Treat Question

[TxVicki]

Not sure if this is the correct place to post this question.

My newly adopted rescue Willow is 5 yrs old and she only has 6 teeth left. (GRRRR on the life she had before going into rescue)

My other two get treats (Veggies) and Willow wants some but when I give her some she won't eat them, so I have been giving her some Boiled Chicken Breast as treats. Does anyone have other idea's of what I could use.

As for her regular food she is fed Natural Balance Tiny Bite's, that I soak in warm water and she also get a teaspoon of canned with a small amount of Chicken Breast on it.

[MI Yorkielover]

You might try some plain yogurt. My Sophie loves to lick a teaspoon of yogurt now and then. It's got calcium in it which is good

[Betsyboo13]

My little guy loves the Bil-Jac in the "Little Jac". These are very tiny and soft...Toby isn't a cruncher at all! You might want to try these. They also make a peanut butter goober that is also a hit at our house!

[deonk1]

low fat cream cheese, also if she can eat soaked kibble, then what I do for Harley for treats is soak his kibble in tastey stuff to make it break apart into tinier pieces.

I use chicken broth (with the lowest possible sodium count), also Harley is on a pineapple treat regiment, so I use the leftover juice in the can. soak for just 10-30 seconds to break it up, and if you refridgerate it, it'll last a few days.

some dogs like peanut butter, I haven't had success with it. I've heard blueberries are ok for these guys, haven't tried, but they are also soft.

Good luck, and bless you for rescuing this baby.

[bellasmomok]

Originally Posted by deonk1

low fat cream cheese, also if she can eat soaked kibble, then what I do for Harley for treats is soak his kibble in tastey stuff to make it break apart into tinier pieces.

I use chicken broth (with the lowest possible sodium count), also Harley is on a pineapple treat regiment, so I use the leftover juice in the can. soak for just 10-30 seconds to break it up, and if you refridgerate it, it'll last a few days.

some dogs like peanut butter, I haven't had success with it. I've heard blueberries are ok for these guys, haven't tried, but they are also soft.

Good luck, and bless you for rescuing this baby.

Cream cheese and store bought chicken broth (even the low sodium kind) are both way too high in sodium for these guys!! I would stay away from them unless they are in teeny weeny amounts (like < 1 tsp per day!)

Here are some soft treats that mine have had that you could try (since she's older, she may not eat these because they're strange to her, but you could always try! She probably thinks she wants it because the others do, but then it's weird for her....keep trying, maybe she'll decide it's really good after all!):
Boiled/mashed potatoes (sweet potatoes or white potatoes)
Boiled or scrambled egg
Boiled chicken
plain Rice (brown or white)
plain Oatmeal
yogurt
pineapple (that was a GREAT suggestion deonk1!!!)
steamed broccoli (just a couple of pieces per day....it can make them gassy!)
peanut butter (also in small amounts....most kinds have too much salt, sugar, and FAT....to much fat can cause pancreatitis! I use Simply Jif, which is lower sodium and 33% less sugar than regular Jif...got it at Walmart )


As far as store bought treats go, the only ones I have that are soft are Natural Balance Training Tips (Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Tillman's Training Tips Soft Treats for Dogs ) They are really soft!! They're about 1 inch squares, which I think are HUGE , so I use scissors and cut each square into maybe 16 or more tiny training bits. This is what I use for my girls for training.....I have a dog with liver disease, and this one meets her needs (I get the Chicken & Vegetable formula....I found it at Pet Supplies Plus, which you may not have??).

Also, These are AMAZING!!! Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Dog Food Rolls When Bella was a puppy and went through puppy kindergarten, the trainer suggested getting these and cutting them into strips or pieces to use for training. I bought the teeny little sample rolls that were at the front of the store (Petco), but she told me that she cuts off enough for a couple of weeks and freezes the rest. That has to be refrigerated, though, once it's open...I think??

[elemtchr99]

Originally Posted by Betsyboo13

My little guy loves the Bil-Jac in the "Little Jac". These are very tiny and soft...Toby isn't a cruncher at all! You might want to try these. They also make a peanut butter goober that is also a hit at our house!

Sophie absolutely LOVES the Bil Jac Little Jacs. She likes the peanut goobers too. We always have them.

[Ladymom]

Whole Life makes wonderful treats that would work well. I can break them easily with my fingers.

Home | Whole Life Pet Products

[Vinniedoggy]

Stella & Chewy's makes Carnivore Crunch treats that can work fairly well for dogs with few teeth. Because they are dehydrated, they soften when wet. You can either wet them yourself, or let them moisten up in your dog's mouth.

[107barney]

I usually microwave a sweet potato until cooked and when it is cooled, I cut it in to small little cubes. I store them in the fridge in a tupperware for no more than 3-4 days and use these as small snacks. Sweet potatoes are easy to digest and low in fat and our dogs love them. You can also give butternut squash cubes. I buy frozen organic cubed butternut squash and let them thaw in the fridge and they love that. Oatmeal is a favorite in our house but it is messy as is mashed potatoes and such.

