Healthy Treats

In all honesty, your chin does not have to be given treats, but let's face it, everyone likes a little treat from time to time. The key to giving treats is that you give only healthy treats and in very limited quantity. Even too much of a good thing is sometimes not good. If you limit the healthy treats you give your chin in addition to a really healthy diet, then he should have no trouble with intestinal upset. Giving junkie, sugary and fatty treats to your chin will cause him to develop fatty liver disease and make him susceptible to obesity and bloat. I am extremely strict with giving treats and only give them once every couple of weeks. The only reason I have cranberries on the list is because I sell those that are organic and dehydrated with no added sugar, and they are good for the urinary tract. I suggest giving only 1-2 cranberries once or twice a month. They should not be given on a weekly basis.

If you really want to give your chin a treat, you need to limit them to 2 - 3 times a week at the most. Only give one treat at a time on a given day. Some people will have a treat day. Say Monday and Friday are your chin's treat day. Pick one type of treat, maybe one shredded wheat biscuit and that would be it for your Monday treat. It doesn't sound like much to us, but remember how small a chin's stomach is. And yes, he will look to you for another one. Don't fall for that adorable face and the begging that will follow. He does not need more, and you need to use tough love when it comes to treats.

Do not give any treats to chins that are under six months old.

Healthy treats you can give your chin are:

Shredded Wheat (spoon size, no sugar)
Whole Dried Oats (organic if possible, a pinch)
Rose Hips (very high in natural vitamin C)
Oxbow Timothy Treats
Oxbow Barley Biscuits
Hay Cakes
Organic Dehydrated Cranberries (Not Craisins, no added sugar)