Safe Treats and Dangerous Treats For Your Dog - Ask the Vet - video Dailymotion

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Not all treats are safe for your dog.  In fact, some doggy treats are downright dangerous. Subscribe to The Pet Collective: http://full.sc/HbM62v Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thepetcollective Twitter: https://twitter.com/petcollectiveTV Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/petcollectivetv/ Google+: gplus.to/thepetcollective  Be careful with what kinds of treats you give to your dog.  Some treats can cause lacerations in the mouth and throat.  Other treats can cause intestinal blockage.  Dr. Courtney Campbell DVM breaks down all the classic treats from dangerous treats, safe treats and treats you may already have in your refrigerator.  Dr. Courtney Campbell DVM is a surgical resident at Animal Medical Center of Southern California.  Special Thanks to Animal Medical Center of Southern California.  Host:  Courtney Campbell, DVM  Coordinating Producer:  Dawn Poomee Lead Producer:  Hai-Lam Phan Associate Producer:  Matt Pagourgis Editor:  Shawn McPherson

Transcript

00:00What are some of the most dangerous treats I can give my pet?

00:03Well, today we're going to break it down for you.

00:09You all have asked me a lot of questions about dangerous treats, so here you go.

00:14Number one, know the treat.

00:16This just involves getting to know how the treat is broken down and how it's ultimately

00:21consumed by your pet.

00:23Some treats crumble and other treats stay whole.

00:26Some treats are great for large dogs, but they would be a complete nightmare for a small

00:30dog or even a cat.

00:32So it's important to monitor your pet any time you give them a treat.

00:37Second really important point, know the risks.

00:40Throughout the years of practice and doing lots of surgery, I've seen lots of injuries

00:45related to dangerous treats.

00:47I've seen tooth fractures, really bad cuts in the mouth or lacerations.

00:52I've seen some treats get lodged in the trachea or even the esophagus.

00:57Some treats end up lodged in the intestine and I've even seen cases of colonic impaction.

01:03So it's important to know all the various risks that treats impose before giving them

01:08to your pet.

01:10I've certainly seen a lot of injuries related to nylon bones or regular bones.

01:14Here's an example of a regular bone.

01:16As you can see, it shatters sometimes and this can end up in your dog's intestine.

01:21This will end up in a perforation or even a hole and you don't want that.

01:25Pig ears or cow hooves sometimes can lacerate or cut the esophagus or windpipe.

01:31These obviously pose a certain risk.

01:34Large rawhides, this is not a large rawhide, but it certainly can cause cuts in the mouth

01:39and even fractures of the tooth.

01:41So really hard toys or large rawhides certainly have inherent risks associated with them in

01:47the mouth.

01:49Now that I'm done scaring you on what are some of the most dangerous treats you can

01:53give your pets, let's talk about some treats that are okay or oppose minimal risk.

01:58I go by the hammer rule.

02:00If you can hammer a nail in with the treat, I probably wouldn't give it to my pet.

02:05Here are some things that bend.

02:07Anything that bends is probably going to be okay.

02:10Here's a classic example of a dental treat that typically you can give that will help

02:15remove tartar and plaque, but it's still really tasty.

02:19Milk bones are similar.

02:21They can remove tartar, plaque, and are good for overall oral health.

02:25But again, they crumble, they're tasty, they dissolve, they're pretty safe.

02:30Second, compressed rawhide.

02:33Certain types of treats that are compressed rawhide make them less likely to break off

02:38in big chunks.

02:39This, again, good for overall oral health.

02:42So check with your veterinarian before giving a compressed rawhide, but in general, this

02:46classic treat can pose lower risk.

02:50Jerky.

02:51Who doesn't love beef jerky?

02:53This is a nice jerky treat.

02:55This tends to dissolve.

02:56This is certainly less abrasive and poses a very minimal risk of cutting the mouth or

03:02causing a tooth fracture, something like that.

03:05But again, you've got to monitor this because if your dog likes to break off big chunks,

03:09yes, it can go down the esophagus and cause little cuts.

03:14Let's talk about some home solutions to giving your pet a treat.

03:18My dog absolutely loved cauliflower.

03:21Maybe it was the crunch, maybe it was the taste.

03:23Who cares?

03:24It's nutritious and he loved it.

03:26We've got broccoli here, too.

03:28That's a great treat.

03:29And carrots, raw carrots, are great solutions, too.

03:32I always loved either raw, cooked, or dehydrated sweet potatoes.

03:38Give your dog a little treat of sweet potatoes and you know it's going to be good.

03:43One important point about homemade treats is you've got to consider it part of their

03:47daily caloric intake, right?

03:50So if you're giving your dog food and part of that food is treats, a lot of dogs can

03:54gain weight.

03:55So, if we're going to give treats at home, let's make sure we cut back on the food.

03:59For instance, lean cuts of chicken, lean cuts of beef, lean cuts of pork, sometimes can

04:05be okay for your pet.

04:06Keep in mind the size of your pet and how much you're giving them, and make sure that

04:10if you're going to give a lot of treats, you cut back on the food, and vice versa.

04:15Do you have a medical question you'd like me to answer?

04:20Just submit it in the comment section below and we'll answer it next episode.

04:24Remember, there's nothing stronger than the human-animal bond.

Safe Treats and Dangerous Treats For Your Dog - Ask the Vet

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