The Best Treats For Dogs
And some of the worst
We can’t help spoiling Ced and Ed with treats. If you’re reading this, the same is probably true for you. But with so many products on the market how do we decide which ones are best and which ones to avoid? It can be hard to tell, so in this newsletter we cover the treats we feed and ones we think are not ideal. Before that here are some of recipes you may have missed.
Our favorite treats:
Eggs: Though usually more of a meal, we also use them as treats for our pups. Eggs are possibly the world’s most perfect food for a carnivore. They are packed with protein, fats, vitamins and minerals. For bigger dogs, whole or halved boiled eggs (or quail eggs) are a great snack. For smaller dogs, cutting up an omelette into small strips or squares makes for a great training treat.
Fruits: Bananas, blueberries, blackberries, watermelon, apples are all great snacks. In fact, most of the fruits (avoid grapes) that you can eat your pup will love too, especially if they are on a whole food diet. If your dog eats only dry food, the extra moisture can sometimes upset their stomach, so go easy. There are a couple of things to watch out for with fruits. Pits can be a choking hazard so make sure to take them out if you feed stone fruits like cherries or peaches. Grapes (and raisins) are highly toxic for some dogs so we avoid them completely.
Collagen chew sticks: Ethically sourced collagen chews are great for maintaining gum health and oral hygiene. They are packed with protein and also offer oral stimulation for your pups. We like to put them in chew-stick holders for safety. These are different than raw hides, which are difficult to digest and can cause intestinal blockage.
Yogurt: Because adult dogs are mostly lactose intolerant (like people) too much fresh milk can upset their tummies. Yogurt, on the other hand has most of the lactose fermented by bacteria. There are so many benefits to yogurt. Our pups get a helping almost daily. From protein, to prebiotics, probiotics and more, yogurt is also full of micronutrients like calcium and vitamin D. We usually opt for greek yogurt or kefir. Kefir tends to have a greater diversity of microorganisms. Putting some yogurt in a squeeze bottle would make it a convenient training tool!
Low lactose cheese: Similar to yogurt, aged cheeses are low in lactose. For training we use sliced Monterrey Jack because is holds it’s shape well and the dogs love it. Bloomy rind and washed rind cheeses like brie and Epoisses (yes we feed them Epoisses) are also great because they have some nice probiotics as well. However, because many of these cheeses are calorie dense, they are foods that should be fed in moderation (see next section).
Treats in moderation:
Freeze dried beef liver: We love to feed the dogs beef liver, but a little goes a long way. Because liver is very high in some micronutrients, dogs can easily get too much copper and vitamin A, for example. This is especially true if a dog is fed kibble, as kibble is usually made with extra vitamins to make sure that it meets nutrient requirements over its very long shelf life.
Dried fruit: Fresh fruit is great. Dried fruit, on the other hand, has all the water removed so it’s much more concentrated and calorically dense. Depending on the water content, dried fruits are 4 to 8-times more calorically dense than fresh fruit. To put this in perspective, 100 g (or one loose handful) of dried bananas has about 350 calories. That’s equal to Cedric’s entire caloric intake for a day! What’s worse is some dried fruits are processed with added sugar. Those should be avoided entirely.
Other calorie dense foods: As mentioned above cheeses are great, but many are very high in calories and should be given in moderation. Other foods like peanut butter we’ve discussed on our post “Strange Things That Vet’s Give Dogs” are not great. Pretty much every nutrient in peanut butter can be found in other food sources. It’s also too high in omega-6 which can be inflammatory as discussed in our post on fats. Dogs love it though, which is why vets originally used it to hide pills.
Homemade biscuits and baked goods: Once in a while, we love to make the dogs fancy cookies, cakes, and other baked goods. In these recipes we use minimally processed flour (oat flour, coconut flour), and pack it with extra protein. Our Chicken Waffles recipe is made with blended chicken, and our Pup Bread is made of mostly egg whites, for example. Even so, we feed these treats in moderation.
Treats we avoid:
Processed biscuits: Most dog biscuits are made with refined carbohydrates and use flavors, colors and preservatives. If you’re feeding kibble, refined carbs is the last thing your dog needs more of. If your dog is on a whole food diet, more carbs aren’t going to add any benefit. We understand that biscuits are a convenient treat, and if you like having them on hand, making a homemade batch with minimally processed flour is preferable.
Greenies: The fact that these are marketed as a dental product is super confusing to us. The main ingredient in Greenies is wheat flour. They may work the teeth because they are hard and chewy, but they add more refined carbohydrates to your dogs diet. Since refined carbs are the food of cavity causing bacteria we do not recommend these as treats nor as a dentifrice.
Sugary whipped topping: Another favorite because it’s convenient, we avoid these and pup cups as well. The sugar and lactose can give sensitive dogs a tummy ache. Sure, it can be fine on occasion, but feeding a dollop of plain yogurt is just as easy and way better!
Cheese spread: These are even worse than sugary whipped topping. Spray cheese is highly processed with lots of seed oils, flavorings and cheap ingredients. Worse, some even contain hydrogenated oils, those liquid fats that are chemically altered to be solid. Hydrogenated oils are likely the worst food for you and your dogs heart health. These things are tasty, so dogs and people will love them, but they are best avoided. Why do vets give them out? For the same reason the pediatrician gives kids lollipops and the cardiologist offers cookies. They are service providers and want to make the immediate experience less bad in any way possible.
Raw hides: Many raw hides, especially those offered in bulk, are sourced from emerging nations and are poor quality. Because they are imported as animal feed, the threshold for contaminants is far higher while the likelihood of inspection is far lower than products for people. They’re also a choking and blockage hazard. We avoid these.
Human fast food / junk food: People like to “spoil” their dogs with a trip to their neighborhood fast food establishment. While we love the idea of removing the distance between human food and dog food, this goes too far. We might as well let the pups drink tequila and prosecco rather than Pawquila and Pawsecco. Or how about a ciggy? lol.
There are so many treats that your dog will love that are also great for them. Most are available at your favorite grocery store. A friendly reminder, if you end up feeding a lot of treats you will want to reduce their normal food intake. Dog food makers list feeding guidelines as total caloric intake, so it’s easy for them to get too much food.
That’s it for this week.
All the best,
Joelle and R.A.