Frozen blueberries or cut green beans are other low calorie option and I let them thaw before feeding.

I never feed cream cheese, peanut butter, store bought chicken broth or anything processed. For chicken broth, if you have a whole foods nearby, there is a chicken stock that is very low fat and free of sodium that can be used to flavor but really it is not necessary unless you have a picky one.

[Mom to Hot Rod]

I have a similar situation. Hot Rod loves veggies but Maggie does not. I found some low calorie salmon and cod treats at petsmart. They love these and.they are so good for them. I wind up cutting them into smaller bites so they don't over do it.

Sometimes we trick Maggie and put some sauce, what we are having for dinner/lunch. Lol. She is finished eating by the time she has figured out it was a piece of Maggie.

Yorkies Yummies from YT member Chattiesmom are perfect sized pieces. zukes are another good treat. I cut those up as well.

Good luck!

[FlDebra]

Lots of good suggestions.....but, I want to let you know that few teeth does not mean they are as limited as you think with food choices. You do not necessarily have to wet all the kibble before they eat it. They can still eat most things even with no teeth. They can crunch with their gums. I was worried when they pulled several of Ben's teeth that looked like "chewing teeth." The vet told me not to worry, he could eat just fine. So, I read a little and found info saying they could eat hard kibble even with no teeth! A little surprise to me.

[FlDebra]

Originally Posted by Mom to Hot Rod

Sometimes we trick Maggie and put some sauce, what we are having for dinner/lunch. Lol. She is finished eating by the time she has figured out it was a piece of Maggie.
!

Ouch! I would think she would notice that right away! (LOL -- sorry I know you didn't mean that!)

[bellasmomok]

Originally Posted by FlDebra

Lots of good suggestions.....but, I want to let you know that few teeth does not mean they are as limited as you think with food choices. You do not necessarily have to wet all the kibble before they eat it. They can still eat most things even with no teeth. They can crunch with their gums. I was worried when they pulled several of Ben's teeth that looked like "chewing teeth." The vet told me not to worry, he could eat just fine. So, I read a little and found info saying they could eat hard kibble even with no teeth! A little surprise to me.

Look at that...you learn something new everyday!! I thought the reason that dogs with no teeth at all could still eat kibble is that they just swallowed it whole....lots of big dogs WITH teeth gulp their kibble down without chewing! I had no idea they would crunch/chew with their gums....crazy! You'd think it would be tender, but maybe it toughens up over time??

[FlDebra]

Originally Posted by 107barney

I usually microwave a sweet potato until cooked and when it is cooled, I cut it in to small little cubes. I store them in the fridge in a tupperware for no more than 3-4 days and use these as small snacks. Sweet potatoes are easy to digest and low in fat and our dogs love them. You can also give butternut squash cubes. I buy frozen organic cubed butternut squash and let them thaw in the fridge and they love that. Oatmeal is a favorite in our house but it is messy as is mashed potatoes and such.

Frozen blueberries or cut green beans are other low calorie option and I let them thaw before feeding.

I never feed cream cheese, peanut butter, store bought chicken broth or anything processed. For chicken broth, if you have a whole foods nearby, there is a chicken stock that is very low fat and free of sodium that can be used to flavor but really it is not necessary unless you have a picky one.

Great idea about the sweet potato! I don't know why I have not thought to give them to my dogs! I love them baked myself. This is sweet potato season. You can buy huge sacks for very little along the roads here in the fall/early winter.

Why no peanut butter? I don't give it as a food so much as I always use it to give medicine (ground up pills) if they ever need them. But I will give a lick or two when I have the peanut butter out as they dance when they smell it. Is it because of the fat that you don't give it? If that is it, I am probably okay as I give so little and infrequently. But I would want to know if there is another reason not to let them have even a little bit. TIA.

[FlDebra]

Originally Posted by bellasmomok

Look at that...you learn something new everyday!! I thought the reason that dogs with no teeth at all could still eat kibble is that they just swallowed it whole....lots of big dogs WITH teeth gulp their kibble down without chewing! I had no idea they would crunch/chew with their gums....crazy! You'd think it would be tender, but maybe it toughens up over time??

I imagine a great many do swallow without chewing, but they can crunch with their gums. I just read about that the other day too. There was an article saying that kibble was no better for their teeth than canned because most swallowed it whole anyway. I started wondering if the tiny kibble is really the best. The article was written to encourage raw feeding saying that was the way to keep their teeth clean asthey had to rip and rend at the food instead of just swallowing. I have been reading a lot about the raw feeding ... the more I read the more I think I need to do it, but I just have this aversion to actual raw meat. I have a hard time even handling raw meat to prepare it for the human part of the family. But ..... I may just have to give it a try since I have one with bad teeth problems. A lot must depend on breed & genetics for teeth too though as all of mine eat the same and have everything else in common, yet one has excellent teeth and one has poor teeth.