What Makes a Dog Treat Healthy

As a dog owner, there’s probably not much you wouldn’t do to ensure that your beloved pup is living his or her best life every single day! Most pet parents prioritize the health and well-being of their four-legged friends, often putting their pooches’ needs and interests even before their own! If you’re one of the millions of people worldwide whose heart is completely wrapped around a special pup’s paw, it goes without saying that you do your very best to stay on top of the latest health and wellness trends and make sure your furry pal gets only the very best in food, treats, and supplies.

But what actually constitutes “healthy” in the world of dog treats? After all, you may be thinking to yourself, if they’re stocking them on the shelves of reputable pet stores and big-box retailers, as well as being carried by online shopping giants like Chewy and Amazon, they must be healthy, right? Actually, you’d be surprised- make that shocked- if you knew the whole truth about a number of dog treats currently on the market. Not only can these treats be unhealthy for your dog by promoting weight gain and offering little to no nutritional benefit, but some of them, like rawhide chews, can be downright dangerous for your pooch! Here’s how to tell if the dog treats you’re giving your best friend are the gold standard of canine health, or…something else.

Check the Ingredients

Just like with human food, dog food and treats come with nutrition labels. These labels give consumers all the information they need to know about the treats they are purchasing for their favorite pets, including a list of the ingredients used to make the treats. Since manufacturers always list the ingredients in order by weight, it’s easy to tell how much healthy stuff is truly being used. Top-quality dog treats tend to use whole ingredients, as opposed to by-products. For example, A dog treat that lists “corn” as an ingredient is likely to provide significantly more nutritional benefit for your dog than one containing “corn meal.” Try to choose dog treats that are made with 100% all-natural, whole ingredients so you can be sure your pup is getting what he or she needs to stay healthy and happy.

Would You Eat It Yourself?

It’s no secret that a dog’s favorite treat is often whatever is on his or her dog parent’s plate! While feeding your dog “people food” is not always a good idea, certain foods enjoyed by humans are also quite healthy for dogs. For instance, sweet potato, that popular antioxidant-rich vegetable that graces Thanksgiving tables everywhere each year, is also an excellent food for dogs- which is why so many premium-quality dog food and treat manufacturers include sweet potato as a prime ingredient. Other foods, like apple, pumpkin, and of course whole meats like chicken, salmon, and beef, are extremely popular ingredients used by high-quality dog food manufacturers. By looking for dog treats that advertise “human grade” ingredients, you can be sure that your dog is getting the real deal. Try to choose your dog’s treats by thinking about whether you would eat the listed ingredients yourself!

Choose Organic

If you already make it a point to shop for organic fruits, veggies, and meats for yourself and your family, then you know what a difference it makes! Organic foods are likely to contain fewer contaminants and are free from pesticides, hormones, preservatives, or fillers. Additionally, most organic foods are also listed as “Non-GMO,” meaning they do not contain any genetically-modified ingredients, so you can be sure you are eating whole foods only. Not surprisingly, the organic food market has expanded to include our furry family members as well- you can purchase organic hemp dog treats and food for your dog, and ensure that your whole family’s diet is healthy, clean, and natural.

Skip the Sugar

Here’s a little secret- dogs need refined sugar in their diets about as much as people do- which is to say, not at all! That doesn’t mean your pup doesn’t enjoy and deserve a deliciously sweet treat from time to time. Premium dog treats that are naturally sweetened with applesauce, honey, or molasses are infinitely better for doggo than artificial sweeteners or refined sugars that can be found in lower-quality treats. A word of caution: even though natural sweetener is healthier, it’s still a good idea to treat your dog with the sweet stuff sparingly, as it’s still not the very best thing for them!

MEAT, not “meat!”

Yes, we know that many dog treats on the market include words like “beef,” “bacon,” and “chicken,” but few treats actually contain more than a tiny percentage of the real thing! While a number of dog treat manufacturers use animal by-products instead of whole meats, others bypass meat altogether in favor of artificial flavoring! Needless to say, even when you think you’re giving your dog a meat-based treat, you may actually be giving him or her a flavored lump of low-grade mystery sludge. When shopping for meat-based dog treats, keep this rule of thumb in mind: the fewer ingredients listed, the better!

Extend Health Trends to Your Dog

You’ve certainly heard the buzz that’s been generated by the popularization of hemp as a beneficial ingredient, and you possibly may have some hemp-based foods or products in your cupboards or medicine cabinet right now! But did you also know that hemp treats for dogs are trending? That’s right- dog moms and dads everywhere swear by hemp treats for dogs, claiming that they help lessen anxiety and ease arthritis and joint pain in senior dogs, among other things. Hemp-based dog treats come in a variety of styles and flavors and have become quite popular among both humans and the canine contingent!

We know you love your dog and want the best for him or her, but it’s not always easy to assess whether the treats you’re buying are healthy. Use these guidelines to make your next purchase of dog treats so you can have peace of mind that your pup is getting the best of everything!

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Cruelty Free Dog Products

No animals are harmed in the manufacturing of our products. 

In the animal rights movement, cruelty–free is a label for products or activities that do not harm or kill animals anywhere in the world. Products tested on animals are not considered cruelty–free, since these tests are often painful and cause the suffering and death of millions of animals every year.

Vegan Dog Products

No animal products or by-products used in any of our oils.

The only non-vegan product we have are the Pumpkin Hemp Dog Biscuits which do contain egg. (The Peanut Butter Banana Hemp Dog Biscuits do not and are also vegan.)


DEFINITION OF VEGAN VS. VEGETARIAN

Getting vegetarianism confused with veganism is a common mistake most people make. So today we are going to closely examine the definition of vegan versus the definition of a vegetarian in this post. Hopefully, this provides a little clarity.

