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Healthy Dog Treats
for your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Giving
your Cavalier
King Charles Spaniel an occasional dog biscuit can be a sign of your
affection, or a little helpful motivation during a training
session. But be sure to offer your Cavalier Spaniel a healthy
treat that provides good nutrition and is safe for your pet to consume.
Bite-Sized,
Low-Calorie Treats
We recommend choosing
bite-sized, low-calorie treats. Your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel will
feel just as loved with a small treat as with a huge dog biscuit. Given
the trend toward obesity in dogs, it's best to keep treats on the
low-calorie side.
Buy the same
Wholesome Heart Low-Fat Treats
that
I buy for Bentley here.
Look for small-size treats made from natural ingredients such as whole
grains and proteins. Consider buying "puppy-sized" treats for your
adult dog, or break or cut larger treats into bite-sized pieces.
Avoid commercial treats that are colored with dyes. Frequently, the
colored dyes that make the treats look like cute little steaks or
chicken legs, etc. are actually hard for your pet to digest. Also, if
these treats do upset your Cavalier Spaniel's tummy, the vomit can
leave a yellow or red stain that is very hard to remove from your
carpets!
Here's
a suggestion from our friend Liv:
Cheerios!
When Liv is training
Bella, her
tricolor Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy, she rewards Bella with
Cheerios. Just one Cheerio works well as a training tidbit to
reinforce good behavior. (There's no need to give your pet a whole
handful of Cheerios when one will do!)
Plain Cheerios breakfast cereal -- without frosting or added sugar
-- make a small, healthy treat that you can safely give your pet. Not
to
mention, a box of Cheerios is a very economical choice! |
Make Table Scraps Off
Limits
Aside
from the fact that you don't want to teach your Cavalier to beg, 'human
food' is often not a healthy choice for a
dog. Our food is frequently too high in calories and fat, may not be
easily digestible by your dog, and may even be harmful (e.g.
chocolate).
Even if you wish to feed your dog a snack while you're at the dinner
table (which we don't recommend), choose a healthy dog biscuit designed
for a
dog's nutritional needs.
Are Bones Safe for My
Cavalier?
Cavalier
King Charles Spaniels, like most dogs, love to chew. But are bones safe
for dogs? Can I give my dog a 'real' bone, or should I stick to
synthetic bones and rawhide chews?
There is considerable difference of opinion on the subject of giving a
dog 'real' bones. Most agree that it is not wise to feed a dog a cooked bone, such as a
leftover chicken bone. Bones become brittle from the heat of
cooking and then can splinter in your dog's mouth and digestive
tract.
However, many dogowners feel that feeding a dog raw bones is safe and can
be helpful in keeping their teeth clean. Chicken necks are often
recommended for small dogs as poultry bones do not splinter when raw.
For those who wish to avoid the 'real' bone controversy altogether,
there are numerous alternatives that are safe for dogs, including nylon
or synthetic bones, edible snack bones and rawhide chews. Again,
look
for natural ingredients and avoid chews that are treated with dyes.
Recently, there has also been some question about the safety of giving
your pet Greenies.
Greenies are made from wheat gluten which can distress allergy-prone
canines. Additionally, Greenie are high in calories so they aren't the
best choice for overweight animals. You
can read more about the concerns over the safety of giving your dog
Greenies here.
The Doctors Foster & Smith provide a helpful chart comparing
different types of bones and treats here.
Homemade Treats
Why
not make
your own healthy dog treats in your kitchen at home? That way, you can
be sure to use natural ingredients and bake treats in whatever size you
feel is best for your Cavalier Spaniel.
You can find lots of
free recipes for
dog treats on the internet, but here are a couple to get your stated:.
Canine Carrot Cookies
2
cups carrots, boiled and pureed
2
eggs
2
Tablespoons of garlic, minced
2
cups all purpose flour (or rice flour or wheat flour)
1
cup rolled oats
1/4
cup wheat germ
Combine
carrots, eggs and garlic. Mix until smooth. Add dry ingredients. Roll
out on heavily floured surface and cut into bars or desired shapes.
Bake at 300 degrees for 45 minutes or to desired crunchiness. The
centers will continue to harden as they cool. Brush with egg white
before baking for a glossy finish.
From Dog Fancy
Magazine (February 1999)
Crunchy
Meat Treats
1/2
cup nonfat powdered milk
1
beaten egg
1
1/2 cups rice flour
1/2
teaspoon garlic powder
1
teaspoon honey
1/2
cup water
5
teaspoons chicken or beef broth
1
jar of baby food - any meat flavor you like
Combine
all ingredients well. Form into a ball and roll out on a
floured surface. Cut into desired shapes. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to
30 minutes. Cool.
From
www.dog-training-breeds.com
Homemade Dog Biscuits
1 & 1/2 cups flour
3/4
cup oatmeal
1/4
cup wheat germ
1/3
cup peanut butter
1/4
cup vegetable oil
2
tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup water
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk
Preheat
oven to 275 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, oatmeal, wheat
germ, peanut butter, vegetable oil, honey, baking powder and water. Mix
thoroughly.
Roll out the dough to 1/2 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface.
Cut into desired shapes and place on baking sheets.
In a small bowl, mix together the egg and milk to make a glaze. Brush
glaze over the biscuits.
Bake for 40-50 minutes until biscuits are golden and firm. Cool.
From Cindi Roberts
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