Complete dog foods are regulated to meet defined nutritional standards. Treats are not — they are classed as complementary feed, which means they only have to be safe, not balanced. That difference explains most of what is odd about treat packaging.
Here is how to read one properly.
Start with calories
This is the number that matters most and the one most often missing or buried.
Look for kilocalories, usually written as kcal, either per treat or per 100g. Per-treat figures are far more useful; if only per 100g is given, you will need the treat weight to work anything out.
The ten per cent rule: treats should make up no more than about a tenth of daily calories, with the rest coming from complete food. Beyond that you start unbalancing the diet, because treats are not formulated to be nutritionally complete.
For a 10 kg dog eating roughly 550 kcal a day, that is about 55 kcal of treats. Many single dental chews exceed that.
If no calorie information appears anywhere, that is itself informative. Contact the manufacturer; a company that cannot tell you is one to be wary of.
The ingredients list
Listed by weight, heaviest first — but with a catch worth knowing.
Ingredient splitting. A manufacturer can list “maize”, “maize flour” and “maize gluten” separately. Individually each falls below the meat in the list; combined they might outweigh it. Read the whole list, not just the first item.
Weight before or after processing. Fresh meat contains a lot of water, most of which is lost during manufacture. “Chicken” listed first may contribute far less to the finished product than “chicken meal” listed third, because the meal is already dried. Neither is inherently better; it just means position in the list is a rougher guide than it appears.
Vague category terms. “Meat and animal derivatives”, “cereals”, “derivatives of vegetable origin” are permitted groupings that allow the formulation to change between batches depending on ingredient prices. Named ingredients — “chicken”, “rice”, “sweet potato” — tell you considerably more. This matters enormously if your dog is on an elimination diet for suspected food allergy.
The analytical constituents
The panel giving protein, fat, fibre, ash and moisture.
Two things to know:
These are minimums and maximums, not actual values. Protein and fat are stated as minimums; fibre, ash and moisture as maximums. The real figures may differ.
You cannot compare wet and dry directly. A wet treat at 75% moisture and 8% protein is not lower in protein than a dry treat at 10% moisture and 25% protein. To compare, convert to dry matter: divide the nutrient by the dry matter percentage. The wet treat is 8 ÷ 25 = 32% protein on a dry matter basis; the dry one is 25 ÷ 90 = 28%.
Claims that mean nothing
“Natural”. Loosely defined at best, and no indicator of quality or safety.
“Human grade”. Rarely substantiated and frequently misused. Genuine claims relate to the manufacturing facility, not the ingredients.
“Grain free”. A marketing position, not a health benefit for most dogs. True grain allergy is uncommon; beef, dairy and chicken are far more frequent culprits. Regulators have also investigated a possible link between some grain-free diets and dilated cardiomyopathy, which remains unresolved — worth discussing with your vet rather than assuming grain-free is safer.
“Vet recommended”. Means at least one vet recommended it.
“No artificial colours”. Colours are for you, not the dog, so this is a low bar, though a reasonable one.
“Holistic”, “premium”, “gourmet”. No regulatory meaning whatsoever.
Claims worth something
A named single protein source, if you are managing allergies.
A specific size or weight band. Dental chews in particular only work when correctly sized; one too small gets swallowed whole.
Greenies Teenie Dental Dog Treats
Sized by weight band for a reason — the chewing action is what does the work. Match the band to your dog and take the calories out of the daily ration.
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you — it helps keep this site free. We only recommend products we would use with our own dogs.
Veterinary Oral Health Council acceptance, for dental products. It means the product has been tested against a defined standard for reducing plaque or tartar, rather than simply asserting that it does.
A registered address and contact details, which is a legal requirement and a minimum sign of accountability.
Things to actively check for
Xylitol, sometimes labelled birch sugar. Severely toxic to dogs. Rare in dog treats but a real risk in human products used as treats, especially peanut butter.
Added sugars and syrups, common in soft chewy treats, contributing calories and nothing else.
Rawhide. Digestibility varies enormously and obstruction risk is real. Many vets advise against it.
Very hard chews. Antlers, hooves, nylon bones and dried bones fracture teeth. If you cannot press a thumbnail into it, it is too hard.
Treats you do not need to read a label for
The cheapest good training treats are often not treats at all:
- Part of the daily kibble ration, in a pouch
- Small pieces of plain cooked chicken
- A cube of cheese, in moderation
- Plain cooked liver, dried, used sparingly
All are cheaper than packaged treats, higher value to most dogs, and come with ingredient lists of one.
Greenies Pill Pockets
Worth buying for their actual job — delivering medication — rather than as a general treat, since the calories add up quickly if used casually.
A quick checklist
Before a packet goes in the basket:
- Calories per treat, and does it fit the allowance?
- Named ingredients, or vague categories?
- Correct size band for your dog?
- Anything your dog reacts to?
- Any xylitol?
- Hard enough to crack a tooth?
Six questions, thirty seconds, and a notably better cupboard.
