If you are like me, you probably want to offer your canine companion the best dog foods that are available, and how could anyone blame us for feeling this way when we love dogs as much as we do? Good healthy dog food is one thing, but what about dog treats? There are countless different brands and types of dog treats on the market, which sometimes makes it hard to know which one is really better than the other. Ingredients can be obscure, or perhaps the treats have too much sugar or salt, neither which is healthy for your pup.

A good alternative to processed treats is to reward your pet with human grade bits of food. This may be a controversial topic among veterinarians, but don’t let their narrow-minded views deprive you of this healthy and easy alternative. There is nothing wrong with feeding your dogs left-overs or human food, if you know which foods are healthy, and which foods are toxic for pets.

It goes without saying that the first thing on the list of best foods (or treats) for dogs includes meat. In order to avoid the possibility of bacterial infections, it’s recommended you handle and cook all meat just like you would for yourself. Not very many dogs can resist the temptation of pieces of boiled chicken or ground beef. Make sure you remove all bones from any meat you wish to feed your dog if you’re going to cook it. Cooked bones are fatal so it’s not something you want to take a chance with. Also, remove as much skin / fat from meats as possible; too much dietary fat can lead to pancreatitis which is a painful and dangerous condition. Other meats you may offer your dog include cooked boneless fish, beef or chicken livers and other organ meats.

Dogs’ digestive systems are not really made to process vegetables, therefore it’s better to pass these ingredients through a food processor before you offer them to your dog. Safe vegetables include carrots, green beans, yams, and red and green bell peppers. Slightly cool and raw baby carrots can be a great daily reward for your pooch. Dogs can also snack on rice, bread or oats, however, try to keep the amount of grains and vegetables on the low end, because dogs aren’t meant to process them in large quantities on a daily basis, and it will make them bloated and gassy. Nonfat plain yogurt can also be consumed in small quantities, especially when a dog’s digestive flora needs a little extra help.

As you can see, it’s really easy to reward your dogs with healthy and unprocessed treats. If you’ve made the commitment to feed your pets the best dog foods you can trust, then it’s a “no brainer” that the dogs’ treats should be equally good. Don’t buy into the common veterinary commercial attitude (only what they sell is healthy), and feel free to throw your dog a carrot!