We love giving our pets treats but we also need to monitor several factors in order to keep them healthy.
1. Count calories-Veterinarians usually advise that it's best to find out how much calories specific treats have. Being over weight causes a variety of illnesses and conditions that our pets may suffer later on in life if we are not diligent. For example a 10 lbs dog may only need 450 calories of food a day and some dog treats weigh in a 75 calories each.
2. Be mindful of food humans like to eat that may cause ill effects on your pet like chocolates, walnuts, onions, coffee, grapes, raisins for dogs.
3. Check the label of pets treats and food you buy. If it has an Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) statement on the label so much the better because they verify the ingredient claims and standards of the companies.
Some pet owners may think they are being kind to their pets by giving them a regular treat, but sometimes it can do more harm than good. Regularly treating a pet with food will more easily lead to obesity.
I have heard of dogs developing diabetes, probably from eating too many sugery treats. I don't know if other animals can also become diabetic, but it is advisable only to give a pet the sort of food it would naturally eat, rather than what humans like to eat.
Remember that it only really counts as a treat if it is occasional, rather than a regular addition to a pet's diet, or when it is used as a reward during training.
It is also good to remember most rawhide treats are not safe for dogs to chew on. They often get stuck in the dogs throat, as well as, cause intestinal problems. I had that problem with my dogs so instead I would give them real cooked bones to chew on, like a ham bone or beef bone. The treats that are pieces of real hoof are safe and healthy for dogs to chew. Some types of store-boughten biscuit dog bones are safe, but I got in the habit of making my own to save money and because I wanted to know what was in them.
Good info! I just adopted a chubby kitty from the shelter a few weeks ago, and I'm working with her to try to get her weight down. The vet said she should lose about 5 pounds, which is quite a bit for a cat. I don't know how it is for dog treats, but nowadays, the calories per treat is sometimes shown on packs of cat treats. I love that, because it's easy to figure out how many treats I can fit into the kitty's diet plan. I used to dump out a handful of treats for my previous kitty, but he'd gotten underweight in his old age, so the extra calories were good for him. For the fat cat, not so much. I usually give her about 3 or 4 treats per day. I give them to her in the evening, when I have to put her into a separate room for an hour or two while I let the bird come out and watch TV with us (yes, he likes watching TV). That way, the kitty associates going into the spare room with treats, so she doesn't seem to mind it.
I don't feed my cats any commercial treats. If they get a treat it is usually a scrap of raw meat when I am cooking, they go crazy for it, they play with it for hours, run around, throw it around, so there is no fear of them getting fat from treats!
