Curious about apple dog treats? Get the scoop on apples for dogs and how they can benefit their health.
Who doesn’t love apples? Many of us grew up with them as a constant presence in our homes—stowed in the fridge’s fruit crisper, piled high in a countertop fruit bowl together with bananas or oranges, and tucked into school lunch boxes.
Apples have long been considered a healthy food choice and can be included in the human diet in a variety of ways, from fresh whole apples to apple juice to apple sauces and purees. So it’s no wonder that apples are widely consumed throughout the world, with approximately 87 million tonnes of this fruit being produced in 2019.
The health benefits of apples have also been well established through extensive research that links apple consumption to a reduced risk of certain cancers, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and diabetes.
What about apples for dogs?
As it turns out, apples are also amazing for dogs. They are high in fiber and a rich source of phytochemicals which have strong antioxidant properties.
What’s more, apples are low in calories so they make for an excellent natural dog treat (or a dog training session reward) that is nutritionally dense and crunchy.
How to include apples in your dog’s diet
There are several tasty and tempting ways you can include apples in your dog’s diet, taking advantage of their high fiber content and potent antioxidant activity.
The simplest way is to serve them fresh or pureed (cold and with no added sugar).
You can prepare apples for dogs in the same way you would for yourself:
1-Wash them thoroughly
2-Slice them into bite-sized pieces
3-Take care to remove the seeds and core.
You can either feed the fresh chunks to your dog as they are or puree them for a delicious treat that supports digestive health.
Whenever possible, choose organic apples to avoid unnecessary additives, preservatives, and pesticides that can be harmful to your dog.
You can serve apples on their own as a refreshing snack or added into their meals. And always, as for any other ingredient, serve it in moderation.
How many apples can I give my dog?
How apples are used as an ingredient in dog food
Apples are also sometimes used in commercial dog food and dog treats, however, they usually come in a far different form than fresh or pureed.
The apples that make it to highly commercial pet food manufacturers are hardly even apples at all. They are usually the leftovers that remain after the apple processing industry has extracted the juice and flavor for processed foods and beverages intended for human consumption. What’s left is a by-product and a waste material known as pomace, which includes apple peels, stems, seeds, and pulps.
The one thing that apple pomace has going for it is that it’s rich in fiber. But otherwise, it’s pretty much nutritionally depleted. All the best parts of the apple and its vitamins, minerals, and antioxidant properties have already been extracted for the “highest value products” (i.e. human nutrition).
How LOONAWELL uses apples in its healthy baked apple dog treats.
At LOONAWELL, we don’t use waste products or by-products in our healthy organic dog treats. Never. The apples we use to make our baked apple dog snacks are organic, purchased fresh and intact, and used in their whole, natural form in our recipes. The same is true of every fruit and vegetable that goes into our apple dog snacks.
One of our core values is that every ingredient used in a LOONAWELL dog treat is there for a positive nutritional reason. We don’t include additives, fillers, preservatives, or junky material to create bulk.
Because we insist on nutrition as our guiding principle, all of our healthy organic dog treats are nutritionally rich and complex, containing the ten essential amino acids along with other essential minerals for your dog’s health.
Since we clearly love apples for dogs thanks to all their nutritional benefits and amazing taste, you can find them in our Multi Vitamin Organic Dog Treats, our Sleepy Organic Dog Paté, and our Beef Delight Organic Dog Treats
