Low Calorie Dog Treats--Should Dogs Count Calories?

Today I was picking up a few groceries on my way home from work. A few vegetables to make a salad, some cold-cuts for lunch and some imported braided cheese were stacked in my cart amongst other items. On the way toward the checkout line I was determined to find something sweet and junky. It wasn't too difficult as the kettle corn was bagged and stacked in a prominent, inviting way. What's not to like about kettle corn? It is both sweet and salty with an initial, satisfying crunch. I checked the back of the bag to look at the calorie count. I thought to myself, "Not too bad, only 130 calories per serving". The popcorn went into my cart and I knew that me eating just one "serving" was a joke. Just a few hours later, the bag is nearly empty. Between myself and two young daughter, a treat like that doesn't last long.

If only I were a dog...

There is much to be said about the life of a dog. Growing up, I always thought that they had it made. When I was bored to death at school, my pooch was at home curled up napping without a worry in the world. That, to me, was the definition of good living and it still is. Most dog owners take a lot of pride in making sure that their dog has the easy life. We have almost total control over their daily routine. We get to dictate when they get let outside, where they sleep, and most importantly for the purposes of this article, when and what they eat. When our dogs become overweight, we can put them on low-calorie food and reward them with low-calorie treats. We can reduce portion sizes and even the frequency of meals. It sometimes seems amazing to me how healthy a dog can be on just a cup or two of food daily.

Until recently, I hadn't noticed any dog treats that gave a calorie-count. Most of the dogs that I know can't read or do math so it is up to us to know what we are feeding our pets. A bag of dog food or treats would be labeled as "low calorie" or "reduced fat" and we would accept these statements as fact. Fruitables is a dog treat manufacturer that recently started giving an exact, per treat, calorie-count on their packaging. The fact that dogs can get a low-calorie, vegetarian treat that is also highly palatable impresses me. Anybody can give a dog a low-treat treat but that doesn't mean that they'll eat it. A bit of wheat-grass may not get your rottweiler all that excited. The Fruitables treats are nine calories each and dogs love them. The aroma is enticing enough that I tasted one myself. The taste was pleasant with a texture similiar to that of an organic grain cereal. Maybe that sounds uninviting to some people. That being said, I have a friend that put out a bowl of Grandma Lucy's Dog treats, without saying what they were, during the holiday season and people sure seemed to enjoy them.

The idea of calorie labeling on dog food and dog treat packages is taking hold and I would expect this concept to become increasingly common. I may not be that good at controlling my own caloric intake but my dog should stay nice and lean.