Treats are an important part of every dog’s diet! Not only do they give you a way to reward good behavior and train further good habits, they allow you to beef up your pet’s nutrition as long as you make healthy choices. From training treats to larger chewables and bones, treats can keep your dog busy, strengthen their gums and teeth, and reinforce positive behavior at home and on the go.

Most veterinarians recommend keeping treats under 10% of your dog’s daily diet, and you should make sure that your pup gets the bulk of his nutrition from his food before filling up on cookies. But besides that, how do you know what treats are the right ones for your pet? Here are a few tips:

• Include real vegetables, like carrots, green beans, or broccoli, for a healthy crunch and pure nutrition. On a hot day, many dogs love chewing on a handful of frozen veggies to cool down. Before you go to the fridge, though, make sure the fruits or vegetables you choose are not toxic to dogs. Onions, grapes, avocado, and chocolate are at the top of the do-not-feed list.

• Opt for all-natural ingredients if you don’t rely on veggies for snacking. Many popular dog treats, like Milk Bones, are packed with sugar and other fillers designed to get your dog hooked. Even if you use treats sparingly, this amount of sugar can lead to serious tooth decay and bloated bellies. Remember: Dog treats aren’t required to meet the same health standards as complete nutrition systems, so go with a treat brand you can trust. (Hint: Pawsitively Pure’s limited-ingredient treats include nothing but the best!)

• Be careful when giving your dog bones to chew on. If you want to give your dog a real bone to gnaw on, make sure it’s a raw, meaty bone like a turkey neck. Cooked bones become brittle and can splinter easily, causing a choking hazard. Some bones, like antlers, may be too hard for your dog’s teeth and can cause cracking. Pay attention to your dog’s reaction to their treats and always supervise snacking.

Choosing the right treats for your dog should be fun and exciting. When you have a handful of flavors to choose from, you can pick out the one that makes your pup’s tail wag the hardest. Even picky eaters love Pawsitively Pure cookies. To learn more or to shop for your favorites, click here.

As you probably know by now, your dog’s diet has a lot to do with their activity levels and overall well being. Food is your dog’s first source of energy and nutrition. It’s also their first source of irritants and pollutants. Often, your dog will let you know that they’ve eaten something they don’t like by vomiting or displaying other gastrointestinal distress. Sometimes, however, symptoms may show up differently than you’d expect.

Beef, dairy, and wheat are among the three most common food allergies dogs experience. Here’s how you can tell your dog’s system doesn’t agree with some of the ingredients in their food:

• Constantly itchy skin. Itchiness is one of the most commonly cited symptoms of food allergies, usually accompanied by pink skin underneath. If your pup seems to itch without relief or is losing patches of hair due to too much scratching, there’s a good chance the cause is a food allergy - especially if over-the-counter shampoos and solutions don’t seem to work.

• Reddish-brown stains around the mouth and paws. Generally, these red patches can be attributed to yeast colonies, which are better able to grow at infection sites. These patches are often itchy and you may notice your dog licking its paws more than usual.

• Frequent ear infections. While dogs that are frequent swimmers are prone to swimmer’s ear, food allergens can also cause recurring infections in your furry friends. Check the ears for dark brown or black, stinky buildup. This, too, is usually caused by a yeast infection triggered by the appearance of an allergy.

What’s the next step if you think your dog has a food allergy? The most reliable test is through an elimination diet, which can take about 4-6 months to complete. In a program like this, you’ll take your dog’s diet back down to the very basics and slowly reintroduce each ingredient to determine how it affects their overall wellness. As always, consult your veterinarian before going on a program such as this.

Human-Grade Dog Food for Healthy Coat

Many pet parents find that their fur babies have healthier skin and coat after switching to a human-grade diet. Keeping your dogs on a simple, natural diet makes it easy to tell what ingredients work in harmony with their systems. Get human-grade dog food delivered to your door from Pawsitively Pure. Click here to browse our products.

As people around the world turn to whole, unprocessed foods as important sources of health and nutrition, they’ve also been rethinking their dogs’ diets. When you think about it, you’ll realize that dogs tend to get the short end of the stick when it comes to nutrition. Eating mass-produced kibble that’s packed with fillers day after day probably isn’t the most satisfying diet. No wonder commercial diets can lead to lethargy and boredom!

If you’re ready to weigh in on the debate, get informed! Here are the top three differences you’ll find when you compare small-batch dog food to commercial brands:

1. Small-batch food has little or no filler. Major dog food producers use a lot of filler in their product because it’s cheap and readily available. While it’s not inherently unhealthy for your pup, wouldn’t you rather give them their daily calories from food that’s packed with nutrition and nothing unnecessary? Having a clean, high-protein diet will most likely lead to boosted energy for your furry friends.

2. Small-batch food doesn’t have added sugars. That’s right - major food producers add sugar to your dog’s food, too. Just like humans do, dogs enjoy the taste of sugar and can get hooked on it. High sugar levels have the same effects in dogs that they do in humans, too: obesity, hypoglycemia, and tooth decay. Sugar in dog food takes many forms, like caramel, sucrose, or syrup.

3. Small-batch foods aren’t heavily processed. The sad truth about the proteins in commercial dog food often come from the scraps of food processed for humans - think beaks, hooves, etc. All those byproducts have to be processed to make an attractive, tasty food for your pups. With human-grade dog food, you can actually see what your dog is eating.

If you’re working on eating healthier for your overall wellness, don’t you think your dog could benefit from the same? After you transition your dog to small-batch, human-grade food, you’ll find that he has increased energy for playing, better breath for kissing, and lots of love to go around! To shop our products, click here, or get in touch with us if you have any questions.