| Healthy Dog Treats and Dog Food quickly became | | | | because with the multiple choices available there is a |
| the priority of millions of pet lovers after the pet | | | | wide variety of flavors available. Remember to |
| food recalls in 2007. Most of us were absolutely | | | | consider whether you dog has any allergies that |
| mortified to think that we could have been potentially | | | | needs addressing. |
| poisoning our own dogs. Even worse, it involved | | | | I also want to mention that even if you don't think |
| many major pet food manufacturers, which only | | | | your dog will eat healthy foods like fruits and |
| served to undermine our trust in what had been a | | | | vegetables, you will be surprised. Your dog will likely |
| trusted standard in every dog's life for over fifty | | | | eat anything if given the chance to be introduced to |
| years. | | | | the new food properly. |
| Over 100 dogs died within a two week period alone | | | | A Look At What To Consider: |
| and many more reported cases of kidney failure, all | | | | - Natural - A healthy natural dog treat should not |
| from tainted dog food. This instantly stopped millions | | | | include any chemicals, preservatives, dyes or added |
| of dog owners from purchasing their dog's treats and | | | | artificial flavorings. The whole idea is that this type of |
| food from commercial sources but without their local | | | | treat is natural and should not include processed |
| markets, many people were at a loss as to where to | | | | ingredients. |
| go from here. | | | | - Nutritious - Each treat should supply a healthy |
| However, it didn't take long for the close knit family | | | | amount of vitamins and minerals. |
| of pet owners everywhere to jump online and start | | | | - Made-to-order - Your dog certainly will have |
| chatting about how they could feed their dogs treats | | | | different likes and dislikes than my dog and may also |
| and food made right at home! Soon there were | | | | have different foods that disagree with them. The |
| recipe exchanges going on and new dog bakeries | | | | point is, you will want to be able to choose specific |
| popping up on every e-store front corner. | | | | ingredients to include and exclude for your dog's |
| Before long, there seemed to be a bonanza of new | | | | treats. |
| types of dog food and healthy dog treats to choose | | | | - Fresh - Any ingredient used to make a dog treat |
| from. The idea of bakery dog treats isn't really a | | | | should be fresh including all fruits and vegetables. |
| new one. The first dog bakery was actually opened | | | | Healthy dog treats should be no different than food |
| back in 1937 in St. Louis by Ed and Helen Lubeley. | | | | you would prepare for yourself in that they are |
| Although many thought they were crazy to make | | | | made with human grade ingredients. |
| dog treats in their bakery, their business is still alive | | | | Once you have an idea of what flavors, shape, size |
| and thriving over 70 years later. | | | | etc. it's time to start making a few sample choices. |
| Over the years a few health conscience dog lovers | | | | There are numerous sites online that will offer you |
| started their own bakeries or home dog treat | | | | free samples of dog treats. This is a great way to |
| businesses but it was a slow trend that led to the | | | | see what your dog likes and dislikes and/or what |
| sudden onslaught of interest in natural, organic, | | | | agrees or doesn't agree with them. When your |
| holistic, homemade and other healthy dog treats. | | | | freebies arrive, remember to space them out and |
| As our human society became more aware of the | | | | not feed them all at once. That way you can |
| importance of nutrition in our own lives, we began to | | | | determine how well they like each one and be sure |
| transfer that concern to our pets. As the concern for | | | | that each one agrees with them. |
| their health grew so did our need to treat our pets | | | | Remember to choose several dog treats that your |
| as if they were miniature humans. Once our precious | | | | dog enjoys. The idea behind this is that you wouldn't |
| pups surpassed the hurdle of just being "pets" and | | | | want to eat the exact same snack every day for |
| society began to accept them as true family | | | | the rest of your life, right? So, give them several to |
| members, the explosion of pampered pet products | | | | choose from and mix it up. |
| went wild! | | | | Be aware that there are many types to choose from |
| As with any booming industry, there are always a | | | | too. Everything from dog biscuits, dog treats, dog |
| few bad apples in the bunch. When you are choosing | | | | cakes, homemade dog treats, and various others. |
| a healthy dog treat for your furry friend, it should be | | | | Then there's also the varieties of all natural, organic, |
| an easy choice. It seems you should simply be able | | | | gourmet, holistic, homemade and a few others. |
| to read the label that says, "natural dog treats" or | | | | Check each one out and see if it meets your dog's |
| "organic dog treats" etc., and know that's what your | | | | needs. |
| dog is getting. Right? Sadly that is not always the | | | | This may seem to be a lot of work for just a dog |
| case. | | | | treat to some but for those of you who are true |
| Unfortunately the labeling regulations have not yet | | | | dog lovers, you know that for every healthy dog |
| caught up to the new industry standards and it's | | | | treat you serve your precious pooch, that's one |
| fairly easy for a company to label their dog treats | | | | more thing you're doing to make a difference in the |
| natural when they aren't really 100% natural. | | | | quality and health of their life. They spend so much |
| Once you are aware of what can and can't appear | | | | time making us happy and adding joy to our lives, |
| on dog treat labels, then you should consider what it | | | | let's keep them around and keep them healthy while |
| is you and your favorite pup are looking for. Don't | | | | they're here. |
| worry too much about healthy dog treats tasting bad | | | | |