It's simple to locate dog treats for sale, but a lot harder to find ones that have real nutritional value for your pet. Make sure to read the labels and see what ingredients are contained in the dog treats. Just as with human food labeling, dog foods legally must list their ingredients, in order from the largest amount down to the smallest.

Look mainly at the first four ingredients. These are the core of the treats and should be examined closely. Try to avoid things such as corn of any type, meat by-product, glutens, and soy. Corn, glutens, and soy are just filler and have no nutritional value. Meat by-products are just what it says, by-products, meaning, animal parts that are unfit for human consumption. Other things to avoid are butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), and ethoxyquin, known carcinogens. Propylene glycol is also often used in dog treats. This is anti-freeze!

Dog food and treats that are homemade is a great idea. By making your own treats and foods for dogs, you can put what you want to put in them. Plain yogurt with honey and peanut butter and put in a icetray and got frozen is a great idea for a snack for a dog. Vegetables like carrots, tomatoes, and green beans is a very healthy snack for a dog that carries extra weight. Dried sweet potatoes might be another option for something healthy for them. Foods such as grapes, raisins, and macadamia nuts are not good for dogs at all and very harmful, so don't feed those to dogs. Do some research before feeding foods that are not healthy for dogs.

Another option that all dogs love is plain, raw beef bones. Not only is it food in its natural form, raw bones also provide a good way to clean your dog's teeth. Another benefit from this form of dog treat is it will keep your pet occupied for an extended period of time. Feeding a raw diet also means less waste to clean up. The marrow in the bones is also good for your dogs. Do not cook bones in any way, as this is what causes them to splinter. Always supervise your dog when giving raw bones.

You may want to consider discussing treatment options with your vet, but do so with some caution. Most veterinarians have little in the way of training on pet nutrition, and the majority of the training that they do have comes from the pet food manufacturers that are promoting their pet food products. This is the reason why most vets carry the products from these companies. When you actually read the label it will amaze you what actually goes into the vet recommended products.

Conscientious pet owners should always read the labels of their pet's food and treats. This should be done periodically as pet food manufacturers are changing their ingredients in an attempt to cut costs. Even some premium food companies have downgraded their ingredients. For example, before concerned pet owners protested the change, one company was using fish preserved in ethoxyquin to cut corners. Other examples are less extreme. Canidae dog food has changed some of the ingredients in its lamb and rice variety, lessening the quality of what was not a premium dog food to begin with.

When looking at the active ingredients in dog treats you would want to concentrate on the first four ingredients. Even some premium food companies have downgraded their ingredients. The makers of canidae dog food has changed some of the ingredients in its lamb and rice variety, lessening the quality of what was not a premium dog food to begin with. It's a good idea to prepare pet foods and treats yourself at home so you can determine precisely what they consist of. However, since some foods are actually poisonous for canines (like grapes, raisins and certain nuts), you will want to do your homework before preparing homemade dog food.