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Healthy treats for your dog

22 Jul 2015

By Jennifer Gordon, BScPT, CAFCI, CCRT

We know all too well that dogs have mastered that sweet, drooling, eyes-pleading expression at the side of the dinner table. It is so hard to resist! Surely a little piece of chicken here, bacon there, garlic toast on the side can’t be bad. Well, just like us…it all adds up!

Instead of feeding the beloved bacon and steak strips, practice some tough love and incorporate some healthier choices. Many dogs love the crunch of carrots, celery, apples and little bits of broccoli. Like our small children, we can trick them too into getting these nutrients into their system by blending them up and mixing them in with some dry food! Grapes and raisins are off the menu for dogs however, as they have been linked with kidney failure in canines.

A good way to cut down on a few calories is The Pumpkin Method. Most dogs don’t mind the sweet taste of pumpkin and this is a great way to bulk up their mealtime while cutting down on calories. If your dog needs to be on a wee diet, try reducing your dog’s current food intake by a third (including treats) and add back in twice that amount of canned pumpkin. For example if you feed your dog 3 cups of dry food in a day, you can substitute 2 cup of canned natural pumpkin (no sugar added) and the other 2 cups of dry.

Battling the bulge with our four legged friends is paramount for the longevity of their joints, their spine, their heart, and their mental well-being. An easy way to check if your pooch could lose a few pounds is to feel the tissue along their ribs. If you can pick up a substantial handful of love, it is likely time for a bit of boot camp. There should be a thin layer of skin and underlying tissue along the ribs and some of the lower ribs should be slightly visible. Your dog should also have a bit of a curve to its waistline and abdominal area, rather than a straight, thick appearance.

Here’s a healthy recipe for yummy dog-treats:

Apple Cheddar Biscuits

2 cups barley flour

½ cup oatmeal

1/3 cup shredded cheddar

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 deg. and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl mix all the ingredients with approximately 3 Tbsp of water to form a dough. Roll out the mixture and cut into biscuits with a cookie cutter of your choice. Bake 30 min until browned and firm.

  And enjoy loving your healthy, slimmer dog!!