# Do you hold to the same standard?



## lgnutah (Feb 26, 2007)

When you give your dog a treat, do you read the label to make sure there is no corn, wheat, whatever it is you select against when you choose a dog food?
Just wondering.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

Sort of.

I stay away from the grocery store treats ... "Beggin' Strips" and the like. However, if someone wants to give my dog a "Milk Bone" or something, I don't ask, "Hey, what's in that?" before I let him have it. I would if he had allergies, though.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

YES! I don't let strangers give my dogs treats and I definitely don't want anything made in China ( a good share of treats are). Usually, I stick to either just bits of their kibble or a little carrot or piece of banana, apple, etc.


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## Blondie (Oct 10, 2009)

I don't buy treats much. Zuke's and Fromm treats are about the only brand, and it's not often. I give mostly fruit and vegetable pieces.


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## Jax's Mom (Oct 16, 2009)

I dont have anything against corn, gluten, wheat etc. I try to give my dogs a good dry food and add my own "sides" like chopped meat, osome organ meats, beef stock, yogurt, etc, depending on what I have in the house. I get whatever isnt too expensive for treats. We give them very few treats, as we have cut back dramatically in recent months for various reasons. So the occasional puperoni and snausage is given, but we also buy sweet potato treats and "jerky" as well. We kind of mix it up over here. Their favorite, BTW is seet potato treats!


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

Unfortunately, Gunner has had horrific allergic reactions to some "healthy" treats but tolerates MilkBones well! So we use MilkBones broken in pieces for treats and the few healthy (and expensive)treats that haven't bothered him for special occasions. They love dehydrated liver!!!


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## Ninde'Gold (Oct 21, 2006)

For the most part, the only treats the dogs get are whatever we're eating for dinner (some chicken, or pork...steak...bacon)

Though now and again we buy them those Snausages thing because they go crazy for them.


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## jackie_hubert (Jun 2, 2010)

Yes. But we feed dehydrated liver for treats or his regular kibble. If I homemake treats I use potato starch or rice flour. I dont necessarily believe that wheat is inherently bad but Cosmo seemed to get really bad ear infections and the itches when I homemade a bunch of whole wheat based cookies so we'll stay on the safe side for now.


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

No. But then I do not buy dog treats other than Charlie Bears and I use them VERY sparingly. I use string cheese and hot dogs. The hot dogs I am currently in favor of are the Oscar Meyer All Beef with no nitrates.


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## Sophie_Mom (Jan 21, 2009)

Yep - The treats I buy are held to the same standard as food. Our favorites are from Fromm and the Sojos Peanut Butter and Honey. They also really like the Fruitables with pumpkin and cranberry or blueberry.


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## mm03gn (Sep 24, 2008)

Yes absolutely - the girls have been thriving on the raw diet so we are pretty careful to avoid all of the "fillers" that are in kibble... we usually just use dehydrated beef lung as a treat...they LOVE it! Also - baby carrots. 

There are a lot of dogs in our neighbourhood, and a LOT of seniors homes....so when we go for walks, we very often encounter seniors out on excursions who carry dog treats on them. Most are very respectful and ASK if they can give our dogs treats - and we politely decline, saying they have "allergies"...but sometimes they just outright start handing the dogs a bunch treats... the dogs love it, but we are less than pleased. It makes the people so happy that we don't say anything...but it's definitely a peeve of ours!


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

Yes. I read the labels and try to find the healthiest treats for them. No, I don't flip out if someone gives them a milkbone. There is an elderly man who is sometimes at the park where I walk my dogs and he always has a pocket of milkbones. It gives him great pleasure to give them to the dogs and the dogs love them. One or two milkbones occasionally won't kill them anymore than a brownie occasionally will kill me!


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## GoldenCamper (Dec 21, 2009)

I won't even touch the corn wheat etc thing, that would just be another food debate type thing. I won't go there. I do always read the ingredients.

I meant to post a thread about treats while back, but never did so. Some of you may find this surprising, some may not. I wasn't.

Short story: When I first adopted Tucker my dad bought Tucker some treats. I never gave them to Tucker, I thought it was garbage but never told my dad that. I had a conversation about dog treats with a friend this year and a light bulb went off in my head.

*I've got a bag of ancient dog treats, never opened I said. Want to make a bet they are still good?* They declined the wager. This bag expired Dec 20th 2001. Sure enough when I opened it (right in front of them, I have a witness) almost 10 years later they were still good, at least they looked and smelled so. Here are some pics for proof.

The bag:










Expiration date:










Ingredients:










Just like brand new :yuck: I doubt they would cause harm, but not even feeding my dogs this type of stuff.










I have some trial bags of something called Thompsons pasta plus someone gave me back when Deardra was alive, never opened. I should do a video of the opening, bet that stuff is still good too. Those expired June 9th 1998. Any takers that it is fine? Loaded with BHA&BHT, Mmmmm.

It is not my intention to make waves here. A little junk food never killed anyone. Tucker enjoyed McDonald's cheeseburgers near his end with cancer, but at that point proper nutrition went out the window. Those cheeseburgers were healthier compared to the above mentioned toxic waste. Just my opinion of course.

