Buying Healthy Dog Treats
Dogs love treats as much as we do. But as hard as it is to find nutritious snacks for ourselves, it can be even harder to find healthy dog treats. For one thing, the rules for the labeling of ingredients for pet foods are less strict than they are for ours. But when you’re shopping for dog treats, here are a few things you should try to avoid.
Corn and Wheat
These are often used as inexpensive fillers. Some dogs are allergic to them and others don’t digest them easily. They’re also high in carbs, a chief culprit in dog obesity.
Animal By-Products
By-product is any animal part which can’t be fed to humans and can include things like ears, feet, bone and feathers. Not the kinds of things generally considered “snacks.”
Preservatives and Food Coloring
Some dyes are carcinogenic, and preservatives can cause a range of ailments from skin rashes to immune system problems. They’re also not always easy to pick out on the label, but avoid BHA and BHT and other ingredients comprised of initials or that sound like science fiction monsters, like ethoxyquin.
Sugar and Salt
If they’re at or near the top of the list of ingredients, you don’t want that treat. The same goes for fat. Just as in people snacks, salt, sugar and fat are put into dog treats to make them taste better, but they also turn them into junk.
Besides knowing what shouldn’t be in a good dog treat, you’ll want to know what should:
- Whole meats, chicken, lamb or beef. They are full of protein, not by-products.
- Nutritional, whole foods, vitamin-fortified if possible.
When using treats for training, don’t over-reward your dog, as too many of even the healthiest bite-size snack can contribute to overweight.
For a wide selection of healthy dog treats, visit our main site, HolisticPetInfo.com. Try a Free Sample of Zuke’s Mini Bakes treats for dogs. While supplies last!