Treats and Table Food

Laurie Anne Walden, DVM

Photo by Edson Torres on Unsplash

Treats are fun to give and are useful for training. But in large enough quantities, treats and table food can contribute to weight gain and throw off the nutritional balance of a pet’s diet.
 
Keep these points in mind:

• Treats should account for less than 10% of your pet’s daily calories.
• At least 90% of the calorie intake should come from a food that’s complete and balanced for your pet’s species and life stage.
• If your veterinarian says your pet needs to lose weight, don’t take it personally. Obesity is very common in pet dogs and cats.

 
If you live with other people, you probably aren’t the only person giving your pet treats. Talk to your veterinarian about a realistic nutrition plan that will work for your household, especially if your pet is overweight or has special nutritional needs.
 
Calories
The calories in treats and table food can add up quickly for a small animal that needs only a fraction of the calories that a person eats. To find out how much your pet should eat in a day, start with your pet food manufacturer’s feeding guide or use a calorie calculator. Your pet’s individual requirement might be higher or lower than the estimate from a feeding guide or calorie calculator, so keep an eye on your pet’s body condition and adjust the amount fed as needed.
 
Here’s how to find your pet’s daily calorie requirement:

• Use a pet calorie calculator like this one by Pet Nutrition Alliance: https://petnutritionalliance.org/resources/calorie-calculator
• The daily calorie calculation is the total for a whole day. If you feed 2 meals per day, divide this number in half to find the number of calories to feed at each meal.
• Look on the pet food packaging or manufacturer’s website to find the number of calories per cup or can. Calories will be reported as kilocalories (kcal). Enter this number in the calculator to find how many cups/cans to feed in a day. If you feed 2 meals per day, feed half this number of cups/cans at each meal.
• “Cup” means a kitchen measuring cup (8 fl oz).
• The daily treat allotment is 10% of the daily calories.

 
Nutritional Balance
A balanced diet has the right proportions of vitamins, minerals, protein, and fat for an animal’s species and life stage. For example, cats need a higher percentage of dietary protein than dogs do, and growing animals need more calcium than adults do.
 
Pet foods sold as complete and balanced diets must meet nutrient requirements set by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). The packaging will include a statement that the product meets AAFCO standards for a certain species and life stage.
 
Products sold as treats don’t have to meet these nutrient requirements. As long as the treats make up less than 10% of the daily calorie intake, their nutrient content isn’t that important. But if treats account for more than 10% of the daily calories, they can unbalance the diet.
 
Treat Ideas
These treats don’t contain many calories and are safe for healthy dogs and cats. If your pet has a food allergy or a medical condition, ask your veterinarian about appropriate treats.

• Small pieces of your pet’s main diet (subtracted from the total daily ration)
• Vegetables: cucumbers, carrots, green beans, celery, squash, etc
• Fruit: apples, bananas, watermelon, blueberries, etc
• Small piece of hardboiled egg, no salt
• Small piece of cooked chicken or turkey with no skin, fat, bones, or salt
• Spoonful of plain nonfat yogurt

Image source: https://unsplash.com/photos/hjzs2nA4y-k

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