Last Updated on March 15, 2022 by Dogs Vets
4 Tips For Choosing The Best Treats For Your Dog
As pet parents, it’s normal and right to show a dog how special they are with healthy dog treats. Fortunately, there are many tasty and healthy nutritious treats you can choose from. But how do you know the right, healthy treat for your furry friend?
Needless to say, the right treat should be nutritious and match your dog’s preferences. Are there other factors you need to consider? Read along for more information on tips for choosing the best treats for your dog.
1. Remember Your Pet’s Health History
If your dog has a medical history, ensure to consult your vet for advice on which kind of treat is best for your dog.
Like humans, dogs also have food restrictions depending on their existing health condition and can experience allergies after using certain ingredients.
Consulting the vet before purchasing any treat for your dog is helpful since you’ll be aware of what to feed and avoid buying toxic foods for your dog.
2. Buy Age-Appropriate Treats
Since healthy dog treats possess nutritional value, it’s essential to consider your dog’s age while choosing treats. This is because older dogs’ nutritional requirements might differ from younger ones.
Additionally, different treats come in different sizes and shapes to suit various dog ages and sizes. For instance, a healthy treat for a large dog may not be suitable for a small puppy. Therefore, remember to consider your dog’s age when choosing its treats.
3. Consider The Treat’s Texture
When choosing a dog’s treat, it would be better to go for treats that are a bit harder to help reduce tartar and plaque to improve their oral health, and softening tartar and plaque on your dog’s teeth.
Hard and long-lasting goodies will ensure that the dog spends quite some time gnawing at it, leading to tooth scraping. However, for a senior dog, it’s best to provide softer treats due to its aging teeth.
Additionally, when your dog is engaged for an extended period, you’ll have enough time to finish your chores and attend to them later.
4. Pick Treats With The Right Ingredients
Ingredients should come first when choosing the best treats for your dog. Since treats impact your dog’s nutrition, choosing natural treats is advisable. Do note that treats with minimal ingredients are the best for your dog since they don’t contain additives.
Moreover, go for treats with protein over the ones with excess fats and sugars to avoid your pet gaining lots of weight.
As far as treats’ ingredients are concerned, it’s essential to take note of the following aspects:
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Source of Ingredients
While most treat brands label their products as natural, they never mention the source of their ingredients.
However, it’s essential to know the source of the components of the treats you’re providing for your dog to ensure better health.
If the label on the treat you’ve chosen doesn’t bear the source of the ingredients, ensure to check on their website for more information.
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Quality of the Ingredient
Even if the treat of your choice is natural, it doesn’t mean it can’t harm the dog. For instance, foods like onions and raisins are natural but toxic to your pet. Therefore, you should do thorough research to understand if the quality of the treat is suitable for your dog or not.
Additionally, you should know the fat and calorie content in the preferred treats before purchasing or giving them to your furry friend.
Remember, treats should never be the cause of your dog’s health issues.
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Quantity Of Ingredients
The number of ingredients in your dog’s treat isn’t an issue as long as they offer nutritional benefits. But most commercial treats available contain lots of unwanted fillers, preservatives, colors, and artificial flavors that might affect your dog’s health.
Therefore, it’s important to go for treats with fewer ingredients to avoid health challenges for your dog. Additionally, if your dog is allergic to some ingredients or has a sensitive stomach, it’s best to go for a treat with a single ingredient.
Why Should You Give Your Dog A Treat?
Giving your dog treats is a way of showing them love and care. It can also be for other reasons such as:
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Preventing destructive behavior:
Have you ever seen your dog shredding a cushion or bedsheet beyond repair? You must have been worried! To avoid such behaviors, try giving your dog treats. They will not only make him busy, but they will help prevent destructive behavior.
When dogs are bored, they tend to bark for no reason, chew household items, or even self-harm, especially when they’re alone. Provide your dog with treats, and rest assured that no one’s destroying your home in your absence.
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Training
Most dog owners use treats as a reward for training. Training a dog with treats makes the session extra enjoyable and might lead to your dog taking an interest in it.
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Nutrition Boost
Though most people don’t know about this, healthy dog treats are a good source of nutrients. If you have a sick, recovering, underweight dog, treats can help maintain mass and increase the levels of nutrition they need. Also, healthy treats can help puppies with growth spurt during the transition period.
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Affection
You don’t have to give your dog a treat only as a part of training or to prevent destructive behaviors. You can also provide a dog with a treat as a token of gratitude. Your dog is also a member of your family and needs to be shown affection as you would do with fellow family members.
Conclusion
While dog treats come in various types, sizes, and shapes, it’s essential to choose the right ones for your dog. As with humans, dogs too have their food preferences and can experience allergic reactions to some ingredients.
It’s therefore important to know the elements of the treat you’re giving your dog to avoid health issues.
It’s also essential to consider your dog’s age and health when purchasing treats. Before buying any treat for your dog, ensure to consult a reputable veterinarian for more advice on the right kind of treat that’s suitable for your furry friend.
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