5 Worst Ingredients in Dog Treats to Never Feed Your Pooch

Just like the food you eat, there are many different levels of quality for dog treats and dog food. You wouldn’t fill your entire diet with microwavable dinners infused with preservatives, chemicals and toxins, and your furry companion deserves the same. You want to eat foods made of real ingredients that make you feel great, and so does your dog. Unfortunately, many of the worst ingredients for dogs are hidden in pretty packaging decorated with famous dog breeds and characters. So, before you give your pooch “a treat”, it’s time to check out the ingredient lists because you might be surprised at what you’re really feeding them.

Corn, Soy and Wheat Fillers

Three of the most common ingredients in dog treats that you’ll want to avoid are unnecessary fillers, such as corn, soy and wheat. These dog treat ingredients provide your pooch with an abundance of calories and fiber to make them feel full without actually catering to their satisfaction or nutritional needs. Shockingly, they’re a popular ingredient in many of the dog treats lining the shelves at your local pet store.

However, the bad news doesn’t end there either. Dogs are not built to digest these types of grains and many of them have an allergic reaction to corn, soy and wheat. So, if your furry family member has been experiencing smelly ears, excessive itching, red-stained paws, excessive gas or bloating, check the ingredients you’re giving them.

If none of these symptoms are experienced by your dog, that doesn’t mean he or she is in the clear. Corn, soy and wheat fillers in dog treats also contribute to diabetes and obesity, due to the unnecessarily high content of carbs, so it’s best to cut them out altogether.

As an alternative, give your dog high quality lamb treats made with pure ingredients that promote optimal health.

Check out more of our lamb treats!

Preservatives

No surprise here; preservatives are one of the worst ingredients in dog treats and dog food. As humans, we try to limit the number of preservatives we eat because, to put it simply, they aren’t good for you. Some have even been linked to cancer and to contributing to other serious diseases, such as liver damage, kidney problems, immune deficiency syndrome, and blindness. Of course, you would never want your dog to be subjected to any of these health problems but unfortunately, we often forget that many dog treats are also created to last an unnaturally-long shelf life, thanks to preservatives. Some of the most common preservatives found in dog food and treats are BHT, BHA, Ethoxyquin, and Propyl Gallage. What’s scary is that they are banned in many countries, but the United States is not one of them. So, you could very well be feeding your dog potentially dangerous ingredients.

Meat By Product

It’s easy to be confused by dog treats that appear to have meat in them and even easier to be confused when trying to determine which meat products are healthy and which ones are by product. Dogs need muscle meat, such as the high quality lamb or beef bully sticks we offer, and “by product” refers to the internal “leftovers” of an animal. What’s worse is that it isn’t unheard of for by product to come from diseased animals, organs, tumors and tissues either. So, stick with the natural stuff.

View our collection of 100% natural treats!  

Feeding your dog healthy treats is imperative for their health and happiness – and for any potential vet visits. So, start paying attention to the dog treats you feed your furry companion. At Dog Chits, we offer the utmost quality lamb lung treats for dogs. They’re the perfect Bully Stick Companion that is the answer to the problem posed by dangerous ingredients commonly found in dog treats, such as bully sticks.