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Frequently Asked Questions
Safety Practices when feeding pets treats?


Why should I supervise my pet eating treats?

Just like us, every time something goes in the mouth it can become a choking hazard. Each pet is different and eats differently.  Some are very dainty eaters, some are chewers and some are inhalers. It is important to always be there to supervise while they eat to make sure your pet chews their food and doesn't choke.

When the Pizzel chew gets small should I take it off my dog?

Yes! Absolutely.

You know your dog best. You know how they chew or not. Fernies Treat Shack recommends that when your dog is getting near the end of their Bull-It (pizzel) chew you take it off them and discard it. Depending on the size and personality of your dog a small piece left could become a choking hazard.

My pet inhales treats. What can I do?

There are several things you can try.
1) You can hold on to the treats and teach your dog to chew them instead of swallowing them whole.
2) You could break them up smaller so they cannot become a choking hazard.
3) You can keep to soft treats only.
4) You can use really large treats like weight bearing bones they cannot break pieces off or swallow whole.
5) You can abstain from giving them any treats at all.

How long can I leave a bone out for my dog?

First and foremost ALL bones must be Raw.  NEVER NEVER give a dog a cooked bone, they are dry and brittle and can splinted.  Splinters can get stuck and cause perforations and serious life threatening infections in gums, between teeth, in the throat, stomach, intestines or bowels.  Really hard, dry, weight bearing bones can also break teeth.

It is recommended that roughly 1 - 2 a week is all they need.  As bones sit out they dry out, then the health issues above can occur.

Inside, over the Summer you have your air conditioner going and that is very drying, in the Winter you have your heating on, that is very drying.

Outside, the Summer sun is very drying and the cold of the Winter is very drying. 


There is no safe Temperature so pick them up and discard them every 3 - 4 days, no exceptions.
What is the Difference between Dehydrating, Drying and Baking?
Dehydrating is achieved by using warm air at various temperatures over a long period of time drawing moisture out from the center of a product.  Dehydrator temperatures never reach cooking heat so the product cells are not destroyed retaining up to 95% of nutritional values.
Drying is the ancient art of laying product on racks or hanging over rods and using warm air temperature and time to dry the product.  Sometimes the Sun is the drying source and sometimes it is smoke.
Baking/Oven dehydrating uses direct heat to dry the product from the outside inward.  This does cause damage to the product cells (due to the fact that they are heat sensitive), on the outside area thus losing 25% - 35% of the nutritional values  retaining approximately between 65% - 75%.
What is the difference between Freeze Drying and Dehydrating?
Freeze Drying is the use of Incredibly Low temperatures, drawing moisture from the center of a product in a few short hours.  The product does not get freezer burned as it happens so quickly, the cells of the product do not rupture retaining up to 98% of the nutritional values.
Dehydrating uses warm air at various temperatures for a long period of time drawing moisture from the center of a product. The dehydrator temperatures never reach cooking temperature which is why up to 95% of the nutritional values are retained.
Are your products Hormone Free and Organic?
While Fernies Treat Shack has assurances from all of their suppliers, that all of the raw product purchased is naturally fed and Hormone Free, Fernies' Treat Shack cannot guarantee that it is Organic. Fernies' Treat Shack does not advertise their products as Organic for this reason.
Are your treats human grade?
Fernies' Treat Shack Treats are all made with Human Grade raw materials from Government Inspected Human Grade Slaughterhouses. Fernies' Treat Shack believes, nothing but the best is good enough for your pet.
Where do you get your raw materials from?
Fernies Treat Shack purchases all raw materials from both Provincially and Federally Inspected Slaughter houses right here in Ontario, Canada. Fernies' Treat Shack sources all of their raw materials within a 160 km radius of their manufacturing facility. 
What are your treats made of?
Fernies Treat Shack treats fit into two categories. Single ingredient and Multi ingredient.  Single ingredient treats are all protein based with one protein source.
Multi ingredient treats have between 3-4 ingredients and are also protein based with a fresh fruit and /or a second protein source as the flavourings. 
All of Fernies' Treat Shack treats are made with whole foods and we do not use any powdered, liquid or artificial flavourings.  Fernies' Treat Shack does use ground Psyllium Husk as a binder.
Where are your treats made?
Fernies Treat Shack Treats are made right here in Ontario, Canada using Ontario grown animals.
Why are your treats so stinky?
Fernies Treat Shack does not use any treatments other than Dehydrating to kill the natural odors of meat products.  These treats are made with dogs and cats in mind, FOR dogs and cats. 
Animals are extremely scent driven so with that in mind, here at Fernies Treat Shack we do all we can to kept our end products as natural as possible.
Why do you use Psyllium? Is it a filler?
The very characteristics that make Psyllium a great source of Fibre also make it a great Binder. It is also good for lowering Cholesterol and type 2 Diabetes. It can absorb up to 10 x it's measure in moisture and turns into a jelly like substance.  Psyllium replaces the moisture it has absorbed and binds to the protein throughout the dehydrating process.

No, Psyllium is not a filler.  It does not and cannot physically add bulk to anything so cannot be used as a filler.  It is used as a binder, not to add volume or weight.  All Psyllium does is prevent moisture loss in the natural state and moves in to take up the space left after moisture has been absorbed.
Why not use Xantham Gum?
Xantham Gum is not necessarily Gluten free, can also be sourced from corn and is often synthetically modified, Gnar Gum is more expensive and Ground Chia and Flax take a lot longer to absorb moisture. Fernies' Treat Shack required something that only took minutes to absorb moisture, had good health benefits and was also a great binder. Psyllium was our answer.
Which treat lasts the longest?
It really depends on your dog.  It is not a breed or age thing, it is more of a personality thing.  Some dogs are chewers and some are nibblers. Our Bull-Its (pizzel sticks) are the hardest treat we have so they will last the longest.
Is a Pizzle like a rawhide?
No! 
A Rawhide is what is left after the hide of an animal has been made into leather.  This under layer is treated with very harmful chemicals upwards of 5 times to get it to a leather lookalike.  It is then rolled up, twisted or just left flat and goes through many more treatments before it is ready for your dog to chew on. Rawhide is not very digestible and can untwist or unroll as your dog chews on it and softens it up. Big chunks can break off and choke your dog or cause a stomach or intestinal blockage. This requires an expensive emergency surgery to save the life of your dog.
A Pizzle Stick/Bully Stick is simply a bulls penis washed and dehydrated. It is extremely digestible, fat free, free of chemicals and nutritious. Just make sure you take the last small piece off your dog so they won't try to swallow it whole.
How do your treats affect allergies?
If your dog has had all the allergy tests and has a specific allergy, then I would suggest to make sure, the treat you are buying does not contain that allergen. Fernies' Treat Shack have a lot of customers come to us and say their dog has an allergy to a particular kibble/dry food and we try to educate them that there is a difference between kibble/dry food allergies and real protein allergies.