What should I look for when buying healthy dog treats?

Avoid meat by-products

Meat by-products are products also known as slaughter waste. These are products not used for human consumption. This does not mean the products are unsuitable for us, but we simply do not want to eat them. Animal by-products include hooves, feathers, tendons, cartilage, and bones. When snacks contain meat by-products, you don't know exactly what is in the snack or if it is good for your dog. Meat by-products have lower digestibility than high-quality meat. Therefore, it is important to always check the composition of the dog snack. Look for a snack where the exact protein source is listed, for example: dehydrated lamb or duck meal, and choose another snack if the composition includes meat and animal by-products. By carefully checking the composition, you know exactly which protein source is used in the snack and can reward your dog in a healthy way.

Extra tips

We would like to share a few more tips and points of attention for finding healthy dog snacks:

Pay attention to the size of the snack: a Beagle needs a different size snack than a Great Dane. Look for a snack that fits your dog. This is especially important when buying chew snacks. They should not be too small, as there is a chance a dog might swallow the snack whole.

Purchasing specific snacks: some dogs suffer from a food allergy, food intolerance, or have a sensitive digestive system. For these dogs, finding specific snacks is very important. The snacks must not contain ingredients that your dog may react negatively to. Always check the composition and exclude snacks that contain ingredients your four-legged friend cannot tolerate.

For example: on a dog snack package you might find the following text ‘’grain-free snacks with lamb for adult dogs.’’ If the packaging does not specify that the snacks hypoallergenic are, there is a chance the snacks contain other protein sources besides lamb. For example, the snacks might also contain chicken. If you give these snacks to your dog and he is allergic to chicken proteins, he will not react well to the snacks.

Watch the amount: it's nice to occasionally treat your dog with something tasty. But snacks should not make up a large part of the diet, maximum 10%.
Especially if your dog is on a diet, it is important not to give too many snacks. You can also look for low-fat snacks for dogs that need to lose weight.

Snacks can be very enjoyable for your dog. You can give them as a reward or as a treat. You can then give reward treats or dried chew snacks give. Dried chew snacks might be more fun as a treat. Reward treats are more fun as a real reward for your four-legged friend!

Many dogs already enjoy Riverwood every day. Would you also like your dog to savor our delicious foods and are you curious which variant would suit your dog best? Answer a few questions here and order a discounted trial pack right away.