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2.5: Tasty Treats & Dehydrating

Updated: Nov 10

What are treats?

Treats are any food that is fed outside of your dogs food allowance.

Treats should be exactly that, a treat! 10% maximum of the diet, at an absolute maximum.

Treats should be the first thing that is stopped, or heavily reduced to bare minimum, when a dog is needing to lose some excess weight or is refusing their actual food.


How much treats should my dog get?

Treats should make up an absolute MAX of 10% of your dogs diet. This means that if your dog is fed 1kg a day, 100g may be treats, 900g actual food. If your dog is fed 500g, 50g may be treats, 450g actual food.


Can I use raw food for training?

Yes! You can actually get squeezy tubes from Amazon that are fully washable and once you remove the elastic piece from the lid (as shown here) that allows substances to be pushed through it, you can use these with your dogs raw mince to help during training. We would strongly advise minimising the length of time the raw food is used outside, especially in warmer months.


I am new to raw but also training my dog, what can I use?

Don't worry, you can use the same protein treats as the one you are feeding, as long as they are 100% meat based. So if you are feeding chicken this week, use chicken pate such as JR Pet Products , you can dice this up nice and small, then freeze it and just remove the amount you need each day from the freezer.


Here are some tips on where to buy, what to look for, and how to avoid cheap bulk buys unless they're UK or EU sourced:


Where to Buy:

  • Local Pet Stores: Check out local pet stores that specialize in natural and raw pet foods. They often have a selection of high-quality treats. You can find you local store on our suppliers list (link here)

  • Online Retailers: Websites like just ere for treats, furry natural

  • Doggy Treat Boxes: Consider subscription boxes like those from Raw Paws Emporium for example which source treats from DEFRA approved British producers.


What to Look For

  • Ingredients: Look for treats made from whole, nutritious ingredients such as meats, fruits, and vegetables. Avoid treats with artificial additives, preservatives, and fillers5.

  • Source: Ensure the treats are sourced from reputable farms in the UK or EU. This ensures better quality control and supports local businesses.

  • Certifications: Look for certifications like DEFRA approval or other quality assurance marks that indicate the product meets high standards.

  • Avoiding Cheap Bulk Buys unless you know the sourcing is good quality

  • Quality Over Quantity: It's better to buy smaller quantities of high-quality treats than to stock up on cheaper, bulk options that may compromise on quality.

  • Read Reviews: Check customer reviews to gauge the quality and effectiveness of the treats. This can help you avoid low-quality products.

  • Avoid Unnecessary Additives: Steer clear of treats with unnecessary additives, flavourings, and fillers. These can be harmful to your dog's health.


List of treats suggestions:

Beef & Garlic Sausages

Beef & Veg Sausages

Beef Jerky

Beef Liver Bites

Beef Lung Bites

Beef Lung Cubes

Beef Skin Braid

Beef Spleen

Beef Sticks

Beef Tail

Beef Tendon

Beef Training Bites

Biltong

Black Pudding Sausages

Braided Camel

Braided Goat

Braided Lamb

Buffalo Lung

Trachea - Raw or dehydrated wind-pipe / throat. Can be fed as it is or stuffed with raw food. Can be frozen too even with the food in.

Camel Plate

Camel Roll

Chewy Camel Skin

Chicken Jerky Rolls

Crocodile Bites

Hairy Deer Leg - CAUTION "may" pose a choking hazard or be too rich  or damage teeth

Deer Leg - CAUTION "may" pose a choking hazard or be too rich  or damage teeth

Dried Chicken Feet

Dried Chicken Neck

Dried Duck Neck

Dried Sprats

Duck Feet

Empty Hooves - CAUTION "may" pose a choking hazard  or damage teeth

Fish Skin

Flounder Fish

Freeze Dried Whole Quail

Giant Camel Roll

Goat Skin Roll

Goats Ears

Hairy Beef Ears

Hairy Beef Plate

Hairy Beef Skin

Hairy Beef Snout

Hairy Horse Skin

Hairless Rabbit Ears

Hairy Rabbit Ears

Hairy Venison Ears

Horse Bone - CAUTION "may" pose a choking hazard or be too rich  or damage teeth

Horse Liver

Horse Lung

Horse Tendon

Kangaroo Jerky Rolls

Lamb Horn - CAUTION "may" pose a choking hazard  or damage teeth

Lamb Lung

Large Pork Trotter - CAUTION "may" pose a choking hazard or be too rich  or damage teeth

