The Truth About Commercial Dog Treats: What’s Really Inside

An old song goes by the phrase “sugar and spice, and everything nice”.  But that song is about human treats, NOT nutritious healthy dog treats.

In fact, added sugar, salt or anything besides SINGLE INGREDIENT tends to be NOT nice for a dog’s health.

Before we look at specifics about what’s really inside of the ‘bad’ commercial dog treats, that you buy at bulk mass made treat brands, lets highlight the findings:

MAIN Red Flags in Bad Dog Treats:

1. Grain fillers (like corn, wheat, or soy).
2. Meat by-products or meat meals: These are lower-quality protein sources that can include non-meat animal parts.
3. Artificial additives (colours, flavours, preservatives): These ingredients are unnecessary and may have long-term health effects.
4. Sugar and salt: Excessive sugar and salt. These can cause dog obesity, diabetes (and blindness), and heart issues in dogs.

 DETAILS about the RED FLAGS of Commercial dog treats…

1  Grain fillers (like corn, wheat, or soy).

Why are they bad?   This is because they are low in protein, and low in bio-availability (and palatability) for most dogs.  It’s only the ‘sugar and spices’ that trick their taste buds into thinking they taste ok. Which also happen to be bad for dogs (see last point below).

Most commercial dog food already includes at least 60% plant matter.  Why would you feed a treat to your dog that has EVEN LESS meat in it, than their regular food?

TASTE alone is not an indicator or healthy dog treats – just consider the human snacks at the supermarket counters full of sugar that even in humans lead to obesity and sugar related diseases.

We have said this many times before, but many owners still don’t realise that domestic dogs are carnivores. Sure, they are now classed as ‘facultative’ carnivores because human’s intervention over the centuries have forced dogs to adapt to process plants better than they did as wolves.  But domestic dog’s digestive systems are still based on the carnivore model.

Some grains are okay in small amounts, they shouldn’t make up the bulk of a dog’s treat or food.

2A  Meat by-products

Let’s understand the main reasons why Meat by-products and meat meal get a bad rap.  They can often be used in dog food, because dog food is typically ground up, colourised and disguised so you have no idea, except for the label that your dog is even eating these things (unless you read the label carefully).

From an ethical source, they can be tolerated in small quantities, but their quality and nutritional value are highly inconsistent. They typically are the things that you would never feed to a human, and are often NOT meat based. They are the discarded parts.

By comparison Whole meats (like chicken, beef, lamb, kangaroo, fish) are more digestible, nutritionally complete, and easier to trace back to specific sources, making them a better option.

When you buy single ingredient dog treats you will see the grain, and see the whole strip of meat. You won’t have to wonder what discarded part of the animal it came from. It will be a premium meat or offal cut.

BY DEFINITION, “Meat by-products” are parts of the animal that are not considered “human-grade” meat. These can include organs, bones, blood, cartilage, and other non-muscle tissues.

NOTE, that we sell treats that are 100% single ingredient MEAT, 100% single ingredient offal, 100% whole bone with some meat.

The difference between ‘meat by-product’ that you will see on ingredients lists, and our MEAT or OFFAL is that our meat is WHOLE pieces of SINGLE animal meat.  Or 100% single animal SPECIFIC ORGAN, from animals that were in good health.

A euphemism used to describe by products is that they can be ‘less nutrition’ or that they might be more prone to contamination with bacteria or toxins.

If you look up that negative associations of meat by-product on the net, you will find some true horror stories.  An interesting acronym is that by products can be considered to contain any of the 4 D’s.  Namely 4-D meat (meat from dead, dying, diseased or disabled animals)

AAFCO defines “meat byproducts” as the non-rendered, clean parts of an animal other than meat, which can include things like lungs, spleen, kidneys, and blood.  The issue here, is that these things in moderation, and from ethical sources are fine. However, if the source is from on of the 4 D sources, to ‘make potentially harmful meat byproducts safe’ for animal consumption – companies often rendering the sludge.

They don’t gently oven dry meat by-products, they heat them at higher temperatures and use pressure treatment)  to try to eliminate (or reduce) disease-causing micro-organisms.

Very high temperatures on poor quality mixed animal product often ruins the amino acids in the protein.

Meat by products don’t mean MEAT, it means every other animal part. So if it’s a primary ingredient in a dog food, it will be much lower absolute protein amounts to start with.  And if its hooves and tail pieces, it will have lower bio-availably – so the dogs get hardly any nutrition out of it.

