FEEDING TREATS


      First before feeding many treats make sure that their calorie count is included in your dog or cats total allotment of calories for the day.  treats are one of the main causes of obesity in our pets. 

     Dogs and cats don't care if their treats come out of a cute, expensive package.  Meat is pretty popular.  so are fruit and small amounts of cheese and other goodies to be found in your refrigerator ( raw almonds, cashews,k and brazil nuts, blueberries, frozen peas - just to name a few.  

     There are many excellent commercial meat-based treats.  Just beware that many really good treats cost more per pound than actual food.  Sometimes the cost is more than $ 15.00 per pound even for grocery store choices.  However, commercial treats are hard to resist, so here are a few guidelines for choosing:

     Read the small print on packages.  Some treats are made from ingredients purchased in China even thou they say Made in Canada or the USA.  Treats made from US or Canadian ingredients are often  safer than those coming from other countries where the pet food industry is less regulated.

     Watch for hidden sources of sugars :  Cane juice, molasses, honey, brown sugar and fructose are only a few possibilities to exclude from your acceptable choices.  

     Buy treats that are made of meat only.  Labels are tricky, so learn the language.  Meat treats with veggies are available, but often include high starch ingredients such as potatoes or yams.  Read labels carefully.

      Don't buy treats with wheat flour, white flour, oat flour, oats, barley, millet, quinoa or basically any grain ingredients.