Statistics show that more than half of the pets in the United States are overweight. In many of these cases, the weight gain is due to offering a pet too many unhealthy dog or other treats that are high in calories and low on nutritional value.
Even if you exercise your dog every day and feed him or her quality dog food, if the dog treats you give your dog as a reward aren’t healthy, they could be a detriment to its overall condition.
There are several ways to keep your dog healthy and fit. One of them is to select the very best healthy dog treats for those times when a reward is appropriate. You should also limit the number of treats your dog gets each day. Treats should not account for more than 10% of your dog’s daily calorie intake, regardless of his or her exercise and feeding regiment!
When choosing dog treats consider the following to get the very best for your pet. Read the ingredient list and check the nutritional value of the dog treats. Ingredients are listed in order of weight, meaning that the first ingredient will be the single heaviest ingredient in the treats. You should therefore carefully consider the first few ingredients on the list as they make up the higher portion of every individual treat. Whole food ingredients are preferred to by-products (i.e. wheat has a greater nutritional value than wheat flour).
Additionally, local, regional, or sourced ingredients are better than international ones because it means they are fresher and typically do not contain a high level of preservatives or other chemicals used in processing. Ultimately though, your dog will be the one helping you figure out which treat is best through his or her response and their overall health. If you want to improve your dog’s health even further, and improve his or her posture, please check our our raised dog bowls post.
When selecting these top treats – we chose the healthiest and best-tasting dog treats we could find.
Top 6 Healthy Dog Treats – a Selection of the Healthiest and Tastiest Dog Treats
#1 Best Healthy Dog Treats: 100% Natural Whole Pig Ear Dog Treat (Budget)
Pig ears are a great natural healthy dog treat for dogs of any breed. Brutus and Barnaby’s pure pork ears contain no synthetic chemicals, coloring, chemicals or hormones, making them one of the best healthy dog treats on the market.
They are easily digestible and are made up of soft cartilage wrapped in thin skin. This helps ensure that they remain challenging chew treats for your dog that are easy to process while freshening his or her breath. These dog treats are great to help your dog spend pent up energy while providing a safe alternative to natural dog treats that contain bones. Bones might hurt your dog’s mouth, teeth or gums or they can become a choking hazard.
These healthy dog treats retail for $38.99 for a pack of 25, making each pig ear cost you a low $1.66, which is a great deal when compared to individual pig ears being sold in pet stores for anywhere from $1.95 to $3.00. Also, these treats are loaded with bio-absorbable collagen which is essential for your dog’s healthy skin, coat, and nails.
#2 Best Healthy Dog Treats: Healthy Dog Treats Probiotic Jerky (Budget)
These all natural healthy dog treats are made up of chicken and sweet potatoes and feature probiotics supplements that help with gas, digestion and diarrhea. The chewable dog treats are nutrient rich and have a jerky quality to them that your dog will love. These healthy dog treats have an amazing five strains of probiotic bacteria, making them more effective than most other probiotics brands available on the market today.
It also means that they are great for helping your dog with digestion. The company also offers a satisfaction guarantee on these healthy dog treats and will send your money back if you or your dog are unhappy with their product.
These treats retail at $23.95 for a 6 ounce bag (or about 50 treats) which, for an all-natural healthy dog treat, is a very good price compared to the other options.
#3 Best Healthy Dog Treats: GREENIES Original Regular Size Dog Dental Chews Dog Treats (Budget)
The Greenies Original Dog Dental Chews Dog Treats are great for dogs of all breeds and sizes. Their unique texture helps get in between teeth to remove tartar and to massage gums, making it the ideal treat to both praise your dog and maintain his or her dental hygiene.
Removing plaque and tartar accumulation for a dog is an important part of dental hygiene, and also helps with strong dog breath odor. It does wonders on your dog’s breath in fact, making those bonding moments even more enjoyable.
These healthy dog treats are made with all natural ingredients that are easy to digest. They are also well rounded dog treats, nutritionally speaking. A 54-ounce double pack of Greenies retails for $45.30, which makes each individual stick come out to roughly 0.88 dollars a-piece, making this deal not only healthy but also more than affordable.
#4 Best Healthy Dog Treats: Rocco & Roxie Gourmet Jerky Dog Treats (Premium)
Rocco & Roxie Gourmet Jerky Dog Treats are all natural and contain only premium meats with no artificial flavoring or fillers, such as corn, soy or gluten.
