Best Healthy Dog Treats (With Natural Ingredients) – Our 2018 Reviews & Top Picks

Our Top Pick

Well, it's hard to deny Old Mother Hubbard Classic Natural Dog Treats as our top-rated pick.

What makes it so special? Here's why:

• Made in the USA? Check.
• Oven baked to Perfection? Check.
• No artificial preservatives? Check.

It's filled with so much natural goodness and natural wholesome ingredients that dogs really love the taste of it.

Shaped in the form of a dog bone, these dog treats are oven-baked to retain the nutrients and flavors that pets need.

It comes in various flavors too!

These treats come in a variety of flavors that make these healthier versions of snacks irresistible. The flavors range from peanut butter and molasses to apples and carrots. The natural crunch that comes along with these treats enhances the flavor.

Old Mother Hubbard Classic Natural Dog Treats

This brand started its journey way back in 1920 and till date, most dog owners trust it for treating and training their dogs.

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These crunchy biscuits rank high on the nutritional value because they are not preserved with artificial preservatives but with Vitamin E.

At A Glance: Healthy Dog Treats That We Have Reviewed

• Old Mother Hubbard Classic Natural Dog Treats
• Hill's Ideal Balance Soft-Baked Naturals
• Blue Buffalo Health Bar Treats
• Zuke's Mini Naturals Healthy Moist Training Treats
• Rocco & Roxie Gourmet Jerky Dog Treats
• Wellness CORE Marrow Roasts Natural Grain Free Dog Treats
• Blue Dog Bakery Natural Low Fat Dog Treats

How We Found The Best and Reviewed Them

Now, how do we recommend the best and review them for you?

We do the research and we speak to as many experts in the field as possible.

For example, while reviewing healthy dog treats, we spoke to experienced dog owners and veterinarians who assisted us in finding out the products that are the most popular in the current market.

While speaking to them, we also found out the essential qualities that a healthy dog treat should have.

But you know what else?

Our research team scours product marketplace places such as Amazon to get first-hand information.

At minimum, we read at least 550 reviews for each product that we review.

It's all about our readers really.

We want you all to have all the knowledge required to make the best decision for your pet. After all, we are pet lovers too and we only want the best for our bets. We collated the information received from different places and added bits and pieces of our own opinion about the products and came up with a review article, just for you.

There's more.

It also includes a Buyer's Guide that maps out the essential features you should look for in a healthy dog treat. Here's hoping that our reviews help you to buy the best product for your dogs and puppies.

Buyers Guide – Healthy Dog Treats

Picture this:

How often do you find yourself giving into those puppy eyes and offering a treat or two even if you feel that they have had too much already?

If you find yourself doing this quite often, it is time to take a couple of steps backward and analyze whether you are doing the right thing or not.

While offering that odd treat could help you and your pet bond better, it might not always be the healthiest option. Pets, especially dogs, should have a feeding pattern and that should include wholesome meals to enhance strength and keep them in good health.

However, we are all aware of the fact that occasional treats and snacks go a long way in keeping your pet happy and content.

While we are not suggesting constant vigilance as far as treats are concerned, we would still recommend offering healthy dog treats to inculcate healthy habits as early as possible.

As we had mentioned earlier that we intend to hold your hand through the entire process of finalizing on your healthy dog treats, given below is a Buyers Guide that will assist you in the process.

In this guide, we will talk about the dangers of unhealthy dog treats, the importance of natural dog treats and how to choose them.

Dangers Of Unhealthy Treats

If you thought that simply walking your canine companion twice a day or letting him run around in the evenings in your backyard would help prevent obesity, think again.

It has a lot to do with the kind of food you offer and most of it is caused by the amount of sugar and preservatives present in dog treats.

Not only do overweight dogs face the risk of various types of cancers but are also more prone to developing heart diseases. Obesity-related disorders and diseases are hard to heal, expensive and involve painful procedures as much in pooches as in humans.

The only way to avoid these problems is to prevent causing it in the first place and getting rid of the factors that might be causing obesity.

Given below are some of the risks that obesity could expose your pet to.

Difficulty In Breathing

Excessive fat restricts the lungs from functioning properly.

Intolerant To Heat

Unwanted fat cells disrupt the body's heat regulation system.

Compromised Liver Function

Liver tends to store excess fats and this could lead to conditions like hepatic lipidosis.

Fertility Issues

Obese dogs have reproductive problems and need veterinarian help to give birth.

Compromised Immunity

Fat stores impede natural immune system to cause more bacterial and viral infections.

Skin Problems

Skin tends to fold and collect fungus and bacteria in between the folds. This leads to shedding of hair and skin infections.

What Is Importance Of Healthy Treats?

This makes the treats even more tempting because we are all drawn towards more sugar that tend to give us instant sugar spikes.

To understand the importance of healthy dog treats, it is essential to know that different breeds of dogs have different calorific needs. When you offer an unhealthy snack, you might as well be covering more than a quarter of his/her calorific requirements with empty calories and food with low nutritional value. It makes matter worse when you offer too many treats at the same time that tends to happen with all of us.

While speaking to veterinarians, we came to know that dog snacks and dog treats should not contribute to more than 10% of your pet's total diet. This is on similar lines as humans who should not obtain more than 10% of calories from crisps and chocolates.

The primary motive is to avoid as much fat content as possible. For example, dried chicken strips are way healthier than cheesy chews because the latter is not only high in saturated fats but is also heavily processed.

Always Make Sure – All Natural Ingredients

The best kind of dog treats and dog food include natural ingredients that enhance the health and well-being of your pets. Most dog owners prefer snacks like celery, yams, green beans because these are few of the best that you could offer to your furry friend.

The trick is to understand the changes in your pet's health and behavior after experimenting with dog treats.

However, you would be better off if you can avoid these following ingredients:

• Grapes
• Garlic
• Onions
• Raisins

These tend to have toxic effects on your pet. Dogs can consistently refuse to have vegetables because they were essentially designed to have meat but if this is inculcated as a habit early in life, you can expect your meat-lover to thrive on vegetable snacks.

Avoid Cooked Bones & Scraps As Treats

It is a common practice to throw bones and scraps at your pet before or after meals but this is not healthy at all for it in the longer run. This is because it can have behavioral impact on your pet who will gradually feel conditioned to ask for it often during the day.

If it is impossible for you to keep your dog away during family mealtimes, try opting for healthier treats instead of throwing greasy chicken wings at him.

It is popularly believed that a dog should chew on cooked scrap bones but that is not such a good idea. This myth has been debunked lately when veterinarians discovered the link between dog bones and dental decay. Your dog might easily break one of his molars or even worse, swallow bone splinters that can cause gastrointestinal problems.

Instead, try healthier options like chicken liver and chicken chews instead.

Dogs cannot make intelligent decisions about their diet. It is the pet parent's responsibility to ensure that the food offered is healthy, nutritious and delicious at the same time. Habits need to be formed early so that nothing has to be forced.

Dogs will want to eat whatever they are naturally attracted to but it is our discretion to offer balanced meals that have a little bit of everything.

Final Words – Healthy Treats To Keep Your Dog In Shape!

We have discussed a large selection of natural and organic treats for your best friend and we hope that these reviews will help you to make an informed choice.

The transition from unhealthy treats to healthy snacks could take some time and you might feel that it will never happen but it eventually does.

The problems associated with obesity are many and you would rather go the long way than put your pet through a painful and disease-ridden life. Inculcate healthy habits early so that they opt for healthier treats all by themselves.

All the products listed here are top picks and whichever you choose to buy, you will guarantee your pet a healthy lifestyle.