WHOLE HOOVES or hooves with meat mince inside are Great occupier treats.  But when they are ground up and passed off as a meat variant, you are not getting the type of value or nutrition you might expect.

A grab bag of animal offcuts of varying quality is the FILLER EQUIVALENT of using plant matter.

2B  Meat Meal:  by definition is “the rendered product of meat that has been cooked down to remove moisture and fat.”

Less water in the mix, means the meat protein is more concentrated (like in a jerky) But, just like meat by-products, the specific quality of the meat (and the type) is often purposely obscured.

And because of the higher drying temperatures (because of pathogens and the mass product methods), not only can the meat protein be less useable, it is also likely to cause a  loss of vitamins and minerals.

Hence why you will often find vitamins and minerals HAVE TO BE ADDED to the ingredient list on the commercial dog food packs, just to meet the aafco minimum standards!

If your dog is allergic to any specific meat protein, or you want them to use the actual protein in that meat, ‘meat meal’ isn’t anywhere near as effective as SINGLE INGREDIENT meat jerkies.

3   Artificial additives (colours, flavours, preservatives):

Did you know that Artificial additives such as colours, flavours, and preservatives are regularly used in dog foods AND most NOT SINGLE INGREDIENT DOG TREATS. Artificial additives are used to “enhance appearance, taste, and shelf life”.

They are unnecessary and can have long-term health effects.

The fact is that SINGLE INGREDIENT healthy dog treats that we sell, DON’T require Preservatives, and of course they don’t have any Additives.  They don’t need to be disguised to be high value to a dog.

The colour additives are added to get the humans to buy the treat.  Dogs done see the low end of the colour spectrum so anything from the middle (yellow and green) appear as shades of these colours.  That means REDS are of no value to a dog.  But they get owners to buy them, based on appearance only.

PRESERVATIVES in commercial dog treats.

Single ingredient MEAT dog treats don’t have preservatives.

Only when plant matter is added do they require preservatives to not spoil.

For instance, our training treats (the ones that are composite) tend ot use Potassium sorbate as the preservative). This is used regularly in the human food chain, and is one of the most acceptable preservatives (when using plant matter in a treat).

SUMMARY of the worst Health Risks Associated with Artificial Additives:

1. Cancer Risks:   like butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene he (BHT), have been linked to cancer in dogs.  These are two common preservatives that have been used but are being phased out.
2. Allergic Reactions and Sensitivities: Artificial colours and flavours can trigger allergic reactions in dogs, leading to symptoms such as itching, skin rashes, and digestive issues.  Some owner can misguidedly blame a meat protein, when its actually been the additive all along !
3. Organ Damage: Artificial preservatives like ethoxyquin, originally used as a pesticide, have been associated with liver and kidney problems in dogs.

Behavioural Issues: Some studies suggest that artificial additives, particularly colours, can cause    hyperactivity and behavioural problems in dogs.

References (doggydoglane.com, Dog Food advisor,  mysweetpuppy.net)

4 Sugar and salt used in commercial dog treats:

Excessive sugar and salt can contribute to obesity, diabetes, and heart issues in dogs.

Likewise, dogs love single ingredient meat and offal, because they evolved to eat it.  That is why these kinds of treats don’t have any additives that change the taste.

On the other paw, grain and most vegetable matter in composite treats taste incredibly bland to most dogs (if they don’t include a large percentage of meat), so they have to use excessive sugar and salt added, to trick a dog into eating them.

The carbs in plant matter (complex sugars) are not required by dogs, and can be very detrimental to them. This is a full guide to sugars that dog’s consume. https://www.healthydogtreats.com.au/dog-carbohydrates-guide/

Excess added sugars, (like salt) are used to fool a dogs taste buds into thinking they are getting a yummy treat. Since the bulk of a cheap treats is often wheat or corn, sugar and salt are simply used to disguise the bland taste, and make the owners buy more.

The only training treats we recommend are HIGH MEAT percentage treats. They have grain or sweet potato as the base, but your dog is getting a similar amount of meat that they do in their commercial dog food at least.

Composite training treats only make up a small amount of the treats we sell, and the ingredients list clearly shows what is in them – a relatively short list of items. They are good for training, and tend to be much more economical for owners, who still prefer a higher-than-average amount of meat in their treats.

Essentially carbs are used as an energy source, instead of using protein. Use a lot of carbs (like commercial dog food), then you can’t have as much protein without making a dog potentially obese.

The main value of plant matter is in its ‘MODERATE fermentability’ fiber for intestinal health. Good bacteria consume this to get a dog its nutrition. If it’s the wrong type of fiber is used it either causes gas, or just pushes through your dog unchanged, it is of little value to your dog (compared to the vital and multi-use animal protein).

