Zuke’s Power Bones Review
Whenever we head out for a day on the trails, it seems that our dogs skip breakfast. It’s almost as if they don’t want to get an upset stomach or deal with having too many stops on the trail. Whatever their reasons, I bring along Zuke’s Power Bones and was thrilled to have the opportunity to write a review on these treats.
Zuke’s Power Bones, 21 years and counting
The Power Bones are Zuke’s original dog treat, which were created back in 1995. I have been purchasing Zuke’s Power Bones for the past 8 years. Our first two Airedales, Aspen and Suki, and now for our current pair, Fozzie and Stella have all loved Zuke’s Power Bones. Yes, they know the word “treat” and will come when they hear it, but with the Zuke’s Power Bones they stay put until the bag is put away in the pack just in case the bag get’s dropped.
Fozzie enjoying a Power Bone at Rabbit Ears Pass outside of Steamboat Springs, CO
As you can imagine, the name Power Bones seems to be a spinoff of PowerBars, the energy packed food that we all chomped down before other energy bars hit the market. Don’t get confused, Power Bones are not really bone shaped at all. Rather, they are a square shaped, soft, chewy treat that is easy for your dog to digest and obtain the needed energy to push onward (and sometimes upward), wherever the trail may lead.
Zuke’s Power Bones in 3 Yummy Flavors
The Zuke’s Power Bones are available in 3 flavors and are FREE of wheat, corn, and soy. They are made from easy to understand and pronounce items that are nutrient dense with a combination of protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Here is a breakdown of each recipe:
Tasty Chicken Recipe
Tasty Beef Recipe
Beef, Ground Oats, Ground Barley, Ground Rice, Maple Syrup, Vegetable Glycerin, Gelatin, Apples, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Cherries, Salt, Lecithin, Coconut Oil, Phosphoric Acid, Sorbic Acid, Rosemary, Turmeric, Cinnamon, Mixed Tocopherols.
Fresh Peanut Butter Recipe
Peanut Butter, Ground Oats, Ground Barley, Ground Rice, Maple Syrup, Vegetable Glycerin, Gelatin, Apples, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Cherries, Salt, Lecithin, Coconut Oil, Phosphoric Acid, Sorbic Acid, Rosemary, Turmeric, Cinnamon, Mixed Tocopherols.
On average, a 60 lb dog (that’s Fozzie and Stella) need 890 calories to sustain their resting metabolic rate. If you incorporate their activity level, that bumps up their needs to closer to 1200 or 2.5-3 cups of their food. Add in long weekend of hiking and running, and you increase their demands depending on the activity type and duration. For example, a 3 hour hike may burn an additional 300 to 400 calories. If we skipped a meal, we would be feeling it. Dogs are a bit different than us humans (and I’m no veterinarian), but supplementing the calories lost with a nutritious treat when on the go seems reasonable and the dogs love it.
The Zuke’s Power Bones Chicken flavor provides 19.1 calories, Beef 16.4 calories, and Peanut butter 20.8 calories per treat. For a quick comparison, Zuke’s Mini-Naturals provide approximately 3 calories per treat. So far I can’t tell if they have a flavor preference, as they get excited about all three.
Fozzie (featured above, “helping me” write this review) is loving the Zuke’s Power Bones, at home and out on hikes or runs. As you can see, the Power Bones are bite size snack for a large dog. I typically break the treat in two and give a 1/2 of a treat at a time to ensure I really have their attention. The treats break in 2 pretty easily without losing crumbs or treats to the ground. If you have a smaller dog, you could probably cut them into quarters ahead of time.
I typically don’t bring the entire treat bag with me on a hike, this was more for a seeing the dogs in action with the Zuke’s Power Bones and getting a good shot. Rather, I transfer a dozen or so to a small ziplock bag for a typical outing. The bones stay fresh for about two weeks after opening the bag, thanks to a zip-lock closure. They do get gradually more hard, but the dogs don’t seem to care much.
The Zuke’s Power Bones are available in 6 ounce packages and retail for anywhere from $3.30 to 5.50 online. The Zuke’s Power Bones are not only a nutritious treat, but also great way to get their attention if they are exploring a bit farther than I’d like!
