How to Pick Healthy Treats For Your Dog

Every dog owner shows their love and affection to their pets by giving away them the treats. But do you know that there are lots of varieties of treats which are available in the market? But then how will you know that how to pick healthy treats for your dogs?

Well! Now you do not need to worry as in this article we will answer your question in a definite manner. It is true that selecting healthy nourishing treats for the dogs is a significant footstep to certify that your pet is getting the finest nourishment possible.

There are lots of things which you should avoid choosing the treats like sugars, salt, synthetic colorings, additives or preservatives. As such ingredients can result in harmful effects on the dogs like digestive issues, loose stools, gas, vomiting, etc.

Before answering your question in this tutorial, let’s get familiar with the different categories of the dog treats among which you have to choose the one which you will want to serve your dog.

Table of Contents

List Of Things Required For The Dog Treat

There are mainly three types of dog treats which you can give to your pets:

1. Human Food Treats

Your dog treats can be human food also. There are lots of options in this category which offer a good healthy and nourishing support to your pets. But, you should be aware of the list of foods which you can give to your dog as some of them can also result in the intolerances, allergies, or even damage the health of the dog to the large extent. Thus, before opting for this option, you must do proper study and research first and then offer these treats to your dogs.

2. Commercial Dog Treats

If you are buying the commercial dog treats, there are lots of options which you will get at the local pet stock store or at the grocery store. Some of the different types of commercial dog treats are biscuits, jerky treats, soft treats, bones, pork pizzles, bully sticks, dental chews, etc. Pork pizzles, chew bars, and bully sticks for dogs are some examples as treats or chews

3. Homemade Treats For Dogs

One more type of healthy treats which you can give to your dog is the homemade treats. You can make lots of recipes for your dog by taking help from the online sources. Such treats are not only healthy but are also reasonable to prepare at home. You will find this activity quite exciting. But do not forget to check that the recipe which you are making is suitable for your dog or not.

4. Substitutes To Commercial Dog Treats

You can also give vegetables, fruits, and in fact the ice cubes as the natural substitutes to the dogs commercial treats. There are lots of pets like to eat carrots, apples, green beans as well as any other fresh foods. But you should always consult the dog’s veterinary doctor for giving these substitutes as there are few foods which can be poisonous to dogs like grapes, onions, raisins, etc.

Step By Step Instructions For Selecting The Healthy Treats For Dogs

The following are the 8 steps which will benefit you in choosing the healthy and nutritive treats for dogs which will enhance their health in a loving way:

Step 1: Always Check The Ingredient Tags

There are several commercial dog treats which have very less nutrition but consisted of lots of sugars, synthetic colorings or additives. It is true that such type of ingredients might like by your dogs but these foods will not fulfill their hunger and can also result in the increasing waistline.

Step 2: Choose The Natural Product

You must always select the treats which are natural are made with the help of meat. There should be no sugars or artificial ingredients in them. You can also go for substitutes like vegetables and fruits like carrots, beans, apples, milk, etc.

Step 3: Calculate The Calories

The dog treats are not a substitute for their regular foods. These must be a secondary source of calories i.e. almost 10 percent of the dog’s daily calories intake. For this, you can also take advice from the veterinary doctor of your dog that how much calories you can give to the pet. Generally, the commercial treats provide more calories as compare to the homemade treats.

Step 4: Avoid Offering The Table Leftovers

It is a habit of so many dog owners that they offer the table leftovers to their pets often. However such food generally comprises of slabs of fat or sugary crumbs which are high in calories content but low in other nutrients. Furthermore, such rich treats can also cause intestinal issues like bad breath, loose stools, gas, and infrequent vomiting in your dogs.

The habit of these types of foods can make the pet choosy which can make him stop the consumption of normal food. However, you can give them the lean meats as well as unseasoned vegetables in the form of treats.

Step 5: Not To Offer Appetizers At The Time Of Meal

If you offer your dog the snacks at the time of their meal, then this can spoil their mealtime also. The heavy treats fill-ups your dog appetite which will let him skip his meal. Thus, you should offer them the snacks between the periods of their two meals. The treat must have good nutrition and no fat. If your dog regularly missed out their meals then this can cause nutritional deficiencies and discrepancies instigating collapse as well as illness sometimes.

Step 6: Avoid Giving Treats To Dogs For Begging

The offering of the treats to the dog at the time of begging is not a good habit in the pets. This can cause an occurrence of bad behavior also. The treats must be offered to simply strengthen the good behavior in the dog in the duration of training. You have to ignore the sad eyes of the pet. The begging of treats by the dogs can also make them snatchers later on if you do not give them the snacks when they want.

Step 7: Utilize The Treats As Accolades

You should give the treats to the dogs in the form of accolades after some playing session or any physical activity. This type of gesture towards the dogs supports the positive characteristics of workout and also aids them to anticipate in their regular activity. After a physical workout, giving them a nourishing protein appetizer will work like a miracle for their health.

Step 8: Select The Treats Which Have Health Benefits

You must select the treats which essentially benefits your dog’s health. Such foods must not cause any gastrointestinal or dental issues but result in healthy bones and good immunity system. The perfect snack must be low in fats and high in protein content. Once you gave the healthy treats appropriately to the pet, he will also relish his excellent overall health in return.

List Of Ingredients To Avoid In The Dog Treat

You should always read the details of the ingredients of the food before giving it to your dog. There are some ingredients which you should avoid in the dog treat that is given below:

1. Artificial Preservers

There are few chemical additives such as TBQH, BHA/BHT, sodium nitrate, potassium sorbate, ethoxyquin and calcium propionate which should not be present in the dog treat. As an alternative, you must look for the dog treats which utilizes the natural preservation ways such as freeze-drying, air-drying, or might use the natural additives like vitamin C, rosemary oil, and vitamin E.

2. Artificial Flavors and Colors

It is not mandatory that the food which comes with the label of “natural flavors” always accurate. Actually, the natural essences are the chemicals which are intended for simulating the natural tastes of the food. The ingredients of the whole foods provide ample of true natural flavor thus, you should go for them. You should also avoid the treats to the dogs which have artificial colors like red, yellow, or blue which are superfluous flavors that can be harmful to the health of the dog.

3. Extra Sugar, Fat, And Sodium

The treats must not comprise of additional sugars or sodium. It can be injurious to the whole health of the dog. Also, watch the fat content. The foods which have lost fat in them can make your dog obese also. Thus you should avoid such type of food too.

Conclusion

It is right that choosing a healthy treat for your dog is a big job. You can easily find so many unhealthy alternatives on the market which do not provide any nutrition to the dog at all.

But, now we are sure that after reading our above article, you will buy the treats for the dogs after reading the label carefully and avoid picking the unhealthy options. The one important thing you should remember that whatever treats you give to your dog; it should not affect their health or make them obsess.

If you have any views or thoughts regarding our article, then you can write to us in the below comment box. We will be very happy to read our reader’s views.

Thanks for reading!!

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