, absolutely awful treats. They stank so much they could hardly have tasted good at all, they were incredibly slimy, sticky, greasy, wet and just damn right disgusting. I've brought much cheaper treats of the same style before and they have been fine so god knows why Pedigree made such a mess of these- a real disappointment considering they had the potential to be a very good treat. They may have a tiny bit of calcium and omega 3 in, as well as the few odd vitamins, but they are not worth it at all. I'd rather Grace and Benson go without and get those things from another source, which won't be as fatty and processed as these are.

Summary: A huge let down from Pedigree. Stay well clear!