Snacking is foundational to human life: a cheeky slice with your mid-morning coffee, popcorn and maltesers at movie night, and half of the carrots you just chopped up while making dinner. Indeed, snacking provides us with dopamine and serotonin, it's very satisfying to get a boost of sweet or salty flavours, enjoy the texture of eating and the repetitive move of bringing food to your mouth. If we love it so much, our pets probably do, too.
If you have a very food motivated cat or dog, who enjoys eating, you may be tempted to feed them every time they ask. You surely know that if they eat every time they ask for it, they won't eat your dinner! The best move, to give your pet what they want and keep them happy and healthy, is to adjust their daily breakfast and dinner to account for the calories given from snacks, and to ensure their snacks are not "empty calories" (the same problem humans have, huh?) but provide either nutritional, or emotional, benefit to your pet. Let's get into five snacks that can help your pet feel better.
One. Goats Ear.
A goats ear, pig or beef ear, is a great snack. It is large enough and arduous enough to keep your dog preoccupied for quite a while, it is unique and delicious, and it has great benefits for your dog! The chewing act is great for their mental health and their dental health. Winner, winner! For a cat or smaller dog, ensure you're feeding them an ear that isn't too chewy or large, like a goat's ear!
Two. Apple.
Apples are definitely an occassional treat because of their sugar content, but as an occassional treat they provide a lot of enrichment. If you have a medium to large dog, you can feed them a whole apple (just make sure to supervise so they don't throw the whole thing down their gullet). That will really work their jaw and teeth to break it apart. For smaller dogs and cats, cutting it into sections allows them to enjoy the crunchy texture of the fruit. Freezing it is great in summer for a cooling snack.
Three. Cucumber.
This is a great choice if you have a pet who is super snacky and always seems to be chasing something to eat. Super low calories, not too high in sugar, and hydrating. You can add slices to their water to both encourage them to drink water and to entertain them, while they go 'cucumber bobbing'.
Four. Pet-safe broth.
Pet-safe broth, meaning broth that's made without onion, garlic, extra salt or spices. This broth can then be frozen into popsicles, warm as a topper for their food, added to their water to encourage drinking, or with carrots, peas, potatoes, or rice for a fun snack, similar to cucumber bobbing as above.
Five. Egg.
Eggs are a simple, nutrient-dense snack for both cats and dogs. They’re high in protein, full of healthy fats, and packed with vitamins. Scrambled (with a small amount of butter or milk) or boiled, they make a soft, easy-to-digest snack that feels special and tastes great - just be prepared for stinky farts! For cats, you can offer a little flaked boiled egg as a topper on their dinner. For dogs, a boiled egg can be given whole (for medium to large dogs) or chopped into pieces for small pups. This is a great occassional treat as it's very indulgent.
So...
A snacky pet isn't necessarily a bad thing, so long as you're aware of their intake and can adapt their food to suit their snacking needs. Which snack does your pet love?
Find heaps of snacks great for nutrients, dental health and mental enrichment on our website.
