Are all dog treats created equal?
Who doesn’t like rewarding their pooch with a special treat? We love our dogs and want to give them the very best in life. This often includes store-bought treats. But, did you know that not all dog treats are created equal? There are healthy treats and not-so-healthy treats on the market. Some treats are downright harmful to your pet.
Let’s start with how to choose healthy treat options. A healthy treat for your dog should contain all-natural ingredients. If you want to take it a step further make sure that the ingredients are organic. Treats shouldn’t contain harmful chemicals, food dyes, or unnatural preservatives. If you want to take it another step in the right direction try making homemade dog treats. Making homemade treats is a lot more simple than you think. For example, if you have some whole wheat flour, peanut butter, pumpkin, and eggs on hand you can easily find a recipe for homemade dog cookies on the internet.
I used to purchase most of my dog treats for my Shih Tzus from the store or online. Recently, I had a scare where my dogs became sick after consuming chicken Jerky that I purchased from our local store. The Jerky had very few ingredients so I thought it was fine. Unfortunately, after eating the jerky treats my dogs became ill. They were vomiting and having episodes of diarrhea. This went on for a few days until I noticed the correlation between feeding the treats and the ill effects. Fortunately, once I took the jerky away my dogs got better.
Jerky treats are a hot topic of debate these days. Many dogs, especially small breed dogs may experience ill effects after eating jerky treats. Jerky treats that are made in China are of special concern. There have been reports of dogs that ate jerky made in China developing a syndrome similar to Fanconi Syndrome. Fanconi Syndrome is a rare disease that leads to kidney disease in dogs. Most dogs recover after the jerky treats are removed from the dog’s diet. Unfortunately, some dogs have died as a result of jerky poisoning.
Some of the other ill effects that dogs may suffer after eating tainted jerky include:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Lethargy
- Excessive thirst
- Frequent Urination
- Kidney failure
If your dog is a jerky fan like my Shih Tzus there is a solution. Buy a food dehydrator and make your jerky for your pet. Making jerky is a relatively simple procedure. Furthermore, you have control over what ingredients go into the jerky. I recently started making jerky for my dogs. I include one ingredient in my homemade jerky and that is meat. It isn’t necessary to add anything else to the treat.
If you have a busy lifestyle and homemade treats aren’t an option please consider buying treats that are not jerky-based. If you must buy jerky for your pet make it an occasional treat. Furthermore, the jerky should come from meat that is sourced and made in the U.S.A. This goes for dog food as well. To learn more about healthy dog food options check out my blog post by clicking here.
All in all, you must feed healthy treats to your dog. Your dog can suffer ill health if he or she eats unhealthy treats frequently. It is simple to make homemade treats for your pet if time allows. On the other hand, there are safe treat options on the market. I adore the Vital Essentials treat line! Just make sure to do your homework and educate yourself on what companies have your dog’s best interest at heart. Our dogs depend on us to make decisions for them since they have no voice.
