Milkbone and Doggie cookie alternatives?

[MommaKat]

I have recently been concerned about my pets nutrition. Especially Maggie, She will probably benefit the most from the change in food. I was wondering if there are healthy alternatives to Milk bones and Doggie cookies. If Maggie has Milkbones (especially the cheap colored ones) she gets a sick tummy:sad: Any suggestion is welcome

[Chaser]

Some healthier cookie options are Old Mother Hubbard or Wellness brand cookies. Ginger Ridge is also a company that makes great organic, GMO-free treats. Zuke's makes good jerky-type treats that are the perfect size for training. Good brands like these can usually be found at smaller shops that specialize in pets. Look for ingredients with names that you actually recognize and can pronounce, and the fewer ingredients in the treat, the better!

Other healthy treat options are carrots, broccoli, apples, banana and frozen melon balls. All of these are very popular at my house! When we first got Kailey she looked at me like I was an idiot for giving her veggies as treats, but she warmed up to them after a while and will now do almost anything to get her paws on a carrot!!!

Oh, and if you like to cook, you could always try making some of your own, so that way you know exactly what's in them. I have to admit I'm not quite that ambitious, but here's a website you could try if you want to give it a shot!

http://www.bullwrinkle.com/Assets/Recipes/Recipes.htm

[the gang]

my guys too were overweight, i have put them on carrots big ones, not baby ones full of sugar---, and they are on r d from the vet 1 cookie at bed time -- what a differance i see ribs!!!! brenda and the pins..

[pitgrrl]

String cheese, baby carrots, pieces of fruit, dehydrated liver/heart/meat treats (Benny Bully's are the one's I get most often), dehydrated yams, home made cookies......

[MommaKat]

These are all really great tips. I don't like to cook very much but Homemade doggie cookies sounds like fun. Maggie does like cheese, I will give fruit and veggies a try. Thanks folks

[BeagleMum]

I get Maxim and Northern Biscuit because they are both wheat free. I also get dhydrated chicken & duck strips (the duck are from Walmart and chicken from Costco). With Spencer's allergies, I can't help but to keep things healthy.

Oh, and my two also get baby carrots, apples, cucumbers, and green peppers as treats as well.

[rainbow]

This is one of my favourite homemade treats to make cuz it is soooo easy.

http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=25544


There are lots of other suggestions here as well....

http://www.pets.ca/forum/forumdispla...=38&order=desc

[MommaKat]

Thanks Rainbow. I'm still a little new around here That sounds like an easy cookie. I will give it a try.

[growler~GateKeeper]

For those in BC, Alberta and Burlington & Toronto in Ont there are Feelgood Treats, they currently don't have a retailer in Eastern Canada though. They make dry treats as well as frozen liver treats for dogs and cats.

[erykah1310]

I make liver muffins for training, havent had a dog yet that didn't do what was asked for this doggie crack muffin.
Recipe is really easy but stinks while baking.
I'll dig it up. I have made substitutions though as I dont like using flour as teh main staple for it.

[erykah1310]

Found that suprisingly fast... here's the recipe
http://www.skiplynkennels.com/Recipes.asp

[Goldens4Ever]

Grain-free is the way to go with all canine/feline products. All of the products below are grain-free. Some are hard cookies, some are freeze dried, some dehydrated, etc.

-Companion Natural Pet Food Freeze Dried Duck Hearts
-Companion Natural Pet Food Freeze Dried Wild Alaskan Salmon
-Love Your Pet Bakery dehydrated jerky treats
-Muddy Paw Biscuits
-A Dog’s Dream: Original grain-free cookies
-Wellness: Venison & Salmon Bits
-Wellness: Turkey & Salmon Bits
-Primal: FD Treats (all are grain-free)
-Bravo: FD & Dry Roasted greats (all are grain-free)

[kandy]

I have to keep a close eye on Hazel's weight - but she loves cookies, so she gets Old Mother Hubbard's 'Couch Potato Lite' biscuits. Of course we never say that they are 'diet' dog cookies in front of Hazel. LOL

My dogs also get pizzles and freeze dried liver treats. Sometimes the newfs will eat apples, but only if they are both there (they are more worried that the other will get their treat than what the treat actually is). Other than that, none of them will touch fruit of any kind.

If you choose a grain free treat - watch for higher levels of carbs (and possibly higher fat or calories) because if the treat substitutes fruits for grains, it can actually have higher carb levels than a treat that is not grain free. Higher protein is good for weight loss, higher carbs are not.

[Purpledomino]

I only feed the Innova EVO treats now (by Natura). After checking out most treat ingredients, this one seems the best from the ones I've looked at. They are easy to break apart for the little dogs too. You can check out the ingredients on their website.
www.naturapet.com