Choosing the Right Dog Organic Treat
Confused by all of the dog organic treat products on the market? It’s understandable, considering there are literally hundreds of options.
Here’s a quick checklist to help you pick the right organic treat for your pooch, then further down the page we'll go through the different types and specific dog treat recommendations...
- Read the dog food label – natural and organic dog treats and cookies have many advantages over most commercial dog treats and even over those labeled “all natural.” However, even organic products identified as a “snack” or a “treat” are not required to include an AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement, which is why you should...
- Limit dog treats and cookies to no more than 10% of their diet – while you can find a dog organic treat that is nutritionally adequate, many are just what they claim to be: a treat. Treats are a great training aid, but don’t fill your dog’s belly with too much.
- Seek out products with no preservatives, additives, artificial colors or artificial flavors and made with USDA-sourced ingredients.
- If dental hygiene is your goal, consider an organic treat with the Veterinary Oral Health Council's (VOHC) logo – organic dog treats and cookies can be a great help towards proper dog dental hygiene. The VOHC has developed a protocol for dog treat manufacturers to follow to ensure that their products effectively reduce plaque and tartar.
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Greenies Smart-Treats is our
top choice from the VOHC's list.
Click here for the rest of the VOHC-Accepted products. |
By the way, any product claiming to treat or prevent gingivitis is breaking the rules. This is technically considered a drug claim and therefore is not supposed to appear on the label.
Dog Organic Treat Types & Recommendations
After running through the above checklist, you are ready to choose the type of dog treats that suits your fancy.
Here are the various types along with some healthy choices that your dog will love...
Biscuits – these little things are everywhere and come in all shapes and sizes.
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Bones – raw bones can be a healthy and nutritious treat, but they should never be cooked. Cooked bones can break easily, and a broken bone’s shards can injure your dog.
Chews – great for teeth cleaning and jaw strengthening.
Note... Our dogs love Merrick's Flossies more than life itself and plow through them faster than we can blink, so don't expect one package to last too long... you've been warned!
Tendons – another great one for the teeth!
Homemade Dog Food Recipes – while many treats on the market do the job for you, you know exactly what your dog is eating if you make the treats yourself.
Other options include hooves, sausages, rawhides, ears and fillets.
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Taylor Tips!My absolute FAVORITE kinds of dog treats are the curly tendon kind. Normally I’m all about getting attention from my family. But when I’ve been a good dog and earn one of these, I can be happy on my own for hours! |
Have a specific question about your dogs or the treats you feed them?
Click here to ask our holistic veterinarians via My Online Vet.
You can also click here to review the dog food related questions asked by other visitors.
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