Functional dog treats. How to Keep Your Pet Healthy and Fit?
By design, dog treats are not only a tasty addition to their diet, but also an important part of the process of training, rewarding, and building a bond between the owner and the pet.For this reason, their ingredients must be made from exceptionally tasty raw materials, and their shape must be suitable for play and training.
Types of dog treats
The most popular types of treats include: dehydrated meat and animal-based products, dried pieces of skin and tendons, baked dog biscuits , extruded treats, and functional treats.While the ingredients in snacks vary widely and the only limit to the raw materials used in their production is the manufacturers’ creativity, they nevertheless serve as a source of nutrients, delivered in a concentrated and highly appealing form.The main ingredients in this type of dog food should be meat and animal-based products, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables; therefore, it’s best to focus exclusively on treats made from these ingredients.
The important role of the owner: portioning out dog treats
It is extremely important for caregivers to strictly adhere to the recommended portion sizes for snacks.Their systematic, long-term, and uncontrolled use can lead to overweight and obesity in dogs.
Let’s remember that a highly palatable treat is also a high-energy component of an animal’s diet.For this reason, if we choose to use treats when building a relationship with animals, the safer option is what are known as "functional treats".These are products that, in addition to their nutritional value, also provide ingredients that have a powerful yet safe effect on the body and can therefore serve as a foundation for the prevention of diet-related diseases.They are a source of bioactive compounds whose mechanism of action helps combat the effects of oxidative stress.
Using all methods to protect the body against oxidative stress, including functional snacks, helps slow down the aging process and control inflammation, thereby protecting m.in.protects joint cartilage from degradation and helps improve the metabolism of every cell in the body.
Valuable nutrients in functional dog treats
The raw materials that provide the most valuable biologically active compounds for animals include: omega-3 fatty acids, prebiotics, polyphenols, chondroprotective substances, beta-glucans, vitamins, and minerals.
Using this type of snack relieves the owner of the responsibility to ensure the pet is given the right amount—I would even go so far as to say that it requires strict adherence to the manufacturer’s recommended amounts.When choosing this type of snack, it’s a good idea to look for ones that aren’t based solely on high fat content.
The production method that best preserves the nutritional value of the raw materials is drying.It allows for the elimination of preservatives and synthetic antioxidants.The simplicity of the ingredients is a strong argument for using these types of treats in your daily interactions with your dog.Dog treats such as those found at and —especially the dried varieties—retain the high nutritional value of the ingredients used to make them, while also being convenient to use during walks and other activities with your dog.
An extremely important issue regarding the safety of these products is the proper conduct of distributors and pet store staff.Any product that, due to its chemical composition, is susceptible to changes in microbiological and chemical safety should be protected from factors that threaten that safety.This is one of the reasons why leak-proof individual packages are so important, as they allow pet owners to use them conveniently in their daily activities with their dogs.
