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Cat treats
Dear Dr. Berg,
I have two cats who stay indoors and a Pomeranian named
Pete. They all get along just fine, but my
problem is that Pete won’t eat his dog treats but LOVES the treats that I give
to my cats. Will it hurt him to eat cat
treats? I hope not because I’ve given him quite a few already.
Thank you and enjoy reading your column.
R. W., Newark
Dear R. W.,
Dogs and cats just aren’t very good at reading the packages
of the foods and treats that we give to them.
To our pets, delicious food is delicious food, no matter what it says on
the box. Typically, cat treats come
smaller in size and are softer than dog treats, making them more enjoyable for
cats to eat.
Cat treats don’t contain anything harmful if eaten by a
healthy dog; in fact, cat treats can work very well as treats for tiny breeds
of dogs or for puppies. I have found
very few cats, however, that get much enjoyment from chewing on the usually
larger and harder dog bisquits, except, perhaps, to enjoy hiding a dog biscuit
from the family dog.
A potential problem associated with using cat treats as dog
treats is that, since cat treats are usually smaller and softer than dog
treats, they probably will not help to remove tartar and debris from the teeth
as well as a “real” dog biscuit would.
You may need to pay extra attention to your dog’s teeth, and
use a good tooth-brushing program to keep the teeth healthy. Please remember that most people paste will
contain fluoride, which may be poisonous to pets if regularly ingested. Cover your index finger with a soft cloth or
special finger cot made for brushing teeth and gently rub the special paste on
the teeth. To make the brushing
experience a delicious one, make sure to choose a pet paste that your dog or
cat will enjoy: beef, malt, chicken, or
tuna fish flavored……YUMMM!
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