What Type Of Treats Are Suitable For My Dog?
I get a lot of customers coming to ask me what types of treats are most suitable for their dog based on; breed, size, existing conditions, personal preference etc
When I am in person at one of our pop up stalls, this is an easy task to recommend suitable treats, however when customers are looking online it is not always quite so easy to discuss options with the customers. We do have our live online chat service but lots of customers don’t like this method of communication. So I have created some of the most common types of dogs that I get asked about.
Puppy– Sazzy Treats recommends any medium to small size chew with a fibrous or chewy texture so as not to cause undue stress or damage to puppy teeth or gums. Treats that a re lower in fat are more beneficial as they limit the chance of putting on weight around the newly formed joints and muscles. Any of our muscles and skins are an ideal starting point to introduce to your puppy as they are lower in fat and encourage your puppy to chew.
Try these: Camel Skin, Venison skin, Goat skin, Lamb muscle, Beef muscle, rabbit ears, puffed pig snouts
Don’t try these: antler, as they will be too hard for your puppies delicate teeth and gums. Pigs ears, as they are too high in fat if fed in large quantities.
Heavy chewer- Sazzy Treats recommends any hard or long lasting chew that will take a long time for your dog to get through. Antler, buffalo horn and cow hooves are all tough and long lasting, with the latter two benefiting from the option of adding their favourite spread inside to encourage the dog to chew the correct thing. We sell our gourmet pate which is ideal as a filler for these.
Try these: large anter, buffalo horn, cow hooves, lambs leg, yak milk, camel skin, venison skin, goat skin.
Don’t try these: any of our chews are suitable for a heavy chewer, be mindful however that the softer chews will not last long, and would be better put to use as a training treat or reward as opposed to using as a chew.
Dogs that don’t like to chew- some dogs show no interest in chewing, however I would encourage dogs to chew as it strengthens their jaw muscles as well as helps to clean teeth. For these types of dogs I recommend to start with a treat that smells irresistible and quick to consume, such as spleen, abomasum . Once they begin to understand the treats you give are tasty and enjoyable, you can then begin to introduce longer lasting chews such muscles and skins.
Try these: liver sausage, beef spleen, beef abomasum, beef jerky, meat strips, meat sticks, pork rind bars, fish skin, cut trachea
Don’t try these: anything that is too tough or doesn’t smell tasty such as; skins, muscle, antler or buffalo horn. These can be introduced gradually though once they start to show signs of chewing.
Older dogs with little/no teeth- older dogs who may have gum problems, loss of teeth etc need the opportunity to chew but with items which will not damage their already sensitive mouth. Sazzy Treats reccommends any our sausages, meat sticks or strips, or any of our softer crumbly chews.
Try these: liver sausage, beef spleen, beef abomasum, beef jerky, meat strips, meat sticks
Allergies to specific animals- It is becoming more common where some dogs are showing allergic reactions to treats derived from certain animals. This may show up as swelling, itching, being sick or significant changes to their stools. It is important before we look at things to try and not to try, I have found that some customers report allergies occuring when offering their dog commercially processed treats that have been packaged and are for offered for sale at most supermakets and pet shops. These often contain very little of the animal that they are marketed as containing, and in fact your dog might not be allergic to the animal at all, but rather the additives, fillers, colours, preservatives or flavours that have been added. All our treats are natural and contain none of the added ingredients listed above.
Try these: I would initially talk to your vets if you feel your dog has an allergy to certain treats. I am not a vet and would claim to suggest what I am. Once your vet has identified what the allergy attributes to, you can then take a look at our online store which is categorized into different animals.
Do not try these: although it goes without saying, I will anyway. NEVER, and I mean never feed your dog anything which is known to cause an allergic reaction. Regardless of how tasty they look, whether they are on sale or because someone tells you they are great.
owners who are vegan, vegetarian, or who do not like handling animal parts- this is a common discussion that I have with my customers where they appreciate the benefits of natural chews, but for one reason or another don’t like touching treats that reminds them where they came from. In a way, dogs are omnivores. But it might be best to phrase it this way: dogs are facultative carnivores. Yes, they can and have adapted to eating fruits, veggies, and grains; but their organs were still built for meat. And just like foxes, dogs do prefer meat when it’s available. You can treat your dog to vegetables and fruits such as carrot or pears (both of which my three Labradors love), but if you still want to offer your dog a meat based treat, you could go for the type of treats that come in the form of sticks, strips or sausages.
Try these: liver sausage, meat strips, meat sticks, ,meat cubes. I also suggest antler, since these are shed naturally and the animal is not harmed in anyway to be cultivated.
Don’t try these: anything that has a direct resemblance, or has the name of a part of an animal such as; hooves, spleen, feet, muscle, skin, snout etc
I am always keen to hear your questions, and you can email me at sazzytreats@gmail.com if your dog does not fall into one of these categories and I will be happy to add it to my list.
On our online shop, there is the option to filter by catagory based on your wants, needs or interests. Do you only want to search for pork products? no problem. You only want treats that have fur on them? that is searchable too.
Thank you
Chris and Saz
