Homemade dog treats are gaining in popularity in 2021 as commercially produced dog treats can be a bit confusing as many advertise under the banner of “Healthy Treats”. However, if you take a closer look at the ingredients you will often see added sugars, salt, glycerin, antibiotics, growth-promoting fillers, grains, or worse. In the past year many pet treats, jerkies and raw hides imported from Asian countries such as China and Thailand have been tested to be toxic by Australian standards. Meats from these countries can be contaminated with growth hormones and euthanasia drugs. This may not always be the case, and there are reputable manufacturers in Asia, but it is not a risk worth taking. It is always safer to buy Australian whenever you can.

What you should be looking for in a treat is something that is meaty and nutritious. Look at the ingredient list and if it has more than 2 or 3 ingredients and you start seeing words that say, sugar, salt and even grain added then it’s best to avoid them. Adding fillers like grains can cause your pet to be gassy.

At LBPT all treats are made from Australian meats and are hand-picked by our chefs to ensure the best nutrition for your pets. They are gluten-free, grain-free, and full of meat, vitamins, and minerals. Being air-dried also means they keep for ages. You can’t ask for better than that. We also make the best raw or cooked meals for the everyday busy working family. All products are made and tested on our own pets including some of our testers who are fussy eaters.

Most commercial dental treats are nothing more than starch, cereal, and additives to aid in cleaning teeth. They’re usually cheaply made and far from healthy. A good natural way for a dog or cat to retain dental health is by chewing on a nice meaty bone. Care needs to be taken with bones so selected a size appropriate to your dog and always feed bones raw and uncooked.

If you have concerns about feeding raw meaty bones then another good option is deer or kangaroo tendons, shanks, or hoofers. Always check the country of origin of packaged treats (although kangaroo will always be Australian). Failing all the above, you could always brush your pet’s teeth or have them regularly cleaned by a professional.

Some supermarket treats are good, and some are bad. The first thing to do would be to check the country of manufacture. You should choose Australian-made if possible. Avoid treats from China (which can be labelled as “PRC” to mislead you, which stands for the People’s Republic of China). Have a read of the ingredients. Are they meat-based or filler-based (such as wheat)? Do they contain sugars, salt, artificial preservatives, or food colourings? If they do then it’s best to avoid them. If a treat has “Preservatives” or “Colourings” on the ingredients you can assume they’re artificial.

Most dogs and cats LOVE MEAT, they do not really care or like sweet things and they definitely don’t care for colourings. Most dogs and cats do not need a high-carbohydrate diet, but unfortunately, that is what most of us feed our pets. When you analyse the food label, many diets contain 60% or more carbohydrates. As a rule, most vets will recommend trying a higher protein/low carb diet first for weight loss.