There is a wide variety of dog treats lining pet store shelves across North America and the selection can be quite overwhelming. Many dog owners find themselves wondering what exactly makes a good, high quality dog treat. With tons of great options, and even more poor choices, I hope to help dog owners make the right choices in treats.
Diet and nutrition are important factors in your dog's health and well being. That is why feeding poor quality treats can be detrimental to your pet's health and undo the good you've done by feeding a high quality, balanced diet.
There are some simple guidelines to follow when browsing the treat isle.
- Look for treats that are grain free. Grains aren't a natural part of a dog's diet, and they are one of the leading causes of allergies and ear infections in dogs.
- Look for treats that are wheat-free, corn-free and soy-free; Treats with a bit of healthy grains can be good options for dogs that have no sensitivities, allergies or issues with yeast infections. You should seek to avoid treats with grains as mentioned above, but some dogs do fine with higher quality grains.
- Read the ingredients: You want to see whole foods (that you would eat yourself!), no preservatives, no chemicals, no ingredients you can't pronounce or recognize, and absolutely NO by-products.
- No artificial colours or flavouring, these are chemicals that are unnecessary and often cause allergic reactions.
- Avoid "animal digest" at all costs... Animal digest is a mystery ingredient that can contain ANY part of an animal, and can even include road kill or euthanized animals.
- Made in North America. This one is a given, considering all the recalls lately. There have been way too many complaints and cases of sick dogs eating treats from China.
- Orijen Freeze-Dried Dog Treats
- Purebites Freeze-Dried Dog Treats
- Zuke's Mini Naturals Dog Treats
- Northern Biscuit Dog Treats
- Darford Zero G All Natural Treats for Dogs
- Crumps Naturals
- Nature's Variety Instinct Raw Boost Bites
- Bully Sticks
- Beef Tendon Chews
- Paragon Veggie Chews
- StickyNose Grain-Free
- Bosco and Roxy
Interested in achieving your pet's optimum level of health? Visit my Diet and Nutrition page or contact me for details! Online dog nutrition and diet consultations are available!
Angel
Dog Nutritionist / Dog Trainer / Dog Blogger
K9 Instinct
www.k9instinct.com