What Makes for a Healthy Dog Treat?

When selecting a dog treat or chew for your pup, it’s important to pick a treat that doesn’t compromise their diet. A treat should not make up more than 10 percent of a dog’s daily caloric intake. Therefore, naturally, if you give a lot of treats during the day, you may need to reduce the amount of food your dog eats at meals to avoid unhealthy weight gain; generally, the healthier the snack, the more snacks your dog can have. As such, it’s usually better to offer your dog treats that are nutritionally balanced and low in fat.

With this in mind, it's a good idea to look at the list of ingredients of any dog treat you buy. Do the treats have a lot of added sugar, artificial flavors, or chemicals? Do they have a lot of unhealthy fillers and binders? Is the packaging clear about how many treats are safe for your dog each day? Considering this, simple, straight-forward treats with clearly defined ingredients are a great option to ensure you know what your pet is getting. Simple ingredients that your will pet will love include many raw vegetables, fruits, unbuttered popcorns, and rice. Treats offering these ingredients can be a home run with your pet as they make for a low-calorie and healthy, yet tasty treat.

In the end, dogs love treats like we do, but just as we consider our own diets, we need to be mindful of what our pets’ snack on because all treats are not created equal and unhealthy treats can get in the way of your pet living their fullest life.