Vegetarian dog treats – healthy or harmful?

More and more people are deciding to implement a vegetarian diet into their dogs’ lives. This topic is controversial and brings up many questions, the most important of which is: can vegetarian dog treats be harmful?

Each diet must be balanced

The key to a healthy diet – regardless of whether it is vegetarian or not – is to balance it. The idea is to plan meals so that they provide your pet with all the necessary nutrients in the quantities it needs to live, play and learn. These include protein, fats and carbohydrates, along with valuable vitamins and minerals.

Do standard pet foods guarantee health?

In fact, commonly available dog food is not a good example of a well-balanced meal. It usually contains a lot of fillers that do not deliver any precious nutritional value, so it’s at best neutral to the dog’s health and at worst harmful. A dog fed with standard pellets often gets too much protein, and this puts it at risk of liver and kidney problems, among other things.

Are vegetarian dog treats healthy?

Vegetarian dog foods and snacks are made by dog nutritionists and their recipes are carefully created – so that they are perfectly balanced and ensure all the necessary nutritional values. It is true, however, that some vitamins cannot be provided through vegetable ingredients. That is why vegetarian foods are enriched with the missing vitamins. They combine an optimal amount of protein, fat and carbohydrates and also contain more fiber – important for the dog’s digestive system. What is more, vegetarian food is low in calories and is completely natural and therefore free of unnecessary and harmful fillers.

So can vegetarian dog treats be harmful? No. But you can make a few mistakes while you feed your dog such treats.

Want to introduce vegetarian treats into your dog’s diet? Follow these rules!

• Start introducing plant-based meals gradually. First, let them serve as small snacks added to your dog’s current, traditional diet. Over time, increase the amount of vegetarian food, becoming increasingly bold in replacing meat week by week. If you change the diet too quickly, your dog may experience digestive problems. It is the same with humans: the reason is due to more fibre and legumes, which simply take some time to get used to. You can also stop at combining traditional meals with vegetarian snacks.
• Before you decide on vegetarian treats for your dog, consult a professional – a vet or dog nutritionist. They will tell you which foods to consider, how to implement them wisely into your dog’s diet and which supplements your dog cannot do without.
• Choose vegetarian treats from reliable and recognised brands – only then you can know that the plant-based food has been carefully prepared and is not only tasty, but also balanced and healthy. At Teddy’s Treats, we additionally offer snacks full of love.