What Every Dog Owners Need To Know About Healthy Dog Treats?
You want your doggo to live as long as possible. They rely on you to provide top-notch treats and care. So why not buy healthy dog treats that promote skin, teeth, coat, joints, heart and body health?
Doggo’s have a difficult time telling us what they need, from tail-wagging in their sleep to barking at the wall, they’re always all out of sorts. It can be difficult to distinguish what makes a treat healthy or harmful, so it’s important to look at a few key things.
This article will go over these things to help you feel confident in the quality of your dog’s diet. Once you’re in the know, you’ll never look at dog treat packaging and ingredients the same!
What Makes Some Dog Treats Healthier Than Others?
The ingredients and how they’re made, of course! Focus on providing treats that are grain-free and have no preservatives, additives, or salt, so that your doggo receives the healthiest treats available. There’s no secret that doggo’s love wholesome chewing treats.
Go with What You Know!
Always look for treats that have ingredients that you’re familiar with--whitefish, kangaroo, chicken feet, shark cartilage, dried pilchards, seaweed & mint, among many others--so that you’re confident that your pooch is ingesting healthful food.
When reading over what’s in your dog’s treats, you may see ingredients and additives that you’ve never heard of before. Dog treats are chock-full of these odd ingredients. If you don’t know what it is--don’t give it your dog. Treat your pup right. Leave uncertainty out of your dog’s nutrition and find wholesome ingredients that your pup will be grateful for.
Healthy Dog Treats Need:
- All-natural flavour
- To be grain-free
- Variety (teeth, gut, mental health, coat, and bones)
- Great shapes for plaque & play
- Limited & Local ingredients
- Reliable brand names
- Tail-wag of approval
Why Should a Dog Owner Invest in Healthier Treats?
1. Better Treats = A Better, Longer Life for Your Dog
It’s worthwhile to have healthier treats because they will prolong and enhance your pups life. Healthy treats also help with pawsitive reinforcement for doggo behaviours that can be destructive. Bite-sized treats prevent your dog from overeating, becoming overweight, or getting sick from a surplus of food. And preventing obesity is one of the best ways to lengthen your dog’s life and improve its quality [1].
2. Healthy Treats = A Healthy Mouth & Better Breath
Dental treats fight tartar and remove plaque from your doggo’s teeth to provide them with fresh breath and premium dental health. Dog’s can get dental diseases, too, and with your help, your dog can avoid bacteria entering their bloodstream and making them sick [2].
If you give your doggo dental treats daily, you can help reduce their plaque by up to 80%! Brushing your dog’s teeth isn’t easy, that’s why we have treats that are specially formulated to get at bacteria, while your doggo enjoys chewing on a delicious bone. They won’t know what snuck into their bowl at snack time.
3. Healthy Treats Support Your Dog’s Overall Mental and Physical Well Being
Supplemental treats provide your dog with a variety of healthful enhancements, such as rose hips to help with inflammation, multivitamins to promote healthy digestion & their immune system, and tryptophan to assist with anxiety [3]. Certain dog breeds suffer from joint inflammation that can cause them discomfort and healthy targeted supplements will alleviate their pain.
Healthy Dog Treats Promote:
- dental health & fresh breath
- anxiety relief
- allergy relief
- healthy digestion
- shiny coat & healthy skin
- energy & vitality
- heart health
- joint health
- strong bones
- happier & prolonged life
Why Are Healthy Dog Treats More Expensive?
Premium ingredients can sometimes come at the expense of your billfold. Don’t let that deter you. Companies such as Laila & Me, Get Wag, Savourlife, and Bell & Bone focus entirely on quality ingredients to enhance your dog’s quality of life. So, the slight increase in price reflects their quality.
Shelf-stable treats at the store can contain ingredients that are unpronounceable and full of preservatives that can make your doggo sick. You shouldn’t have to settle for less at the expense of your fur-ever family member.
What Kind of Healthy Treats for Dogs Should Every Owner Use?
- raw chicken and beef bones
- healthy dental treats for dogs of all ages
- healthy chew treats for dogs for mental stimulation
- healthy dog training treats
- healthy supplements to support brain, body, heart, and joints
- flavourful and healthy soft dog treats for senior dogs
- homemade peanut butter and pumpkin puree treats
What to Look For When Choosing Dog Treats
When choosing dog treats, look for limited ingredients and a “Made in Australia” label. Healthy natural dog treats won’t have preservatives, artificial flavours, or colouring and salt.
Questions to ask yourself as your shop for dog treats:
- Is it soft enough for your dog to chew?
- Is it free of preservatives?
- Is it big enough to avoid being a choking hazard?
- Is it made with limited, healthy ingredients?
- Made in Australia?
If you answered “yes,” you’re on a pawsitive track to healthy dog treats!
What Treats are the Least Healthy?
Part of keeping your dog’s diet in-check includes avoiding treats that are the equivalent of our junk food. Avoiding these harmful and non-nutritious treats will protect your dog from artificial ingredients, choking hazards, and needless fillers:
- Rawhide bones
- Anything dyed with bright colours (we’re looking at you, holiday treats!)
- Any treats with fillers as the first ingredients
- Cooked bones that can splitter & puncture intestines
- Bones that are too small for them
- Nylon chew bones
- Ice cubes
- Chewing on sticks
- Poisonous home foods: chocolate, grapes, avocado, xylitol, citrus, among others [3].
Why Avoid Preservatives?
Preservatives can be toxic for dogs. They’re cheap, plentiful, and there is little regulation to prevent their use. So why buy from brands that don’t have your doggo’s best interests in mind?
Make sure you're not using any of the toxic ingredients or preservatives in your homemade dog treat recipes.
Treat Your Dog to Tasty and Healthy Dog Treats!
Dog health can be incredibly confusing! There is so much variation and misinformation when you search about dog health, so it’s difficult to know who or what to trust. Colourful dog treats are meant to draw you in, whether they’re good for your dog or not--they’re not! You can trust one thing though--quality meat and simple ingredients are necessary for superior healthy dog snacks.
At Petzyo, we don’t shirk what matters. Every dog deserves quality dog treats that are affordable, healthy, and easy to buy.
Want healthy dog treats, raw food or dry dog food delivered to your door each month while you enjoy your time with your pup at their best self? For simple and reliable treats that your dog can enjoy with maximum benefits, checkout our line of exceptionally healthy dog treats that we hand select for quality and Petzyo’s unbeatable dog foods!
References
[1] https://animals.mom.com/how-to-make-homemade-dog-food-to-lose-weight-12352820.html
[2] http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/veterinarian-confession-i-dont-brush-my-dogs-teeth