DEFINITION OF A VEGETARIAN

The Oxford dictionary definition of a vegetarian is “a person who does not eat meat or does not believe in eating meat, fish, fowl, or in some cases, any food derived from animals, as eggs or cheese, but subsists on vegetables, fruits, nuts, grain etc.”

This basically divides vegetarians into two groups; vegetarians who exclude eggs and dairy and vegetarians who include these items in their diets. The latter can then be broken up into a further three groups; ovo- vegetarians (who consume eggs but not milk), lacto-vegetarians (who consume milk but not eggs) and ovo-lacto vegetarians who consume both milk and eggs.

There’s often controversy surrounding “semi-vegetarians”, whose diet consists mainly of vegetarian foods but includes fish or poultry. The main differentiating factor between all of the above-mentioned groups is how much animal products are included in the diet.

DEFINITION OF VEGAN

The above difference is the main distinguishing factor between the definition of vegan and that of a vegetarian because vegans exclude animal products in their entirety. The official definition of veganism is “the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products, particularly in a diet. As well as following an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of sentient animals.

A follower of veganism is known as a vegan”. That means veganism extends beyond the diet of a vegan individual. That is the biggest difference between vegans and vegetarians. While vegetarians may not consume animal products, they may use them if they are present in other products, such as items containing silk, honey or leather.

Vegans, on the other hand, avoid the use of animal products in all areas of their lifestyles.

Human Grade Dog Products

All ingredients and manufacturing processes are Human-Grade. We would never make anything for our pets considered not suitable for ourselves. The term human-grade in pet food means the finished product is legally suitable and approved as nourishment for humans. It is “edible.” Human foods are much more rigorously regulated than foods made for animals.

Organic Dog Products

All of our products are made with top quality, Certified Organic carrier oils and Organically-grown ingredients, all sourced responsibly and sustainably. Our products are infused with our own Full-spectrum Hemp extract which is derived from our own Organically-grown Colorado Hemp that was grown at our own facilities.

Cultivar Specific Hemp Oil Dog Products

For consistency. HempMy Pet grows one particular cultivar of hemp, selected specifically for its cannabinoid profile, and uses it every time for our hemp extract, maintaining consistency and eliminating unknowing trial and error.

Cannabis strains including Hemp and Marijuana are either pure or hybrid of the plant genus Cannabis, which encompasses the species Sativa, Indica, and Ruderalis.

Varieties are developed to intensify specific characteristics of the plant, or to differentiate the strain for the purposes of marketing or to make it more effective as a natural supplement. Variety names are typically chosen by their growers, and often reflect properties of the plant such as taste, color, smell, or the origin of the variety. These varieties have been cultivated to contain a high percentage of cannabinoids, including CBD, CBG, CBC and more. Several varieties of Cannabis, known as Hemp, have a very low THC content, and are instead grown for their fiber, seed and therapeutic propertiess

Third Party Tested Hemp Oil for Dogs

From Seed-to-Sale all HempMy Pet products are tested by reputable independent laboratories for purity, safety, and quality. The soil, the water, the plants and the finished product are all rigorously tested to ensure no solvents, pesticides, heavy metals or micro-bacterial contanimants are present. Certificates of Analysis (COAs) are published online with each product and always available upon request.

Organic Hemp Dog Products

All of our Hemp is organically grown in Colorado at our own greenhouse or farm. We do not import our hemp from overseas or any other state. We strive for perfection in our growing, curing, processing and formulating of our Hemp products.

Veterinarian Recommended Hemp Oil Dog Products

Clinically studied by independent veterinarians and sold in veterinarian clinics nationwide.

Full Spectrum Hemp Oil for Dogs

All the Cannabinoids, CBD, CBG, CBC..plus the terpenes and other minor cannabinoids made from the Whole Plant for the complete entourage effect.

CBD has become quite popular over the last couple of years but despite what you might think it is only one of the 100 compounds that have been identified in the Cannabis Sativa L plant. Full-spectrum CBD oil, unlike CBD isolate products, includes a wide range of cannabinoids present in the cannabis or hemp plant. Depending on the condition and what you are looking to achieve it can provide a greater effect than CBD alone as all the cannabinoids work together in what is known as the entourage effect.

Full-spectrum CBD also contains a variety of essential vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, protein, chlorophyll, terpenes, flavonoids, and fiber. When referring to CBD in the hemp plant, it’s important to understand that Hemp contains a large number of cannabinoids (in trace amounts), but the main compounds are CBD and cannabidiolic acid (CBDa). As CBDa is more abundant in the hemp plant, firms must decarboxylate the oil. This process heats the oil and changes CBDa into CBD.

Just one last thing before we explain the benefits of Full Spectrum CBD oil, its important to understand that CBD from Cannabis is only legal in Medical or recreational states, while CBD hemp oil is legal in all 50 states under the 2014 US Farm Bill. While it may not be able to treat all conditions it has been known to assist with a variety of medical conditions including anxiety, depression and acute pain.

The Benefits of the Whole Plant

One of the most important studies relating to full-spectrum CBD oil took place at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Hadassah School in 2015. It compared the performance of a full spectrum extract with one that contained CBD only. The study concluded that full spectrum was more effective when fighting pain and inflammation.

While CBD only is somewhat effective, the whole plant extract not only provided faster and better relief, the effects also lasted longer. This is why an increasing number of companies in the CBD industry are selling full-spectrum CBD oil as a rule.

The aforementioned entourage effect is the main reason behind the efficacy of whole plant extracts. There are over 100 ‘identified’ compounds in the cannabis plant. While most of these compounds have their own therapeutic benefit, they come together in a synergistic way to provide far better performance than any single compound, including CBD.