Feed your pup healthy snacks outside their regular meal to keep them feeling full for longer and avoid weight gain due to lack of nutrients.
Healthy treats for dogs include carrot sticks, cucumber slices, apples (minus seeds) and small pieces of cooked chicken or baked potato.
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Lean Meat
Lean meats make for an excellent healthy treat for dogs. These options include skinless chicken, turkey and red meat with all fat removed.
Meats are an excellent source of protein, an essential building block of life that helps sustain muscle and tissue development, build stronger bones and joints, aid weight loss and help sustain immune health. Incorporating lean meats can also help you meet health authorities’ recommendations to limit saturated fat intake which has been associated with increased risks of cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer.
Dogs have many choices of lean meat snacks available to them for snacking on, from muscle meat like heart, tongue and poultry gizzard to organ meat such as liver. Fish containing Omega 3 fatty acids is another choice that could benefit their diet.
Peanut Butter
Peanut butter can be an irresistibly tempting treat for many dogs. Not only is it delicious, but it’s a rich source of essential vitamins and minerals needed for good health in dogs.
Peanut butter contains vitamin E to boost immunity, support heart and liver health, and aid with cell membrane functioning. Furthermore, its high content of niacin makes it essential to canine health.
Niacin can help ensure the proper functioning of your dog’s digestive system. By breaking down fats and sugars into energy sources that can then be used to create stomach acid and bile for production purposes.
Peanut butter provides another important source of potassium with 649 milligrams in 100 grams, helping your dog’s heart, nerves, and muscles function optimally.
Peanut butter should only be given as treats, and should constitute no more than 10% of your pet’s daily calorie consumption.
Low-Fat Dry Food
Low-fat dry food can help ensure that your dog stays in optimal health, especially those who struggle to digest fats due to digestive issues or obesity. Low-fat dry food also offers significant weight reduction potential.
Low-calorie treats also have the added advantage of being great snacks for your child’s diet; however, only give small portions.
An animal should maintain a balanced diet, and snacks outside their meals can upset this balance.
When looking for low-fat dog food, make sure it does not contain artificial sweeteners and flavorings, which may make the food more appetizing to humans, yet can be harmful for dogs.
Approving healthy snacks for your pup can be an exciting and fulfilling activity, provided they don’t contain harmful additives like xylitol which could become toxic within hours after ingestion. It is best to steer clear of them entirely.
Apples
Apples make an ideal low-calorie treat for dogs as they’re packed full of essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that support good digestion. In addition, fiber helps support digestive health.
Apples are also rich in vitamin A and C, which help lower bone disease risks, improve skin conditions and stave off cancer development. Plus, they’re an excellent source of phosphorus and calcium–both crucial nutrients for strong bones, teeth and nails.
Before feeding apples to your pet, always remove their core and seeds – this will prevent choking and GI blockages which could potentially be hazardous.
As with any new food, apples should be introduced gradually into your dog’s diet. Start off slowly by giving him small bits every day for several days, until he shows an interest. If this works out well, gradually increase portions.
