Do you have a loving pooch that you wish to treat? Has your dog been a good boy and now it’s time to feed him some extra love to show him how much you appreciate him?

More and more pet owners nowadays are becoming conscious of the direct role that diet plays in their animal’s overall health and quality of life. Because animal owners are starting to become more conscious as to what they are feeding their animals daily, manufacturers and brands have begun to change their processes.

puppy teething image icon

Image via Flaticon

Organic and natural ingredients have begun to revolutionize the dog treat industry, so that dogs can eat their treats.

Don’t sabotage your dog’s diet by over-feeding them treats that are unhealthy, unneeded and unnecessary when you are trying to treat your pooch.

Instead learn the right way to treat your dog, by finding and feeding them the correct products from the best pet-loving brands.

How We Chose Our Ratings

scale-question-importance-balance

Image via Pixabay

The list below and the ratings attached to the items all stem from research and customer verified feedback over specific products and items. Each item has been well-researched and has been deemed a healthy option when trying to provide your pup with a treat.

We hope that this guide serves as a good reference-point to keep in mind when looking for new treat options for your special furry friend. Each formula has been puppy-proven to increase happiness and overall health.

Heck, these are the treats that I am going to trust to treat my own personal dog when I feel like giving him a well-earned treat. I hope you find this list as handy as I did when I was creating it!

Product

Image

Rating

Check Price

Stella & Chewy’s Carnivore Crunch Beef Recipe

Rocco & Roxie Supply Co Jerky Sticks for Dogs

Zuke’s Mini Naturals Healthy Moist Training Treats

Newman’s Own Organic Premium Dog Treats

Greenies Dental Dog Treats and Dog Chews

ACANA Lamb & Apple Singles Formula Dog Treats

Plato Original Duck Dog Treats

Best Healthy Dog Treats

Each brand listed below is highly reputable and suggested, when looking to treat your dog while also staying health conscious.

Stella & Chewy’s Carnivore Crunch Beef Recipe

As a freeze-dried treat, this treat is the closest you’ll get to giving your pooch real meat, unless you want to heat up the grill yourself. Being freeze-dried also means this treat is less processed than others, which can help your pup into skipping those unnecessary carbs, salts and sweeteners.

 This treat is also made of only three things: meat, organs and bone. While many single-ingredient treats will surely get your pooch excited, they just don’t quite pack the nutrients that bones and organs do.

Although it is low in calorie and a healthy option for your dog, Stella & Chewy’s Carnivore Crunch Beef Recipe is just a bit pricey, going at $10 for a 3.25-ounce bag. The treat itself is also flakier than your normal treats, so you may have to watch for those crumbs!

Quality

Check Price

Rating

$$

Rocco & Roxie Supply Co Jerky Sticks for Dogs

USDA organic certified treats, Rocco & Roxie Supply Co Jerky Sticks for Dogs is guaranteed to leave both you and your pooch satisfied. This company designs their jerky sticks with high-quality beef, chicken or turkey, slow-smokes them for fifteen hours, and totally avoids artificial preservatives such as corn, wheat, or soy.

 Like Stella & Chewy’s treats, these jerky sticks are also relatively pricey—but many pet owners will argue that the price is worth the reaction from the dog. Not only that, but this treat doesn’t leave that usual greasy stink on your fingers. Your dog will love the smell, and so will you.

Quality

Check Price

Rating

$$

Zuke’s Mini Naturals Healthy Moist Training Treats

Striving to offer guaranteed satisfaction, Zuke’s Mini Naturals are available in many flavors, such as duck, chicken, peanut butter, pork, salmon, wild rabbit, sea food, exotic, and even a variety pack.

These convenient and tantamount treats are perfect for training your pooch, since they are small and running at only three calories each. Zuke’s Mini Natural Treats are affordable and plentiful—only $5 for a six-ounce bag!

 With all the pros to keep in mind, there is a con to consider with these delicious peanut butter suckers. They are more heavily-processed, and not as natural as freeze-dried treats may be.

Quality

Check Price

Rating

$$

Newman’s Own Organic Premium Dog Treats

These organic and heart-shaped treats are the perfect sign of affection for your little four-legged loved one. Available in various sizes and flavors, you can find these premium dog treats made of Turkey and Sweet Potato, Salmon and Sweet Potato, Peanut Butter, Chicken, or Cheese.

They contain no wheat, corn or soy, and are 70% organic, with a large portion of their profits going to charity. They are also sensitive to dogs with digestive issues, so they’re safe for your pup with a soft tummy!

Quality

Check Price

Rating

$$

Greenies Dental Dog Treats and Dog Chews

The #1 veterinarian-recommended dental chew today, Greenies Dental Tog Treats are doctor-approved to leave your pup with a fresh smile. These dog chews help your dog to fight tartar, plaque and bad breath, while also adding those nutritious vitamins and minerals to their diet.

Although a little expensive, many owners who purchased these treats felt the price was justified, considering what good it did for their pooch.Despite all the wonderful reviews, I feel obligated to report that there has been recorded proof of these bags being sent out while infested with white worms.

Call the manufacturer first and be sure to inspect the entire bag before feeding them to your pup.

Quality

Check Price

Rating

$$

Plato Original Duck Dog Treats

Carrying a five-star rating, the main ingredient for this recipe is—you guessed it, lamb. These, too, are a freeze-dried treat, made to preserve the nutrients and retain natural flavors. The apples provide a dietary fiber that’s great for most dogs, and the sarsaparilla root offers healthy digestion.

