[Rick S]

My 11 year old wheaten terrier recently contracted pancreatitis and was put on a special low fat diet.My vet said that all treats henceforth should be low fat meaning under 5% or lower preferably 3% or lower of crude fat. The misleading statement on most packages is”not less than” a certain percentile which tells me nothing as opposed to “not more than” which would be a much better guide.Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.Thanks!

[Rick S]

Thanks Pug!

[aquariangt]

I use these chicken breast strips

http://www.boulderdogfoodcompany.com/canine-treats/chicken/chicken-breast-strips

They are also pretty high value, so work well for training. The honest kitchen treats are pretty low fat as well, though I don’t particularly like the pecks and smooches-they take my dogs a long time to chew, so ok for an around the house treat, but I don’t like them for training. I love the quickies though! they are super low calorie

• This reply was modified 11 years ago by aquariangt.

[Bobby dog]

Another homemade treat you can make is from pate’ style canned food. If you find one your dog can eat or you feed one now spread some out evenly, about 1/4″ in. thick, on a cookie sheet. Use parchment paper to keep it from sticking to the pan. You can even mix in some vegetables or fruit if that is appropriate for your dog. Bake 325-350 degrees until it is the consistency that you can cut it with a pizza cutter; about 20-30 minutes depending on the consistency you want. I have done this a few times and I bake it enough to keep it a little chewy. I keep some in a plastic container in the fridge and freeze the rest. Freeze in portions because they tend to freeze together and are hard to separate.

[Bobby dog]

Here’s another homemade treat recipe I have that I forgot about. I haven’t made this one, but this would be convenient to make if you are feeding kibble. I would freeze anything I wasn’t feeding within a week for this recipe also:

Place 2 cups of dry food into a blender or food processor. Grind to a powder consistency. Pour the dry powder into a medium mixing bowl and add 1 1/4 cup of water. Stir until a dough forms. Using a table spoon or small cookie dropper, drop dog cookies onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350° F for 30 minutes. Cool completely before serving to your dog. Store in the refrigerator for one week.
http://www.dogtreatkitchen.com/dog-food-treat.html

[neezerfan]

How about baby carrots or green beans?

[Dori]

Hi Rick. For treats I give my girls small cut up pieces of fruits and veggies. I don’t give any commercial treats whatsoever. You can give your dog all sorts of berries, bananas, peaches, and other fruits. As for veggies…well there are just so many. Carrots, green beans, broccoli, cucumbers, celery, etc. The list is long for both. You can also google what fruits and vegetables are appropriate for dogs. Of course do not ever feed onions, raisins, grapes. With fruits make sure you never give them the pits and with apples do not feed the core or any of the seeds. I try to make sure fruits and veggies are organic but that’s not always possible in the winter months. Sometimes the organic just looks kinda yucky so I go with the regular. I don’t given them any of the skins (typically have pesticide residues on them) so I peel them. Hope any of these suggestions help. I’m not particularly into cooking (did that for too many years to be bothered with it now) so I’m not inclined to cook or bake treats.

[Margaret G]

I also use a dehydrator to prepare chicken breast chips. Cut them thin (freeze a bit first), then pound as thin as you like. Vegs also work well sweet potato, zuccini, and apple.

[Dori]

Margaret G. Great for mentioning dehydrating fruits and veggies as a suggestion to Rick. I do this all the time and totally forgot to mention it. Thanks.

[Kathleen C]

No one came forward with some really low cal low fat treats. The Zukes salmon is the only one I can find with fewer than 3 cal per treat, but they are very small. I need a biscuit size one with very low calories. Any suggestions? He already gets veggies, but they too can put weight on.

[Bobby dog]

Kathleen C:
If you are just looking for a low cal/fat treat and your dog has no specific health issues like Rick’s dog take a look at freeze dried treats. You can buy them on-line and in pet stores. I use Stella & Chewy Carnivore Kisses and Stewart’s Pro-Treats. If your dog has weight issues remove some food from his meals to compensate for the extra calories. If the calories are not written on the labels contact the company for the amount. Several posters also use kibble for treats adjusting the meals they feed accordingly to compensate for calories. Aquariangt also suggested The Honest Kitchen treats. I don’t know of any low cal treats that are large in size, normally the larger the treat the more calories.

http://stewartpet.com/our-products/treats/pro-treat-freeze-dried-treats/
http://www.stellaandchewys.com/dog-kisses.php

[Kathleen C]

Thank you Bobby dog. I already remove some kibble from his food and also use the kibble as treats, along with green beans, carrots and a salmon Zuke’s soft treat he loves. I need a more substantial type like the Zuke’s…it’s very small and I know they have something that looks more like a bar that’s also low fat, I just can’t find it right now. I wanted a much lower fat Milk Bone type treat…goes further since it’s easy to break up. Thank you for the two suggestions. I will look into both.

[Rick S]

Thanks for all the responses! Has anyone ever had experience with Full Moon chicken jerky treats? Made in the USA,claiming.natural ingredients,they show a crude fat content of 2% min.which can be misleading.Is there any way to find out what the actual fat content is?
Thanks!

[Rick S]

After calling Full Moon,I was told the maximum crude fat content is 6% which if accurate is better than most.

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