Meat Treats; Pieces and Parts

While rawhide has been a popular dog chew for decades, it is actually one of the most common causes of bowel obstruction. Rawhide is a byproduct of the leather industry and it isn't very digestible. It may also be treated with preservative chemicals making it even more dangerous. Dogs love to chew, and they also need to. It is a stress reliever and helps keep their teeth clean. So what are some good choices?

Trachea, necks, duck heads and pig ears

Giving your dog or cat freeze dried animal parts, like pig ears or beef trachea adds a minimally processed component to the diet. Pig ears and snouts are made up of cartilage, highly digestible

while providing a longer lasting chew. Beef trachea or esophagus, duck or chicken feet are also good choices. Freeze dried organ meats like hearts or gizzards are a pretty quick chew but are rich in protein, supplying amino acids and vitamins that can be lacking in processed pet foods. Farm Hounds has a great selection of organ meats made from pasture raised animals, hearts, livers and poultry gizzards just to name a few. They source their ingredients from small family farms, avoiding the contamination risks of factory farming.

A popular choice on the Vital Essentials Raw Bar are freeze dried poultry 

Magic shopping the Raw Bar

necks. Neck bones contain a lot of cartilage so are a good source of glucosamine and chondroitin, both important for joint health. Because the necks are freeze dried the bones are essentially raw, so unlikely to splinter into sharp edges. It is important to choose the necks that are the appropriate size for your dog. Small dogs would do fine with chicken necks, medium and large dogs would do better with duck or turkey necks. Fish skin jerky is a great way to add Omega 3 to your dog's diet, a fatty acid that can be missing in processed dog food. Omega 3 is thought to decrease the inflammation response in dogs with arthritis and can decrease skin itchiness for dogs with allergies. 

For many pet owners giving treats is showing love. Our pets are perfectly ok with that and enjoy every crumb. By giving freeze dried or dehydrated pieces and parts you are adding important nutrition to your pet's diet and adding quality to their lives without piling on excess calories and carbs from starches. Definitely a win-win.