This is the second article exploring America’s most recent Google DOG TREAT search related trends.
As its for the months Oct, Nov and December 2018 you might expect some holiday searches, or presents, but not so.
One of the more curious things about this list is unlike the previous three months, this list was saturated with individual dog food companies.
Looks like their expensive branding was paying dividends.
Where we have touched on these trends in the previous article, we will only briefly go over them here, and again we separate out the searches into two main dog treat categories. Specific FOODS and dietary related terms
DOG TREAT food trends America
Apple sauce
It looks like this trend that started in September peaked in October in America and was even used in December. Just say no. If its not meat. Its a HUMAN treat.
Butter
Became a dog treat related search trend and usually people search for these kinds for human foods to see if they are harmful to their dogs.
Butter is a dairy product, and whilst most dogs are not allergic to dairy, some can be a little lactose intolerant. Butter is rich in saturated fats, so while there is no good reason to purposeful feed your dog butter, it also easily causes dog weight gain.
LIVER
Just like in July, Liver once gain topped the list in December. Yes it is a great nutrient provider and one offal we recommend to all dog owners (*unless they are on a low fat diet that precludes any treat with above 4% fat). The only down side from too much beef liver is loose stools, so if you have not used it for training your dog or daily recall in an off lead dog park, introduce it slowly.
And yes we have Kangaroo and Chicken liver now too.
HIDE – Skin
Animal hide is part of all animals. Ears like pigs ears are almost all hide and provide long chewing treats. The bad news recently about cow raw hide is that some unscrupulous manufacturers were gluing together off-cuts of basically poor quality leather, and calling it a dog treat.
Added chemicals and glue make it less than a quality treat. If you trust the manufacture fine, but we suggest that there are other quality meat based chews you can look at.
OTHER dog treat topics
Hypoallergenic
About 5% of dogs have allergies that make them either itch or have digestion problems or worse. If your dog has a food allergy (one of the more rare allergies compared with parasites and environment allergies) and it is properly diagnosed with a skin tests and an exclusion diet, then you will know what to keep clear from.
Otherwise if you are just guessing or even worse, if your dog has no known allergies, then you are only paying for the hype. Sure some hypoallergenic food has less additives in it, but they usually have the same amount of grain, and inadequate levels of meat. This means that unless you have a diagnosed dog allergy, you are usually paying a premium for no reason. Put that money towards animal based dog treats.
Calmness
Many dogs suffer from anxieties. If you are unable to walk them off lead to socialise them regularly very little besides medication or expensive dog behaviourists are likely to help change it. You should also note that many of our clients tell us that additives and colourings used in most of the dog food industry are the cause of their dogs hyperactivity, and that is why they are seeking our 100% meat (just dried meat) dog treats.
tooth brush
If you dont feed your dogs a raw meat diet, or meat based jerkies and bones, chances are that their teeth are getting more plaque than is healthy, and a vet will suggest brushing your dogs teeth or taking them in for a regular expensive clean under anaesthetic.
Digestion and Pet food
The carnivore digestive system starts with sharp ripping teeth, low amylase in their mouth, high acid stomach and short intestine to expel potential high toxin waste fast. This is what your dog has.
Pet food is a catch all phrase for ALL types of foods for all types of pets. If you buy dog treats from a pet food store, one that also sells rabbit and fish food. They won’t blink an eye at selling your a bag of grain for your carnivore dog to eat. Their assistants are just doing their day job, making a wage, its not about your dog. And when many vet offices are full of premium ‘dog food’ brands, packed full of grain or vegetables, it makes it hard for the average person to understand why a dog needs meat at all.
But if you want some of the technical detail you can review our recent article on food proteins, and why even the low level set by affco, requires a minimum level of meat.
Dog Training
Clearly there are more dog owners out there, than professional dog trainers. But any owner who is looking to train their dog for recall or wants recall in an exciting dog park you want the most exciting (NATURAL AND MEAT BASED DOG TREATS) to bring your dog back, right?
