4 Reasons Why You Should Make Homemade Dog Treats

More dog owners are becoming more conscious of their pet’s needs and health. One of the things increasing in popularity is the research about pet nutrition, natural food, and homemade treats.

Homemade dog treats may sound challenging or difficult, but making them yourself is one way of keeping your furry babies happy and healthy. There are many natural dog treats in the market like those offered by Barking Good. These treats give your dogs the excitement and anticipation for yummy surprises.

In this article, we’ll tackle the four reasons why you should make homemade dog treats.

1. Healthier Option

One of the myths about pet food and nutrition is that the best kinds are endorsed by veterinarians. While these may be marketed as the premium blends designed for your pets, they can contain more protein from grains compared to protein from meat sources.

By nature, your dogs need protein from meat to achieve optimal health. A few reasons why homemade dog treats are healthier than commercially-manufactured ones are:

— High grain content in commercial dog treats contribute largely to pet allergies and obesity.
— Homemade treats are made with more natural ingredients.
— Some commercial treats that can be found in groceries are made of poultry by-products.
— Homemade treats don’t have additives or preservatives.

2. Safer for Them

When you look at the ingredients on the back of dog treat bags in the grocery store, you can find some of the main ingredients that you are looking for. At the same time, there are contents that you probably haven’t heard of or don’t know all about…

Homemade dog treats are safer because you know and have control over what ingredients should be in them. Other reasons why homemade is safer include:

— Some preservatives and chemicals — like food coloring, flavoring, and others — can harm your dogs or affect their behavior as shown by conducted research.
— The expiration date or “best before” labels are proof that these commercial treats have a certain shelf-life and feeding them to your dogs after the specified dates could pose adverse effects.
— Chemicals like BHT, BHA, Sodium Metabisulfite, TBHQ, and Ethoxyquin can cause kidney and liver problems, brain damage, and asthma.

One thing that you must be sure to do when making homemade treats is exclude ingredients that can harm your dogs. The following food are a no, no, to feed your dogs or include in their treats:

Alcohol
Apple Seeds
Apricot Pits
Avocado
Cherry Pits
Peach Pits
Persimmon Seeds
Plum Pits
Tea
Xylitol (found in commercial treats)
Candy
Chocolate
Coffee/caffeine
Grapes
Raisins
Yeast Dough
Potato Skins
Peach Pits
Onions and chives
Nutmeg
Macadamia nuts/butter

3. Tastes Better

Homemade dog treats are obviously made from common ingredients which you can find in your home, so you won’t need to enhance flavorings as those in commercial treats. Since they aren’t pre-packed, they are also fresher. A few tips to make homemade treats more appealing for your dogs are:

— Tailor your treats according to the flavors your dog likes and according to their health needs.
— Make smaller treats while training your dogs, feel free to experiment with ingredients, and observe what they like best. Also, take note of their allergies and ensure these aren’t in your treats.
— Most dogs like pumpkin, which is healthy and low in calories. This can be helpful for overweight dogs.
— Peanut butter is high in protein for muscles and energy, and dogs like the taste too.

4. Economical

One of the advantages of homemade treats is that you can save money. You don’t need complex and expensive ingredients to make them. In addition, there are other ways you can reduce costs with homemade treats:

— Buy ingredients, especially repetitive ones, in bulk.
— Plan the kind of treats you want to make ahead of time so you can anticipate your needs.
— Use ingredients that you already have in your pantry or kitchen.
— Make treats in batches so you save on energy bills.
— Look for recipes that allow for freezing to preserve them longer since you won’t be using preservatives.

The pet culture is continually growing and pet owners are spending more to make sure that their boys and girls get the best care and nutrition. While homemade treats may take more time to prepare and more effort to research, it surely has benefits for your dogs.

Homemade treats are healthier, safer, tastier, and cheaper compared to commercially-manufactured, pre-packed treats. These facts will surely make you and your pet happier.

(Read more about what to do if your pet consumes coffee on Coffee-Channel)