People love to spoil their dogs, and they often do by giving them treats. However, too many treats, or the wrong type of treats, can add extra pounds on your dog. An overweight dog can lead to many health problems and even shorten his life. The best way to make sure your dog stays healthy is to keep him at the proper weight.
Dogs frequently gain weight from eating table scraps. The occasional pizza crust, piece of a sandwich, or a few fries can put on extra pounds quickly, as can too many high-calorie dog treats. For example, a large Milk Bone has 120 calories (a medium has 40 calories). Some people feed their dog several of these treats every day, so the calories can add up.
I like to give my dogs treats and they love to get them. I put the same amount of effort into examining the ingredients of the treats as I do with their dog food. A common misconception is that the larger the treat, the more your dog will enjoy it, but really, your dog will be happy to get any treat. He will sit, roll over, or do any other tricks for a small treat just the same as for a large treat. In general, I use training size treats for my dogs. I can feel comfortable giving them multiple treats a day without adding on that extra weight.
I recommend Zuke’s Mini Naturals, especially for training purposes. These treats are only 3 calories each. They are available in several flavors: chicken, salmon, peanut butter, and rabbit. Zuke’s Mini Naturals are made in the USA and don’t contain any wheat, corn, or soy.
PureBites are another good-quality treat. They also come in several flavors, including beef, chicken, and whitefish. What I really like about these treats is that there is only one ingredient! The calories vary with the formula, ranging from 7 calories to 12 calories per treat. I seldom give my dogs the whole PureBites treat. I usually break them in half so the calories are even less and the bag lasts longer.
If you want to give treats to your dog, but are trying to cut back on calories, Fromm Low-Fat Treats have only have 1 calorie! The cheese formula seems to be a favorite for my two Siberian Huskies, Lola and Harlen.
There is nothing wrong with giving your dog treats. Just remember to make sure the treats are high-quality and low-calorie so you don’t do more harm than good. If you give your dog treats that are 10 calories or less, you don’t have to feel guilty about giving him several treats a day.
You can find all of these treats and more at Harlo’s Healthy Pets.
