Those Treats Taste Good, but…….

  Posted on December 17, 2010  by Joy of Living  No comments

Earlier this week I gave a presentation on pet nutrition using an “eat this, not that” approach but modified it slightly to “feed this, not that.”  Many pet owners like to give their pets treats, but they don’t realize they may be hurting their cat or dog. There are tons of pet treats available for dogs and cats that taste good but have no nutritional value at all.  They’re comparable to junk food for us; good tasting, economical, but nutritionally poor.

To illustrate my point I had a member of the audience read the list of ingredients for a well-known dog treat.  He began reading (listed in order of appearance on package):  Ground wheat, corn gluten meal, wheat flour, ground yellow corn, water, sugar, glycerin, soybean meal, I had him stop there even though the list of less than optimal ingredients went on……………and on.

Many of the people in the group were totally unaware of just how bad the treats are they are feeding their pets.  A lot of focus is placed on food, but people also give treats to pets quite regularly without giving much thought to what’s in them.

If you’re planning to give your pet prepackaged treats for their Christmas gift, check the ingredients before you buy them.  There are many treats on the market that look pretty and taste good to your pet, but aren’t good for his body.  Look for all meat/fish or all vegetable treats like freeze dried salmon or sweet potatoes. Another option is doing like I did this year and make your own pet treats.

There are many healthy treat recipes available in pet cookbooks or online.  They often don’t have many ingredients and don’t take a lot of prep time.  By making your pet’s treats, you’ll know the ingredients that went into them and your pet will love you for your effort!