CONCLUSION

The fact is that anyone can access the kind of information above by going to the internet. But its worthwhile at least knowing the terms that you need to look out for.

Like many niches, when the basics of are not expertly known, it’s easy to fall down the corporate rabbit hole that seems to make its misinformation to the top of the browser searches.

Consider it when you look for “healthy dog treats”. Many searches often just come up with a trove of raw vegetables pictures. Something that dogs who eat a commercial dog food need less of, NOT more. Something that wild dogs might consume as 5% of their diet.

The commercial interest of large corporations that pay for advertising on the search engines is pretty much why you see misinformation, displayed as fact. Because grain is typically 10% or less of the price of real quality meat. Its important that they get you to think that your dog is a herbivore, not a carnivore.

But this blatant disregard for a dog’s digestive systems and need for high quality high protein diets, is also the reason why a small but growing number of dog owners are going raw, or at least NATURAL in their dog treats selection.

But even then, some raw feeders are going down the commercial BARF rabbit hole. This trendy diet requires you to add their propriety mix of secret plant herbs and spices, that might or might not include any of the above nasties in them. But don’t always require a larger amount of quality meat, then some kibbles.

If you have followed trusted articles on the bad effects of additives on children, it’s not a stretch to understand that a dog that is most likely to suffer similar bad effects for non-required additives as a child.

Dog food is a lot less regulated industry and is just as likely to have additives they would not feed their child, to their dog.

NOT every additive will instantly cause a bad health outcome for your dog, it could take years, or your dog might not be obviously affected at all.

But nutrition value aside, WHOLE MEATS, that are single ingredient (DON’T HAVE ANY ADDITIVES) are the only way to know for sure, what your dog is eating, at least in their treats.

REFERENCES

1  The dog food advisor   BHA — Does Your Dog’s Food Contain This Cancer … – Dog Food Advisor   https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/red-flag-ingredients/bha-in-dog-food/

2  Ingredients to Avoid in Dog Food, Treats, and Bones – Union Lake Veterinary Hospital ( good list of preservatives and additives to avoid)https://unionlakeveterinaryhospital.com/blog/ingredients-to-avoid-in-dog-food-treats-and-bones

3  Preservatives In Dog Food    Joanne Keenan   Last Updated: August 1, 2022.  Preservatives In Dog Food – Dogs Naturally/. https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/preservatives-in-dog-food/

APPENDIX

Here are some examples of well-known treats (brand name removed)

EXAMPLE 1

1. “Gravy” Bones Biscuits Ingredients

They use the word bone because of the cookie shape, it contains NO BONE nutrients

• Wheat Flour & Corn Starch (are high in carbohydrates) provide excess energy, without the value decent levels of essential amino acids.
• Chicken By-Product Meal (low-quality source of protein.)
• Sugar (is often heavily process, and is added on top of the sugar from plant carbs your dog is already getting)

• Artificial Flavour – ONLY required because of the bland inappropriate food source for a carnivore-based dog.    (can cause allergic reactions or digestive upset).

• Artificial Colour (Yellow 5, Yellow 6) – ONLY used for humans to buy.
• BHT (Butylated HydroxyToluene) (a toxic preservative)
• Salt (dogs can not easily taste salt – their specific buds are low sensitivity).  Adding regular salt (sodium chloride) adds elements that are not required by aafco nutrition tables and can affect the kidneys.

EXAMPLE 2 :

‘Begging’ Strips   Ingredients:

• Corn Gluten Meal (corn is one of the hardest plant products for a dog to digest – so provides little nutritional value, except excess sugar, and non-useable fibre.

• Meat By-Products (doesn’t even provide the type of animal so you have no idea if it will trigger an allergic reaction),  typically not specific cuts of meat and likely to include undesirable and POOR quality parts of the animal.
• Artificial Colours (Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6) these colours provide no nutritional purpose and are linked to behavioural issues in some pets. Noting that dogs cant even SEE RED !

• Sugar, provides empty calories, and can lead to obesity.
• Salt – what dogs can taste from this tricks them into eating more. Not because its nutritious, just because it adds a fake flavour.
• Propylene Glycol (used to keep the treat moist) – but is a controversial additive that is linked to toxicity in large amounts.
• Artificial Flavour – because there is NOT ENOUGH REAL FLAVOUR.

• BHA (Butylated HydroxyAnisole) for preservation  potentially harmful preservative that has raised concerns regarding its carcinogenic properties.