As a dog owner, I love giving special treats to my dog. Apart from feeding him with Multifunctional Dog Chews; when training him, or just on a special day, I like to reward him with yummy treats. One day I decided to look at the common ingredients in commercial treats at the supermarket, and I got scared. There were no pronounceable ingredients in there! That’s when I decided it was time to change to homemade dog treats.
Dogs’ nutritional needs
First things first, before thinking about treats, you need to make sure all your dog’s nutritional needs are covered.
Dogs are omnivores animals who need a certain amount of energy to perform their everyday activities. Therefore, it’s important to establish the nutrients they need to stay healthy. The necessary amounts and right balance of their nutritional requirements depend on different factors, like age, health, and size. The vital nutrients every dog needs to incorporate are:
- Minerals: Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorous, Sodium, Potassium, and Iron.
- Vitamins: A, D, E, K, among others.
- Amino acids (from protein).
- Fatty acids (from fat).
These nutrients help your dog keep an active immune system, enhance muscle and bone growth, and promote healthy skin and coat. These requirements can be all covered with Mokai’s Daily-Multi Vitamins, and Omega-3 Fatty acids.
And what about homemade dog treats?
Once you know for certain all your dog’s nutritional needs are covered, you can focus on homemade dog treats. Even though specialists don't recommend dogs to have a 100% human food diet, some foods can provide a lot of benefits for them, so we can use them as treats. Our dogs love human food, so we can delight them with these healthy and safe snacks:
- Peanut butter
- Carrot
- Pumpkin
- Eggs
- Cooked chicken
- Apple
- Banana
Always include one new snack at a time and in a piecemeal approach. This way, you’ll make sure your dog is digesting it well and this new treat is causing no harm. Also, remember that not all human food is safe for dogs. You can read more about toxic foods for dogs here.
‘There’s no accounting for taste’ meaning your dog may love or hate these new treats. It’s all about trial and error, before finding out what are his favorite snacks to spoil him as he deserves :)