Gotta say making your own dog treats for your best fiend makes the house smell really good


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

I'm sorry to say, but nope. *blush*

I think to my brain dog food is different because my dog gets two cups of that every single day. 

Treats are more hit/miss. And generally it's just something I use when at class - if that. 

I was at a fun match on Sunday and just chopped up cheese and went with that. Would not give 2 cups of cheese every day. But a handful on one day every week is not going to hurt anything.

And I don't fight milkbones anymore. My mom buys them for the dogs. I would not ask her to spend $$$ for the brands I'd prefer they eat. Milkbones are cheap and I think they might do some good for the teeth. I mentioned to my sister that the collie's breath smells GREAT and his teeth are looking really clean for once. The only thing she's done differently is letting my mom hand out milkbones to him when he's over during the day.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

The only treats Toby gets now are his Yummy Chummies from Alaska, peanut butter, banana and sweet potato pieces. The Yummy Chummies are chock full of salmon and the omega 3 fatty acids. As soon as my dental issues are resolved I'll be back to apples and he'll get apples.

I think another question is: do you hold yourself to the same standards of high quality that you do for your dog? By this I mean little processed foods, low sodium, no added sugars, etc. I do.


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## newport (Aug 8, 2011)

I am pretty picky about treats. Not many and if Lola gets any it is usually just jerky or grain free something or other. I have Lola on a grain free half raw diet-* not 100% raw* but 50-50. I just do not think dogs require many simple carbs- as in nature dogs pretty much subsist on prey they catch- raw soft bones and occational berries or some predigested. greens in prey stomachs. I think a lot of ailments are caused by our adapting dogs to what we feel is easiest to give them rather than what they really need( such a man made dry food). That is the worst and I think contributes to bloat among other ailments.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Dallas Gold said:


> I think another question is: do you hold yourself to the same standards of high quality that you do for your dog? By this I mean little processed foods, low sodium, no added sugars, etc. I do.


I looked up "processed foods" and I guess not. 

I know my body pretty well and know what messes up my system, so caring for myself is pretty easy. 

I know I'm allergic to carrots. So I do not eat carrots. 

I know I'm allergic to apples. So I do not eat apples.

I know my stomach can't handle red meat. So I do not eat red meat. 

But it's all guesswork when it comes to my dog. :doh:


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

The humans and dogs in our family eat very healthy 99% of the time but I LOVE a good junk treat once in awhile (like a McDonald's soft serve ice cream cone!) so I doubt it hurts the boys to have a MilkBone. They eat plenty of healthy food.


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## Ninde'Gold (Oct 21, 2006)

My dogs eat better than I do.... LOL.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

Dallas Gold said:


> I think another question is: do you hold yourself to the same standards of high quality that you do for your dog? By this I mean little processed foods, low sodium, no added sugars, etc. I do.


I try to. But as I said, the occasional brownie hasn't killed me yet. But I do try to stay away from processed foods as much as possible.


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## msdogs1976 (Dec 21, 2007)

Yes, I adhere to the same high standards I have for his kibble. I feed Eukanuba and he gets a few Milk Bone treats here and there.


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## canine_mommy (Dec 27, 2010)

Thanks. I was looking for a hot dog treat with no nitrates. I gave a bit of Jennie O's turkey dogs and Austin just lovvves them! But I didn't want to give more because of the nitrates in it. Will try Oscar Meyer ones for sure.



AmbikaGR said:


> No. But then I do not buy dog treats other than Charlie Bears and I use them VERY sparingly. I use string cheese and hot dogs. The hot dogs I am currently in favor of are the Oscar Meyer All Beef with no nitrates.


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## canine_mommy (Dec 27, 2010)

I use Zuke's (all the different kinds) and Newman's Own treats. No wheat, corn, soy... and yeah, I read the labels with the same diligence as I do for food. Other than these, I also use carrots, beans, broccoli and fruits (which are safe).


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

I did before I moved back home. Ranger only had grain-free cookies since he was on a grain-free diet, and then was raw fed. But since moving home...

Dad adores Ranger and is constantly stopping at the pet store to get the 'bulk bin' cookies or grabbing a box of milkbones at the grocery store. A few milkbones a day (though I think Ranger had about 10 today since dad was trying to teach him a new trick) won't hurt him. And I'd rather my dad feel like he can treat Ranger like his own dog and spend time with him and give him cookies as opposed to, "I wonder if I can give this to Ranger or if *Ranger's Mom* will be mad". The relationship between my dad and I and his relationship with Ranger is more important than fretting over what kinds of cookies Ranger gets fed.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Ranger said:


> Dad adores Ranger and is constantly stopping at the pet store to get the 'bulk bin' cookies or grabbing a box of milkbones at the grocery store.* A few milkbones a day (though I think Ranger had about 10 today since dad was trying to teach him a new trick) won't hurt him.* And I'd rather my dad feel like he can treat Ranger like his own dog and spend time with him and give him cookies as opposed to, "I wonder if I can give this to Ranger or if *Ranger's Mom* will be mad". The relationship between my dad and I and his relationship with Ranger is more important than fretting over what kinds of cookies Ranger gets fed.


