Product Review : Everlasting Treat Bento Ball

I'm always up for trying a new product that might allow Molly to get in some chewing time (great for her teeth!) and keep her entertained.  I came across another review for the everlasting bento ball by Starmark on dogster and had to meet a minimum free shipping quota on an order so I thought I would give it a try.

After a bit of chewing (didn't get a pre-chew photo in our excitement to try it out unfortunately)

It arrived today and we gave it a test run.  I think things are arriving in packages for Molly so often that it just might help her get over her fear of strangers at the house.  Scary deliverymen == new toys! (or sometimes, disappointingly, just some toothpaste for mom)

There are a number of different toys that work with the everlasting treats, which are a kind of hard chew that comes in different flavors, the chew came with poultry and I ordered some bacon refills as well.  The treat is captive within the rubber ball and it is supposed to give hours of entertainment according to the packaging.  Reviews were mixed, some people said it did give hours of entertainment, some said more like 20 minutes, and some people said it was hours the first time but the dog figured it out pretty quick.  Still, I figured it was worth a try, we use bully sticks as our special occasion 'keep the dog busy' treat but another alternative would be great as well.

Within about a half hour she had chewed off the dental ridges at the top of the toy but there was still plenty of treat captive inside the bento ball.  She really seemed to like the taste of it and took it to her 'special toy' spot downstairs in the family room.  As you can see, it's the same place as she is currently storing her other favorite toys.

The treats are wheat, corn and soy free (which is great) but had some preservative sounding ingredients that weren't so great.  Also, the first ingredient is rice and all flavoring is artificial.  However, it's an occasional treat and it's nice that they have avoided the common allergens.  Not something I would feed every day but every so often I'm sure it would be fine for most dogs.  Also, the treat is made in the USA (not sure about the toy itself but the food item is really the concern for me).

The treat gets gummy as the dog chews and a few gummy pieces got adhered to the rug. not a huge mess but slightly messier than the bully sticks.  One of the amazon reviews I saw said they had mold grow inside of the treat cavity and after seeing the gumminess I could definitely believe that, so we will have to be careful to clean it out well after the treat is gone.

In all, it took her around 2 hours to finish the treat, so we did get the advertised 'hours' of entertainment. However, I noticed when cleaning it out after she was done with it that there appeared to be some tooth puncture marks in the toy itself, which were collecting treat debris, and presumably creating a weak spot for next time.  So, we will have to see how it holds up long term.

VERDICT:  Good alternative for an entertaining chew, although time will tell how 'everlasting' it is on the second go-round.