Dr. Al Townshend

Through our constant vigilance, we at Pet Planet have noticed that certain sweeteners, such as sugar, cane sugar, molasses, and honey, are showing up in more and more pet treats.

Many of these treats are popular for a variety of reasons. So, are these added sweeteners a good thing or not?

Let’s Review

• Natural sweeteners like those mentioned (sugar, cane sugar, molasses, and honey) are all carbohydrates; their primary purpose is to provide a quick resource for calories.
• They also taste good and are most likely added to improve the flavour.
• Too many calories will encourage weight gain and eventually lead to obesity.
• Most pet treats are not complete and balanced. Giving too many can unbalance the daily diet and provide more calories than are needed for the day.
• While neither the dog nor cat have any nutritional requirement for carbohydrates in their diet, they can utilize some carbohydrates, so they are not bad; it’s all about the level of carbohydrates.
• Treats are not meant to be a primary part of a pet’s total daily diet. They are generally intended as an occasional reward.

As the Guardians of our pet’s health and well-being, we must consider whether adding a small amount of sweetener to the pet’s daily diet will have a negative effect.

What to Consider When Making a Decision

• Treats should always be given in limited numbers. They all have calories and should never be a primary part of the total daily diet.
• Many treats can be broken into smaller pieces, lowering the calories while still providing the same joy for the pet and Guardian.
• The addition of a very small amount of a natural sweetener should make little difference in the total number of calories in the daily diet.
• Pets that have diabetes or other health conditions that cause them to process sugar differently should avoid treats that contain any form of sugar – even sugars from fruits and vegetables.
• Healthy cats and dogs can utilize limited amounts of carbohydrates such as sugar

The key to maintaining an ideal body condition is to closely observe the pet’s body conformation, look for changes, and, when noted, alter the calorie intake, and increase the daily exercise.

Guardians can rest assured that we at Pet Planet are continuously monitoring any and all changes in the foods and treats we provide and never allow any changes that have the potential to do harm.