pamperedpuppy // luxury lifestyles for dogs

Wheat-Free Dog Treats from Latka's Treats

To our way of thinking, there are two types of treats: special ones, that might contain a little more fat or flour (or other no-no ingredient) and are just occasional treats for birthdays or other celebrations. And then there's your everyday treats: the ones you use for training, for rewards, for out-and-out bribery at times. And let's be honest - if you're using treats as rewards on a daily basis, you want the treats to be as much of a treat as possible while still being a relatively healthy addition to your pet's daily intake.

Enter: the healthy pet treat industry, and our friends at Latka's Treats. They've been making biscuits since 2002 and decided to send along a selection of their two lines of treats for the Princess to test out. Their smaller treats, at 1" long x .5" wide (perfect for wee dogs) are called Lap Dog Biscuits. Their larger treats, which at 1.75" long x 1" wide are perfect for mid-sized to large dogs, (or really hungry small ones!) are called Latka's Treats.

Every biscuit the company sells is still hand baked with human grade ingredients. These biscuits contain no wheat, corn, soy, sugar, salt, coloring, preservatives or additives, by-products or fillers.

Each type of biscuit has its own flavor selections:

• Lap Dog biscuits came in: Peanut Butter, Chicken Liver and Parmesan Cheese flavors
• Latka's Treats biscuits came in: Peanut Butter, Bacon Cheddar and Veggie Delight flavors

Each package clearly displays its ingredient list and every ingredient you see is pronounceable and recognizable. The company uses ingredients like oat bran, chopped peanuts, honey, eggs, bacon, chiken liver, lowfat parmesan and broccoli. (If I'd eat it myself - well, other than the liver - then I feel OK about giving it to Merry as a daily reward.)

Of the three smaller biscuits, the pug's favorite was the chicken liver (naturally). We loved the tiny biscuit shape, a shape so many companies are starting to use for small breed dog treats. No cutting in half or breaking apart necessary - your pup can eat these whole!

Of the larger biscuits, and of the biscuits in general really, Merry's hands-down favorite was the Veggie Delight. The crazy pug - bless 'er - loves broccoli almost more than any other veggie. And these biscuits were heavy with the broccoli flavor and fun green color. She could smell the treats in the next room and would come barreling in just to see if she could sneak one. Or three. You know. Not that anyone would notice.

Nice to note: the larger biscuits were not so hard that you couldn't break them in half. The princess has been eating small treats for so long she sometimes balks at a large bone, and often large biscuits and bones are rock-hard, making them tough to split by hand. But these treats split easily, if a little crumbily. ;)

All products from Latka's Treats come in their own clear plastic resealable zip pouch so you can not only see the biscuits but can keep them fresh in the cupboard while doling them out. After having tried treats from dozens of different places, I have to say I really appreciate the resealable packaging. Not everyone uses it, and while it may not be as "pretty" (don't worry, we're still mostly about pretty around here) it is one heck of a lot more portable, functional, and useful.

Mostly, we were impressed with their commitment to keeping wheat and corn (my biggest pet peeve), not to mention salt and preservatives, out of our pet's daily routines. We loved all of them, as did the pug and her friends, and we'll be telling folks about this company for a long time to come.

You can find out more about Latka's Treats from their web site at www.delicioustreats.com. Tell them Merry sent you!