dog food / dog treats

[Terry & Cathy Bering]

Dear Members,
What dog food/dog treats do Berner List readers use? At a recent dog
show in Chicago there were numerous booths set up advertising allergy
free and other natural foods/treats. Unfortunately, what you see of the
small manufacturers of dog food/treats at the AKC events are not
available in the regular food stores or large pet stores like Petsmart
or Petco. We are trying Wellness and Innova brands that we found in a
smaller store far from us. 
We found Old Mother Hubbard treats there also but we were disappointed
with the lack of healthy variety brands at this small pet boutique.
Unfortunately, our 7 month old pup tried raw hides and of course loves
them. With her recent bout of diarrhea we have restricted her diet. Is
it ever OK to give rawhides that contain no chemicals or preservatives
to dogs if you supervise them closely? I know once the raw hide gets
chewed and becomes gooey it becomes extremely dangerous to the dogs and
cause choking as they try to swallow it. Any comments on the Berner-L
list are appreciated. Terry