Healthy dog treats are meat based NOT vegetables or grain let’s see why.

The previous blog on this site was part 1 of 3 that reviews a high ranking healthy dog treat article you can find on the net. The first blog found that the top of their list  had one food that was possibly healthy for a DOG. This is the second in the set of reviews, and sees that NONE of the three offerings are of much value to your dog. And if it is low value, it is not really healthy, it is filler.

The single food items they talk about are NOT poisonous (well except for the seeds of one of the fruits), but they are just of little value except for the carbs they supply. if your dog is on a commercial diet they will already have sufficient vitamins and minerals added to the grain. And plenty of carbs – even though dogs dont need carbs at all !

The article we are looking at recommends Pumpkin for your dog.   They say “This bright orange veggie is rich in carotenoids, beta-carotene, alphacarotene, fiber, zinc, iron, vitamin A, and potassium.”  Again, meats have many of the vitamins and minerals naturally in them. If meat doesn’t have a large amount of a certain vitamin or anti-oxidant – there body is most likely more efficient at using what it gets than a humans/ omnivores, or it doesn’t need it. Just because an advert or a science paper about human physiology makes headlines for a given nutrient, it doesn’t mean that it is automatically necessary/ or as important for all other species.

And if you feed your dog commercial dog food, it is stacked full of plenty of mostly artificial vitamins and minerals to meet the aafco requirement for dog food.  PUMPKIN, like cabbage or potato is used by commercial dog food companies as filler when they want to market their dog food as NO GRAIN dog food. They will then put up to 70% of a veggie filler rather than a grain filler into your dog food. Sure it isn’t grain, but it is carbs, and dogs don’t need carbs (sugars).

Apples  – They say ” Lots of dogs love sweet, crispy apple slices—which is great as apples contain calcium, vitamin K, vitamin C, and pectin (soluble fibre).

I have heard about some working dogs in orchids loving apples that have fallen off the treat, very ripe and sometimes fermenting apples.  The dogs are responding to a universal animal attraction to sugar here. Which is why some dog food brands add lots of sugar to their commercial dog food.

Sugar can provide energy to your dog, but dogs in the wild naturally get their energy from meat (from the protein and the fats) – they don’t consume fruits and vegetables to get to the sugars (carbs) as these are just mostly filler for a dog who really needs meat protein to provide energy, building blocks for muscle and cell maintenance and growth (essential bioavailable amino acids).

If your dog needs fibre then yes apples could provide that, but any energy they gain from the apple sugar or any other fruit sugar means that you have to feed them less meat or offal that they really should be eating. THAT is the problem with feeding dog’s fruits.

Consider that if you are like 97% of people and you mainly feed your dog a commercial dog food, and perhaps a supermarket dog treat, you are feeding your dog 70% plus grain already that they are using to get their energy from (the carbs). They can’t use the protein from plants as readily as from meat (because they have a carnivore digestive system from the wolf).

SO why on god’s green earth, would you give a dog that is over loaded with filler grain and carbs, more carbs in their diet?

If a dog has a hankering for an apple or any fruit, it is usually one that is fed on a grain diet and bored and doesn’t know better. It is just enjoying the sweet sugar at the expense of kilojoules that it should be getting from meat.

This is the best bit from the apple suggestion ” Remove the core and seeds, though; apple seeds and stems contain cyanogenic glycosides“.

OK you will find that NO part of the animal that a dog or wolf kills in the wild for food is poisonous to it.  Perhaps if a “food” contains something that is poisonous to your dog, you should consider perhaps it is not meant to be a healthy dog treat??

Quinoa  THEY SAY ” This ancient grain has received a lot of buzz as of late, and with good reason. It’s great for dog’s with grain sensitivities and, like brown rice, is a good stomach settler. -”

You might also know that its marketed as a super food for human hipsters in Australia to consume at a high price and so they have something to talk to their friends about. Ancient or not, dogs would never consume this naturally in the wild.  If your human diet is devoid of some magical chemical that quinoa can provide, by all means eat it. DONT feed this to your dog, it gets plenty of grain in its commercial dog food.

And most dogs are not allergic to meats (only tested by a proper administered elimination diet). So a dog should not be sensitive to raw meats, cooked meats or meat based dog treats like our store sells. So it won’t have a sensitive stomach that an ancient grain needs to settle. Dont over think this, feed your dog meat… via healthy meat based dog treats if you have to  …