Fifty years of horses, manure, flies, and one stubborn question: does it have to smell like that?
Jim with Sass at 23 years old.
ChewDoo started long before there was a dog chew, or even a name for it! It began on a farm with Jim, a lifelong animal lover, farmer, and what we now might call a citizen scientist. For years, Jim experimented with natural mineral materials while looking for practical ways to improve the life of the animals in his care, namely the flies that were drawn to their stinky manure. What started as a search for a non-toxic way to address an everyday farm problem eventually led him to wonder whether he could approach manure odor through what the animal was eating. Years of observation, tinkering, good teachers, dirty boots, and quite a lot of well.. poop... followed. Eventually, Jim's work came full circle back to dogs and became the idea behind ChewDoo.
Jim wrote up the odor-prevention practice for Acres USA in June 2014. Read the article.
Musings on 50 years of barnyard science...
Communing with Schnatzle in 2008. Schnatzle was the first foal born at Three Hills Farm, in 1976.
An outdoors kind of youngster, I grew up working with farm animals from time to time, mostly horses. Later also hogs, dairy goats, and grazing beef cattle.
When I started my own horse herd, of course I felt even more responsible for the animals' well-being.
Schnatzle and Jim, 2008.
I searched for a non-toxic material or method of fly prevention. I spent 10 years in the wilderness, so to speak; it seemed hopeless, but I finally found it at a week long seminar for ecological agriculture.
The main presenter was an elderly agronomic genius who briefly told of a natural material to be dusted onto areas of accumulated manure so that "there won't be a fly problem". His recommendation turned out to be completely accurate.
The front end loader became the more reliable method.
The natural mineral compound caused manure to stop smelling. Fresh air was the first result, followed closely by voluntary departure of most of the flies at the horse shelter area. They were no longer attracted to the locale, even though the manure accumulations were still there, but non-odorous.
This odor/fly prevention method worked well at my stables for many years. It also worked well in the farm's dog pen.
Modernized with an electric chainsaw, 2025.
As I became older, yes, a little weaker, I sought other methods that might prevent odor and flies that were physically easier to do. I had been spreading one-half a ton of the mineral each summer season, by hand.
"Easier to do", I suppose a few other aging livestock managers have looked at the workday likewise.
Jim with an early reining bosal.
Treating the feed so as to enhance its digestibility seemed sensible to me. I hoped to find materials which in small amounts also contribute some health aspects.
After plenty of experimenting, a blend of clays worked well.
Jim manhandling a friendly neighbor dog, Spencer.
By that time, I had only a small herd of horses and no dogs. Now, with the good fortune of association with a superb team of business development people, a return to this specialized treatment for dog feed merits attention because human-dog contact is well-known to offer benefits to human families.
Having become elderly, I wish to honor the helpfulness and good sense of my mentors. Included among them are the marvelous dogs with whom I, my family, and friends enjoyed great times and learned a lot.
The animals who did the field testing, whether they knew it or not.
First foal at Three Hills Farm, 1976. Here at 32 years old, goofing with Jim.
Showing a bosal at the former training rail.
Friendly neighbor dog and frequent visitor.
The same idea Jim proved on half a ton of mineral a summer, in a soft chew your dog will actually eat. Silicas, clays, and prebiotics, no weird science.
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