Rocco & Roxie Gourmet Jerky Dog Treats offer some of the best healthy dog treats on the market. They are smoked for a full ten hours to develop a soft, chewy dog treat that is sure to please your dog and provide a great mental and physical workout.
Because these dog treats contain no artificial enhanced ingredients, they do not leave greasy or smelly residue on your hands or on your floors. They are great motivators that can be successfully used in training sessions or just to reward your pet or satisfy their hunger. Rocco and Roxie also offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee in the event that your dog doesn’t like their treats. They will provide a full refund or exchange. A 16-ounce bag of their chicken flavored healthy dog treats retails for $24.97. This means that an ounce runs about $1.56 apiece – a great deal for such a delicious and healthy product.
#5 Best Healthy Dog Treats: Milk-Bone Pill Pouches (Premium)
Giving your dog medication has never been easier with Milk Bone’s Pill Pouches healthy dog treats. These special treats have a hollow center into which you can put your dog’s pill. They are also soft enough that you can bury the medication in the treat and fool your dog into eating it. Milk Bone’s Pill Pouches are even great treats without medication as they are made from all natural ingredients with no by-products, meal or artificial flavors.
When used to mask medicine, though, the great taste helps bury the medication flavor and is a favorite with dogs of all sizes and breeds.
A pack of 5 different 25 pack treat bags retail for $47.90, which means that each treat comes to a cost of roughly $0.38 apiece. This price is a bit higher than other healthy dog treats considering the size of each individual unit, but is well worth it considering that these dog treats serve two purposes, an easier method of giving your dog medication and healthy, flavorful treats.
#6 Best Healthy Dog Treats: Loving Pets Pure Buffalo Beef Jerky (Premium)
Loving Pets Pure Buffalo Beef Jerky is a 100% natural healthy dog treat. It contains no additives or preservatives and is made of only the finest quality free range grass fed buffalo meat. Buffalo meat is naturally leaner and otherwise healthier than beef, and dogs rarely have an allergic reaction to this novel protein as well. There are no hormones or antibiotics in the buffalo meat. These natural dog treats are ideal for training rewards and bonding tools like.
You can get a 6 pack of 2.5 ounces bag for $34.99, making these treats both the best healthy dog treats around and an affordable alternative to less efficient healthy dog treats.
Criteria used in this study’s product selection
- Health factors: This study showcases only healthy dog treats that are made up of all natural products and contain no by-products, artificial flavors, dyes, GMOs, or other chemicals. All of the healthy dog treats featured in this list have your dog’s best health interest at heart and have been proven to be effective in maintaining or reducing dogs’ weights over time. Nutritional value was one of the most important factors considered in this study.
- Effectiveness and taste: All of these healthy dog treats have proven efficient in keeping dogs healthy, motivated and at their optimal weight (given other factors such as exercise, proper nutrition and moderation). As always, every dog is different and you should always consult with your own veterinarian when it comes to your pet’s unique dietary needs if you have any questions. These products were chosen as the best healthy dog treats because they have proven effective in keeping dogs motivated and focused on the task at hand, benefiting training and behavior modification at large. This is based on feedback gleaned from pet owners, veterinarians, trainers and pet professionals. This data was gathered from hundreds of websites and from other public sources of information such as reviews, testimonials and articles.
- Price efficiency: Treats can be expensive. This study aims to provide good, safe, healthy treats that will not lead to weight gain and that are affordable. Your dog’s health is your main concern and these treats will go a long way to ensuring that he or she is getting the nutrients they need while being rewarded for good behavior.
What to look out for in your dog’s treats
- Artificial preservatives. Look for BHA, BHT, potassium sorbate, sodium nitrate (used for dual purposes, preservative and coloring), and calcium propionate. These should be avoided at all costs because they have little nutrition value and can harm your dog’s digestive system. Also, the presence of these ingredients may signify that the ingredients used to make the treats are older – since they are being preserved for longer times. Freshness is key to any snack, for any living creature.
- Chemical humectants, such as propylene glycol. These are used in some pet (and human!) foods to keep them moist and chewy and to prevent discoloration in preserved meats. There are more natural, food-sourced humectants available, such as vegetable glycerin and molasses that are better for your dog. It’s important to read the label carefully to catch any of these ingredients – fortunately we did that for you.
- Make sure that if glycerin is listed as one of the ingredients, it’s identified as “vegetable glycerin”. Otherwise it might mean it’s a petrochemical product, which isn’t good for your dog’s diet.
