There’s a lot of speculation surrounding dog food and what is and isn’t healthy for them – so why isn’t it applied to dog treats also? Dog treats can substitute up to 10% of your dog’s daily calorie intake once they’re older than 6 months, therefore it makes sense that you buy healthy dog treats as its a substantial part of your dog’s diet. We recommend that puppies under 6 months shouldn’t be fed treats as their stomachs are still delicate and instead should be fed their kibble itself as a treat.
Ingredients to Avoid in Dog Treats
Like with dog food, it’s recommended that dog treats that contain grain should be avoided – or at the very least low-quality grains – to avoid any allergic reactions and/or yeast infections that grain can cause.
Artificial colours are more for the benefit of the owner than for the dog, with the different colours giving a variety to look at. Unfortunately, dogs don’t care what their food looks like as long as it tastes nice. This makes artificial colours an unnecessary chemical in their treats.
Artificial preservatives can be quite harmful for your dog so you should avoid treats containing the ingredients BHA, BHT, Sodium Nitrate, Calcium Propionate – amongst others. More natural preservatives include Vitamin C and E, sometimes referred to as ‘mixed-tocopherols’.
Healthy Dog Treats
There’s a range of dog treats that can be classed as healthy and finding what’s best for your dog can take a bit of trial and error. Dog treats should be similar to the diet your dog has, or even the kibble normally fed if you’re not trying to motivate your dog into doing something special, anything too different can completely imbalance their diet so try and keep it similar.
A selection of healthy dog treat brands include:
Some of the flavours available include both Chicken and Duck Breast fillets, as well as Venison Strips. These contain no artificial additives, preservatives, colourings or flavourings and also contains Vitamin E instead.
A range of healthy Fish Treats – such as Sea Biscuits and Sea Jerky – that contain no artificial colours or preservatives and is also a good sources of Omega for your dog.
This range includes Kangaroo, Goat and Wild Boar Strips, with each of them made up to be purely meat.
These are a meat-free healthy treat made up of potato and vegetables and are also grain-free.
Team Shanklinpets