Quality

Check Price

Rating

$$

ACANA Lamb & Apple Singles Formula Dog Treats

The best alternative to standard meat such as chicken or beef, duck is great for dogs who react poorly to other meats. This all-natural and all-organic treat has virtually no smell, unlike those fish-based treats, which are perfect for surprise rewards or training from the pocket.

This brand is also designed for dogs with allergies or other disorders, which has brought relief to many pet parents.

Quality

Check Price

Rating

$

Buyers Guide to Purchasing Healthy Dog Treats

The rule of thumb is that treats and snacks distributed to your dog during the day should only contribute to a total of 10% of your dog’s entire daily intake. It’s important to be cautious and aware as to how many side snacks your pup is getting because they add up fast.

Veterinarians suggest that instead of giving your dog multiple treats at a time during a given task that you instead just give them one single treat at a time.A great way to save money, and also help to ensure your pup stays in tip top shape and condition is to get them to start liking other types of treats.

You see, dog treats don’t just have to come from the pet store. Dogs are able to eat many human foods and can therefore. You can skip purchasing the store-bought snacks all together just feed your dog the fruits and vegetables that you can (at least should) be able to find in your pantry.

Carrots, broccoli and green beans have virtually no calories and dog love them. They are completely safe to feed your pooch, and so long as your treat them with the same extent and present it to them just like a treat your cute little fur babies won’t even know the difference.

Dogs basically can have most foods, so you can be pretty creative with that option if high would like.

tan-and-black-yorkshire-terrier

Image via Pexels

Fruits are also a great snack alternative for your pooch as dogs love berries, banana, watermelon and apples (without the seed of course). 

You always want to make sure to keep toxic foods away from your dog’s such as grapes, raisins, chocolate, onions and anything that contains caffeine in it.Plain rice cakes and air popped popcorn with no butter and salt is an also great option when looking for a quick low-cal snack for your pup.

 Whichever treat you decide to go with, just make sure that the option will be somewhat soft on your dog’s teeth. You don’t want to feed them anything that is too hard or rough, such as antlers, hooves and bones from other animals.

The rule to test if something is too hard for your pooch or not is to press your thumbnail into it, and if no mark at all is made then the object is too hard for your dog. The FDA has already warned dog owners over the dangers of bone treats and other hard chews, because they can cause choking hazards and damage the dog’s teeth.

 So all in all, if you want to forgo an expensive vet bill, extra teeth care and the possibility of fatally injuring your animal then I would suggest sticking to softer dog treats. Heck, they even have treats specifically designed with the dog’s dental health and tooth strength in mind if you want to be extra safe.

Healthy Dog Treats Are Pet-Approved

So as one can see, finding the right dog treat can be a tough decision, but doesn’t have to be. With the endless varieties both online and in-stores, you’ll always be able to feed your pup the wet stuff.

 Remember, you want to always go with highly-rated dog treat brands, that only contain high-quality ingredients. You want their food to contain a lot of valuable meat protein, while by-going other unhealthy-fillers such as wheat, corn and other animal by-products.

You want to always pick brands that go with USDA certified ingredients, because they are regulated through the US laws inspecting both the company and their goods and holding them accountable to a strict-level of high standards.

Some studies have even come out stating that store-bought healthy treats are actually better for your animals because they contain such high and concentrated levels to nutrients that are not as easily attainable with homemade pet-goods.

Today, we are going to discuss in great detail how a pet owner can and should go about picking some healthy treats for their fur baby.

animal-animal-photography-close-up-cute

Image via Pexels

Tips, tricks and advice from certified veterinarians have been considered when developing the information within this article.

There are two main things that dog owners want to keep in mind when trying to pick that perfect healthy dog treats and that is the amount of calories and the specific ingredients. Just like people, dogs can be overfed and become obese. Thus owners want to make sure that those tasty treats that disappear within a few seconds are not contributing to a much bigger problem down the line.

Healthy dog treats need to have a large amount of quality ingredients and have a semi-low caloric content. It’s so easy to begin to over-feed your animal on the seldom treats here and there that you are feeding them. Just make sure to stay aware, and keep healthy treats on hand so that when you do feed them the outcome isn’t so bad because it doesn’t pose as many health risks.

There are even some treats out there that contain as little as 2-3 calories per treat. This might be a great option for that somewhat overweight pooch. The cool thing about treats is that no matter the amount of calories, your pup will still see the experience all the same getting just as excited as ever.

 However, with this golden-nugget of knowledge in mind, I still caution you all to double-check the brands that you are going to treat your dogs with because there have been some faulty companies out there lying about the nutritional value of their products and the quality of their ingredients.

Healthy Dog Treats Equal Healthy Dogs

woman-carrying-adult-fawn-dog

Image via Pexels

Treating and rewarding your dog is natural, and a sign that you are a great dog owner. However, you want to make sure that you are looking out for your animals overall well-being and health in the long run while doing that.

Healthy dog treats provide a happy, best-of-both-worlds, alternative so that both you and your pooch can be happy. By choosing from one of the above listed reputable healthy dog treat brands, I can assure your dog will be as happy as can be.

Which healthy dog treat brand do you want your pup to try out? Let us know if you end up taking our suggestions, as we would love to hear from you!

Featured Image via Pexels

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This