Healthy Dog Biscuits And Treats: 9 Options And How To Choose

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

A healthy treat is one that fits into your dog’s diet without adding too many calories or anything harmful.

VCA Animal Hospitals says treats should make up no more than 10% of your dog’s daily calories, which may mean only one or two small treats a day.

This page covers how many treats to give, what to avoid, how to store them, and nine treats that were in stock when we checked.

Each product is described from its own Amazon listing; we have not tested them.

If your dog has a health condition, a sensitive stomach or is overweight, ask your vet which treats suit them. This page is general information, not veterinary advice.

How Many Treats Are Too Many?

VCA says a single biscuit for a medium-sized dog is like a person eating a whole hamburger. To avoid weight gain, keep treats to no more than 10% of your dog’s daily calories.

VCA suggests choosing small, bite-sized treats or breaking larger biscuits into pieces, keeping high-calorie treats for special occasions, and using pieces of your dog’s regular kibble as a reward.

What To Look For And What To Avoid

VCA says many dogs enjoy fruit and vegetables you may already have, like sweet potato, carrots, apple slices or cucumber, and advises avoiding store-bought treats with artificial colours, flavours or fillers.

Some foods are toxic to dogs. The ASPCA lists chocolate, coffee and caffeine, grapes and raisins, onions, garlic and chives, macadamia nuts, and xylitol, a sweetener found in some sugar-free products and peanut butters. Check the label of any treat or spread before you share it.

The ASPCA also warns against raw yeast dough, raw meat and eggs, and bones, and says too much salt can make dogs ill.

Storing Treats

The US FDA recommends keeping pet food and treats in their original bag, so the lot number, product name and best-by date are to hand if there is a recall. It also advises keeping treats somewhere secure, so your dog cannot eat the whole supply at once.

Nine Healthy Treats And Biscuits

These were in stock on Amazon when we checked. Calorie figures are the brands’ own, from their listings. Count any treat as part of your dog’s daily food.

Pet Botanics Training Rewards

The Pet Botanics Training Rewards listing describes soft, chewy mini treats made with pork liver and bacon, at 3 calories each, sold in a 20 oz (about 570 g) bag.

Wellness Soft Puppy Bites

The Wellness Soft Puppy Bites listing describes small, soft, grain-free training treats for puppies, in a lamb and salmon recipe, in a 3 oz (about 85 g) bag.

PureBites Freeze-Dried Chicken Breast

The PureBites listing describes freeze-dried treats made from one ingredient, chicken breast, sold as three 3 oz (about 85 g) bags.

Bil-Jac Little-Jacs Small Dog Training Treats

The Bil-Jac Little-Jacs listing describes soft training treats with chicken liver as the first ingredient, at under 3 calories each.

Buddy Biscuits Crunchy Peanut Butter

The Buddy Biscuits listing describes crunchy oven-baked biscuits made with peanut butter and free of corn, soy and artificial flavours and colours, in a 3.5 lb (about 1.6 kg) bag.

Pupums Sweet Potato Dog Biscuits

The Pupums listing describes grain-free biscuits made with organic sweet potato, in an 8 oz (about 225 g) bag.

Fruitables Pumpkin And Apple

The Fruitables listing describes baked treats made with pumpkin and apple, at 8 calories each, in a 12 oz (about 340 g) bag.

Blue Buffalo Health Bars

The Blue Buffalo Health Bars listing describes crunchy oven-baked biscuits made with oatmeal, barley and bacon, in a bacon, egg and cheese flavour, in a 48 oz (about 1.4 kg) bag. These are larger biscuits, so break them into pieces for a small dog.

Nutro Crunchy Treats With Mixed Berries

The Nutro Crunchy listing describes crunchy treats made with mixed berries, with no chicken by-product meal, no corn, wheat or soy protein, and no artificial preservatives or flavours, in a 16 oz (about 450 g) bag.

If Your Dog Eats Something It Should Not

The ASPCA advises calling your vet or a poison service and noting how much your dog ate (in the US, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center is (888) 426-4435). Keep the packaging.

Final Words

The healthiest treat is a small one, given in moderation. Keep treats to no more than 10% of your dog’s daily calories, avoid the foods on the ASPCA’s list, and ask your vet if your dog has a health condition.