We know the irresistible look our pets give us—the wide eyes, the swishing tail, the eager anticipation of treats. It’s hard to resist giving your pet a treat—or two—but how can you do it in a healthy way? Understanding ingredients and portion sizes is essential when offering healthy treats for dogs and healthy treats for cats.
When it comes to how to choose dog treats, size and ingredients matter. Opt for small, bite-sized treats, or break larger cookies into smaller pieces—not only will the jumbo cookie last longer, helping your pocketbook, but you’ll also help keep your dog’s waistline trim!
You may be amazed at how much your dog likes fruits or veggies that you may already have on hand, like sweet potatoes, carrots, apple slices or cucumber chunks. Just be sure to avoid foods that are toxic to dogs, like onions, garlic or chocolate. Avoid store-bought treats that contain artificial colors, flavors or fillers, which provide little to no nutritional value.
Monitoring how many treats you give your dog is important, especially considering how many calories are in dog treats. Surprisingly, a single dog biscuit for a medium-sized dog is like a person eating a whole hamburger! To avoid unwanted weight gain, treats should make up no more than 10% of your dog’s daily caloric intake—which may mean only one to two small treats per day.
For kittens and young cats, it's important to introduce a variety of treats with different textures and flavors. This is also a good time to introduce your cat to pill pockets—without a pill inside—so your cat may be more willing to accept them later.
Many cats also like the water from water-packed tuna and the broth from soups, but avoid onion soup.
The amount of calories in cat treats varies by brand, averaging about 2 calories per treat. As with dogs, cat treats shouldn’t make up more than 10% of your cat’s daily caloric intake—and 5% is even better. The total daily caloric intake for an average 10-pound cat is about 275 calories.
When treats wiggle their way into the daily routine, they become normalized and habitual. Reserve high-calorie treats for special occasions to spare your pet the extra pounds. Instead, indulge your pet with an extra-long snuggle, an afternoon at the dog park or a trip to your local pet store—your pet may even be happy with pieces of their regular kibble as a reward.
When you're training your pet to obey commands or do tricks, reward them with their favorite treat as positive reinforcement! Once your pet successfully responds to a command, you can cut down on calories by offering them a belly rub, their favorite toy or a lower-calorie treat as an alternative reward.
Giving your pet treats is a wonderful way to bond, but it’s important to do so wisely. By carefully selecting healthy treats for dogs and cats, paying attention to calorie counts, and choosing safe cat treats and dog treats, you can help keep your pets happy and healthy. Always remember, moderation is key!
Check out this article for some ideas on treats to skip and treats to share with your pet! >>