I try not to think about how many milkbones my guy gets in a day. I made the mistake of mentioning to my mom that my guy's weight dropped below 78 (the scale thingy settled on 77.3 when we got him weighed this month) for the first time in about a year. 

Next thing I know she ran out and bought a big box of Large milkbones. Because she thinks he's too thin. :doh: And I'm the one who gets lectures from our obedience instructor about keeping him skinny for jumping (and this woman doesn't even know about his hips).


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

Yes, I'm careful about the treats Riley gets. If he only got a couple treats here and there, I probably wouldn't be as vigilant. But we're working on his issues every time we take a walk, so he gets way too many for me not to be particular.
I have to make sure that they're lower fat and lower calorie treats, without a lot of 'garbage' in them. And I pay attention to where they're made.


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## Jige (Mar 17, 2011)

I have yet to find a treat BaWaaJige likes. I have a friend making him some different flavored homemade treats hopefully he will like one of those. Vendetta likes Bil*Jac treats so I buy her those once in awhile but I dont use treats that much for training. I use praise and play.


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## Florabora22 (Nov 30, 2008)

Sort of. I try to buy Flora treats made in the U.S. but that is really my only restriction.

We fed Carmella Iams and snausages for years and she lived to be almost 15. So... I often feel like food plays only a small role in the overall health of your animal.


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

kdmarsh said:


> We fed Carmella Iams and snausages for years and she lived to be almost 15. So... I often feel like food plays only a small role in the overall health of your animal.


Our cooper used to LOVE his Snausages. I won't give them to Riley, but they obviously never hurt Coop.
In fact, I still have his last bag of Snausages in the cupboard. We lost him more than four years ago, have moved since, and I can't bring myself to throw them away. :uhoh:


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## Florabora22 (Nov 30, 2008)

LifeOfRiley said:


> Our cooper used to LOVE his Snausages. I won't give them to Riley, but they obviously never hurt Coop.
> In fact, I still have his last bag of Snausages in the cupboard. We lost him more than four years ago, have moved since, and I can't bring myself to throw them away. :uhoh:



I still have the sweatshirt I was wearing when Carmella died hanging in my closet... unwashed.


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## Bogey's Mom (Dec 23, 2008)

Sophie_Mom said:


> Yep - The treats I buy are held to the same standard as food. Our favorites are from Fromm and the Sojos Peanut Butter and Honey. They also really like the Fruitables with pumpkin and cranberry or blueberry.


Fruitables are a big hit in our house too. We love them!


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## Golden123 (Dec 6, 2009)

The only thing I really check for is artifical dyes, added sugar. Things like that.


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## rhondas (Sep 10, 2010)

I always read the ingredients. However, most of the treats I use are homemade. I do buy K9 Kraving, Plato and Ziwi Peak products that are grain free.


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## oakleysmommy (Feb 20, 2011)

i wouldnt feed grocery store treats but i do get every so often a bag of the cookies at Petco that you can pick out your self..they do have wheat in them. i usually give them kibble as treats or small pcs of apple, banana or carrots


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## lgnutah (Feb 26, 2007)

Dallas Gold said:


> I think another question is: do you hold yourself to the same standards of high quality that you do for your dog? By this I mean little processed foods, low sodium, no added sugars, etc. I do.


Good question!


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

Dallas Gold said:


> The only treats Toby gets now are his Yummy Chummies from Alaska, peanut butter, banana and sweet potato pieces. The Yummy Chummies are chock full of salmon and the omega 3 fatty acids. As soon as my dental issues are resolved I'll be back to apples and he'll get apples.
> 
> I think another question is: *do you hold yourself to the same standards of high quality that you do for your dog? By this I mean little processed foods, low sodium, no added sugars, etc. I do*.


Lordie, no. I bet I'd live a lot longer if I did, though. I do the basics: I never eat fast food, don't use artificial sweeteners, don't drink pop. I have a fruit supplement that is equivalent to 8 servings a fruit a day and I take that daily, plus multi-vit, omega 3, vitamin d + calcium. But other than that, it's a freaking free for all.

I've eaten cheesecake for breakfast and will again. I put real cream in my coffee. I don't buy "low fat" anything and I probably have something sweet once a day. I lavishly sprinkle salt onto pretty much everything (though my excuse is scary low blood pressure). My only saving grace is that I consume small amounts of food otherwise I'd probably be 400 lbs with blocked arteries.


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## desi.n.nutro (Mar 18, 2011)

I buy treats at the same standard as the food too. 

All natural. No artificial preservatives or coloring. No corn. and for my Miss Maggie Mae, no lamb.

I get it that treats are for love and reward but I love when a treat has a health benefit too. I give antioxidant protection treats from ULTRA and Natural Choice. We also give GREENIES because they put the treat in treatment. I give carrots because we all know they are good for the eyes. I also give apples and pumpkin for fiber.


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

Yes. I buy high-quality treats but when I think about the stuff he eats when outside; deer poop, moss from the pond, sticks etc. :doh: I realize it's probably unnecessary.


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