Snout - Should not be white as this indicates a puffed treat though we have not yet been able to confirm how UK produce becomes white

Boar Sticks

Goat Braid

Hairy Venison Skin

Rabbit Skin

Moon Bone - CAUTION "may" pose a choking hazard or damage teeth

Pork Lung

Pork Roll

Pork Spaghetti

Porky Inner Ears

Beef Tripe

Buffalo Tripe

Pizzles

Ligaments - Can be fed raw, frozen or dehydrated, great for those with joint issues.

Antlers - CAUTION "may" pose a choking hazard or damage teeth


⚠️ Please do not feed any rawhide product , the process of making rawhide involves bleaching and using other chemical agents which result in a product that causes blockages and choking. Also avoid heavy, thick weight-baring bones, or marrowbones. These can and do damage teeth, specially for power chewers but any dog can fall victim at any time


⚠️ If buying treats ensure you check the ingredients, as some are packed with synthetic additives or even grains.

PATE: Whether it's Drool Pet Products, JR Pet Products or Anco, or another brand, it's safe to say dogs love pate that is designed for them! You can chop it, slice it, freeze it, smash it onto a lickimat, or even dehydrate it!

Once opened, store in the fridge in a container and use within packaging guidelines or freeze it and just use as and when needed


Tree roots are by far a popular choice especially for teething puppies


FUR: From ears to feet, to skin (pelt or hide) dogs love fur. It's a great natural source of dietary fibre.

Start off with just a bit only as fur can be a bit rich at first. We recommend feeding these 2-3 times a week.


YAK CHEWS: We ask all members to read about how Yak chews are made and make their own decision whether to feed them or not. You can read about them here



BONES: Pick bones to suit your dogs age & size. Avoid cooked bones always. See our raw meaty meaty bones blog


⚠️ When dehydrating treats yourself, the thinner the item is sliced the quicker it will dehydrate.


⚠️ You cannot over dehydrate something, but you can under do it. If you do not dehydrate items fully they risk becoming mouldy


⁉️ Want to learn more about dehydrating? See below for more information


Dehydrating

⚠️ The cost of dehydrating with vary depending on the energy price cap, wattage of machine used, and how long you dehydrate for.


🐾 Some air fryers have a dehydrate function however it's worth noting that all animal produce should be done at 70 degrees so it's best to check you can use this temperature.


🐾 If your oven goes down to 70 degrees then yes you can dehydrate using it however it will mean your oven is tied up for many hours and may cost more to do.


🐾 When buying a dehydrator it is best to look for a back fan, with metal trays as plastic ones will warp over time.


🐾 You can defrost or use frozen items. Cutting wetter foods like offal products whilst partially frozen is often felt to be easier than defrosted.


⚠️ Although dehydrating can be a cheap way to make treats, it does not always work out cheaper as there may be deals on treats in raw shops so it's always worth checking in stores


🐾 When dehydrating, the time will vary depending on your machine and what you are doing. There is no way to over-dehydrate something but if you do not dehydrate for long enough you risk the product turning mouldy


🐾 Treats should be stored in glass air-tight jars such as mason jars to avoid any sweating which risks moisture returning and therefore bacteria & mould.


🐾 Some treats like ligaments / paddywack may need dabbing with kitchen towel part way through dehydration. Repeat as needed until fully dehydrated / product snaps nicely.


⁉️ For more information join Dehydrated Dog Treats Facebook group (not affiliated to this group but incredibly knowledgeable)



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