Dog treats: when, why and how often to give them

The offer of snacks and prices for dogs is very high. Anyone who has been to a pet store or the specific section of the supermarket knows it: in addition to traditional food, there are now dozens of snacks in various formats, flavors and textures. There are so many that choosing or finding the right one can take longer than choosing an ice cream flavor.

At first glance, and without prior knowledge, how to target the right one? With beef or rabbit protein? Wet or cookies? Which is best for a dog?

“The variety that exists in these snacks is huge,” says Paola Mujica, veterinarian and academic secretary at the University of the Americas School of Veterinary Medicine. “When they think of a treat, most people imagine something for the dog to eat. It is true that for almost all dogs the most valuable thing is what they eat, but they can also be rewarded with toys, games and affection”.

To refine the objective, what David Rodríguez Gaete, nutritionist and veterinary gastroenterologist proposes, is to “ask yourself what you want to achieve with the administration of the price”. For example, if you want it to be an incentive for him not to flee into the street or not to relieve himself outside, what you are looking for is to work on obedience.

“The ideal would always be to talk about it beforehand with ethologists, specialists in animal behavior. But in these cases it is important to give positive reinforcement, so that the behavior is created and the animal can understand that if it does something specific, it will be offered a reward,” he adds. .

But there are also other uses. For example, as Rodríguez puts it, “to show affection and love” after being left home alone for a long time after a day with his guardian at work or in an outside activity.

Dog treats, as nutritious as they claim, are made to be appetizing and irresistible to them. For this reason, and just as it happens to children —and not so much— with cookies or sweets, its consumption must be moderate so that a good moment does not become, in the medium term, a health problem.

To be able to give them these snacks in a balanced and responsible way, Rodríguez advises to think about the number of kilocalories your dog consumes. In order to make a correct estimate, it is best to ask the veterinarian, as it will depend on the breed, weight, age and physical activity of the animal.

“If my puppy needs 100 kilocalories a day, for example, only ten – and no more than ten – can come from a price”, illustrates the nutritionist. If this rule is exceeded, “the animal will begin to accumulate fat or it may generate involvement in the gastrointestinal system”.

It’s not just a question of aesthetics or more or less weight. “There are a lot of puppies that have behavioral issues, or are in the process of being trained, and who, by consuming excess of these prices, suffer from colon problems or other types of digestive disorders.”

Mujica is even more cautious and restrictive. “Depending on the food the dog receives daily, prizes or snacks should be no more than 1%,” he says. In other words, if he eats 500 g of food, the reward should be 5 g per day.

For Mujica, one of the best and healthiest ways to reward dogs is with the same pellets they eat every day. However, its success depends on how much the dog likes its food. “Some people don’t think their regular lozenges are a prize or something special; if that happens, you have to look for other richer alternatives, like the snacks you find in the market,” he says.

The portion, yes, must be very small. “It should be the same size as a pellet,” he says, because if we train a behavior – like learning to sit or pee outside – “we’re not going to deliver one but several a day. If you do too much, “nutritionally it does nothing for the dog”.

“It’s a good way to reward and it’s fine from time to time, but you have to reduce it from food so as not to overfeed”, underlines the veterinarian. Most of the time “the nutritional value of the food and the price have nothing to do with it. It’s not arriving and expecting the same proportion: nutritionally, you may fall short, but calorie-wise, you’ll be on top.”

We have already said it: the offer in pet shops and in supermarkets is increasingly wide. Preserves, biscuits, moist, dehydrated, sauces or creams — to name but a few — invade various shop windows, gondolas and aisles.

Regarding the products sold in the supermarket, Mujica warns that it is not necessary to go and buy, because although “they are generally very desirable for dogs -what the industry calls palatability-, on nutritionally, they are generally not of great value.” To verify this, it is necessary to review the nutritional information of the product.

“You always have to look at the label and see the list of ingredients. The criterion is more or less the same as that of your diet: the more it contains protein of animal origin – and is therefore cited among the first ingredients –, the better it will be”, he specifies. Similarly, the fewer chemical or difficult-to-pronounce compounds it contains, the higher its quality.

One of the recurring issues that Rodríguez has witnessed in his practice is the use of dog snacks since they were puppies. When they are very young and begin to receive numerous awards, it is common for digestive abnormalities to appear. “The difficult thing in these cases is that it is not so clear which element he reacts to, because he has eaten a lot and for a long time. In these cases, what is convenient is to do tests of excluded,” he says.

It consists of trying products exclusively for a month or two, always of the same flavor, the same type and the same brand. “If everything goes well, in the following months we can switch from chicken protein to rabbit or beef protein, for example, and thus we can determine if my animal has a degree of intolerance,” explains Rodríguez. “Food side effects need time to generate a clinical manifestation, so you have to be patient and rigorous,” he adds.

“The most important thing is to calculate”, specifies the veterinarian gastroenterologist about the prices. “Generally, if they are given in small quantities, they do not generate a big impact. The problem is that there are many patients who give them too many snacks and different types. It should be just one or two a day. If it was an apple, I would say a quarter of a fruit would be appropriate, or an eighth of a banana.”

This is one of the most popular rewards on social media. It turns out to be a healthy and simple alternative for dogs to have a good time. “Due to its consistency, it is often used as entertainment in toys of different types,” says Mujica. The instructions for use are as follows: using a spoon, you spread it on toys with holes or on porous surfaces, such as lick mat, or licking blankets. “In them, the dog must lick several times and a lot to be able to extract all the contents.” They especially help when they have to be alone and have to deal with separation anxiety.

“Peanut butter contains protein but also calories, so it’s not good to overdo it,” he warns. “The idea is to use only peanut butter, no cashews, hazelnuts or other nuts,” he points out, in order to avoid allergies.

To vary the snacks, and not depend only on packaged snacks, you can also deliver fruits or vegetables to reward. “Among the vegetables, you can give cooked spinach, broccoli or carrots, but not in excess because they can contain a lot of sugar,” says Mujica. As for the sweet potato, “you have to be careful with overweight dogs, because this vegetable is high in carbohydrates”.

As for fruit, you can serve a piece of banana or a piece of apple, but always in small portions. “The one I recommend the most is the blueberry, because of its high nutritional content — it contains many vitamins and amino acids — and because it’s not that sweet. Plus, its size is perfect for attribution,” he recommends. These can be kept frozen to last longer and stay crispy.

“Not the grape. It’s very sweet,” the vet warns. Also nothing with added sugar. “That means no candy, chocolate, ice cream, or human treats.” The reason for this is that dogs have problems processing the glucose, so a high dose of sugar can cause hyperglycemia.

Sausages, which children love and often top the family barbecues, can be very spicy, which will make them tummy ache. “They don’t digest them well. In this case, it is better to prefer turkey sausages, but in general with caution and moderation”, he specifies.

If you want to give them meat, “the best thing is to cut a piece of chicken into very small pieces and never overdo the fat,” he says.

“Bone broth and plain yogurt are a good alternative,” recommends Mujica. This way you can also add moisture and flavor to your pellets, either with a tablespoon of homemade broth or plain yogurt. “It can be bird yogurt -kefir- or goat yogurt, because dogs digest goat protein better than cow protein, especially puppies,” he adds.

*Prices for products in this item are current as of April 20, 2022. Their values ​​and availability may change.