# Healthy Treats



## HavTastic (Jan 9, 2016)

My puppy turns 11 months old today. She won't be a puppy for long but I was wondering what are some healthy treats to feed her? I was on petco.com last night and almost all the treats contained one ingredient that wasn't good for dogs. I would like to give my puppy a treat that will clean her teeth too and that's healthy.


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## Eveningpiper (Sep 23, 2015)

I like the Zukes minis. They are nice and small and get chewed up fast. I just ordered the Zukes crisp dental chews to see how they would be for teeth cleaning.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

here's one I like Turkey with Pumpkin | Plato Pet Treats most "dental" foods are a gimmick.


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

davetgabby said:


> here's one I like Turkey with Pumpkin | Plato Pet Treats most "dental" foods are a gimmick.


Ricky loves, loves, loves any of the Plato treats. :hungry:

Ricky's Popi


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## HavTastic (Jan 9, 2016)

Thanks. Will check those out


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## MarinaGirl (Mar 25, 2012)

Emmie loves K9 Natural Treats. :hungry:


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

I put some Plato's Turkey/Pumpkin treats in a puzzle ball this evening for Ricky. He always joins Momi and Popi for a TGIF party every Friday. Ricky always looks forward to these family events since he is a "party boy!" He kept us entertained while he solved the puzzle of the puzzle ball. He kept us laughing with his antics. Healthy dog treats serve more than one purpose! :bounce:

Ricky's Popi


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## Hanna (Feb 25, 2016)

Happy 11 months to your doggy! Hope you find the best treat for your dog soon.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

I use mostly home made treats for training my dogs, and they get almost no treats that are not for training. Home made treats are easy, economical and the best quality food. 

As far as "dental treats" are concerned, NO treats really keep teeth clean... that's what a toothbrush an enzymatic toothpaste are for.  Worse, dental treats are a VERY common cause of intestinal blockage. (which I learned to the tune of $1800 when Kodi was young) We don't allow them in the house.


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## Meri (Jul 28, 2016)

Hi....can you share your recipe(s) for making homemade treats? I'd love to try this for my pup! Thank you!


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## Lisa T. (Feb 5, 2015)

davetgabby said:


> here's one I like Turkey with Pumpkin | Plato Pet Treats most "dental" foods are a gimmick.


I just bought the Platos Turkey with Pumpkin treats. Do you break it in half and give just half at a time. I was thinking of alternating with Dogswell Vitality holistic wellness chicken breast jerky. When I give Rudy the jerky, I break it up into 4 pieces and give two in mid morning and two mid afternoon. I also give him 2 teaspoons of pumpkin frozen in a Kong and he loves it. Has anyone tried plain yogurt with a little bit of mashed banana or blueberries in a Kong frozen?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Meri said:


> Hi....can you share your recipe(s) for making homemade treats? I'd love to try this for my pup! Thank you!


Mostly I use real, whole meats. The easiest is pork loin roast. I cook it longer than you would for people... so that it's a little too dry for our tastes. Then it cubes very easily, and doesn't crumble. if it's still a little too wet, I dry it out on paper towels in the microwave.

You can also use chicken, turkey or beef. (we don't use beef because Kodi is allergic to it) Blue berries are one of Kodi's all-time favorites, but the girls aren't interested at all. You have to experiment. 

I have used "recipes" that you bake before, but, honestly, they like real meat better and it's less work.

Oh, another top favorite, very easy and nutritious is Fresh pet. You can buy the rolls and cube it, or buy the pelleted kind. I find that the pellets are bigger than I want to use for training treats, so I cut them all in half.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Lisa T. said:


> I just bought the Platos Turkey with Pumpkin treats. Do you break it in half and give just half at a time. I was thinking of alternating with Dogswell Vitality holistic wellness chicken breast jerky. When I give Rudy the jerky, I break it up into 4 pieces and give two in mid morning and two mid afternoon. I also give him 2 teaspoons of pumpkin frozen in a Kong and he loves it. Has anyone tried plain yogurt with a little bit of mashed banana or blueberries in a Kong frozen?


We don't ever hand out treats "for free". All treats are training treats in our house.


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## jef (Apr 17, 2016)

krandall said:


> Mostly I use real, whole meats. The easiest is pork loin roast. I cook it longer than you would for people... so that it's a little too dry for our tastes. Then it cubes very easily, and doesn't crumble. if it's still a little too wet, I dry it out on paper towels in the microwave.


How small are you cutting the cubes?
Then you freeze them until using?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

jef said:


> How small are you cutting the cubes?
> Then you freeze them until using?


The cubes are probably about 1/4" square. The trick is to cut them small enough that they can swallow them without much chewing if you are using them for training.

If I make a lot at once, I do freeze them, but usually it's part of whatever I'm surviving the family, and gets used up in a couple of days, so I don't always have enough to bother freezing. When I do freeze them, I put a paper towel in with them, and squeeze as much air as possible out of the bag before freezing. Otherwise, they can be kind of wet when you take them out of the freezer again, and don't make great pocket treats.


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## jef (Apr 17, 2016)

krandall said:


> The cubes are probably about 1/4" square. The trick is to cut them small enough that they can swallow them without much chewing if you are using them for training.
> 
> If I make a lot at once, I do freeze them, but usually it's part of whatever I'm surviving the family, and gets used up in a couple of days, so I don't always have enough to bother freezing. When I do freeze them, I put a paper towel in with them, and squeeze as much air as possible out of the bag before freezing. Otherwise, they can be kind of wet when you take them out of the freezer again, and don't make great pocket treats.


finally got around to cooking a pork tenderloin for sofie!
she loves it!
she is already obeying quicker in hopes of a loin cube reward :nerd:


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