Raw diets for dogs are becoming ever more popular, with many making an active choice to put their dogs on these diets for the benefit of their health. After sifting through the many different dog food brands to find a balanced, quality option for your dog, it’s unlikely that you’d want to undo that by feeding treats that don’t align with your pup’s carefully selected diet. Just like complete food brands, there are a huge range of treats available on the market – all are useful for different situations and all vary hugely in content and quality. So, what are some options for the discerning dog owner? How can we spoil our dogs rotten without ACTUALLY spoiling them?
CHEWS
Chews are a great option for keeping our dogs busy and entertained throughout the day. A good chew is usually a high-value item for our dogs, providing great enrichment. Some natural chews appropriate for a dog on a raw diet include:
- Bull horns
- Yak chews
- Turkey necks
- Bully sticks
- Beef trachea
- Rabbit/pig ears
- Tripe sticks
- Antlers
- Wood chews
- Chicken feet
FRUITS & VEGGIES
Many raw diets avoid certain plant matter such as grain. While there is a lot of debate about the appropriateness of these types of ingredients, it’s widely agreed that dogs benefit from being offered a variety of fruits and veggies alongside their meat-based foods. Some appropriate fruits and veggies to offer your dog include:
- Blueberries
- Apples
- Bananas
- Strawberries
- Broccoli
- Brussel sprouts
- Carrots
- Green beans
Always be sure to check before feeding any new fruits and veggies, to make sure they are safe for dogs – while many are, many are potentially dangerous. A quick internet search will provide you with lists of safe and unsafe options!
SMALL TREATS
Smaller treats are great as a quick snack at home or for use as training treats. Some options include:
Sprats: These small fish are a great high-value reward. They may be a little too big for training treats, especially if you have a smaller dog, but dried sprats are great as a bite-sized treat at home, as a jackpot reward or even as a garnish on your pup’s dinner!
Fish Skin: There are a range of fish skin treats available in different shapes and sizes! These are usually not a long-lasting chew, but certainly add some variety to our pups’ diet while being health and nutritious.
Pates: Brands like Finer by Nature sell pate sausages which can be easily chopped into tiny treats, perfect for training! These last a good amount of time while sealed and can then be chopped, divided into portions and even frozen if needed – so you always have a healthy, convenient training treat available.
Dried Treats: Many brands offer a wide variety of dried treats – there are too many to list every option here, from indiscernible “bites” or “sticks,” to dried chicken hearts.
SPREADABLE TREATS
Spreadable treat options are great for use in things like Kongs and LickiMats. Natural yoghurts, pumpkin puree and the pates mentioned above are all raw-diet friendly options suitable for use with a variety of puzzle toys.
As you can see, there are a variety of treats suitable for our raw-fed dogs! In fact, may raw-fed dogs are lucky enough to have a wider variety of treats offered than many dogs on traditional diets. As with any type of food, the treats which work best for you and your pup will depend on a number of factors such as price, availability, convenience, any unique dietary requirements (such as allergies/intolerances) and your dog’s personal preferences.
We all love to treat our dogs now and again, and offering a variety of treats is not only fun for us but enriching for our dogs!
