Sometimes, your pooch deserves a few tasty treats.
However, these alone are bad for dogs in large doses.
Especially if they’re made with the worst possible ingredients.
So to help you see through those attractive packaging…
I prepared a list of doggy snacks you shouldn’t get from the pet food aisle.
Continue reading to find out:
- 13 worst dog treats in 2025.
- The product you should avoid the most.
- Common harmful ingredients in dog treats.
- And a lot more…
FREE VIDEO: Chicken vs Beef vs Pork… (the #1 WORST dog food for your pet’s health & vitality)
Table of contents
13 worst dog treats
#1: Ol’ Roy Dog Biscuits (5 flavors)
As much as possible, it’s best to avoid colorful snacks like these.
It may look delicious to your eyes…
Thanks to color psychology. A study shows that dyes like red make food more appetizing to humans.
However, those colorings don’t add any nutritional value to the treats.
Plus, they pose risks to your dog’s health too.
The Ol’ Roy Dog Biscuits have the following food dyes in their recipe:
- Blue 1.
- Red 40.
- Yellow 5.
- Yellow 6.
The US Food and Drug Administration, a.k.a. FDA, allows these artificial colorings in food. (See the complete list here.)
But due to health hazards, some of them are banned in Australia. As well as in Europe, like:
- France.
- Austria.
- Norway.
- Finland.
And below are the reasons why.
One research links 3 synthetic food dyes to cancer and ‘hypersensitivity’ in animals.
These are:
- Red 40.
- Yellow 5.
- Yellow 6.
Based on it, cancer-causing agents contaminate the additives above.
Among those is ‘benzidine.’ And people use this in coloring paper and textiles.
Then, a report says they also cause hyperactivity in children and teens.
Meanwhile, the same 3 dyes, along with Blue 1, cause ‘hypersensitivity.’
It’s when the immune system abnormally reacts to a substance. Which then results in an allergic reaction.
Some dogs may experience this right away.
But others might seem alright with the dyes at first. Then show skin allergies later on.
Also, Yellow 5 may cause ‘genotoxicity.’ Or damage to DNA which can also lead to cancer.
Besides the harmful food colorings…
Ol’ Roy treats are mostly fillers. Or low-quality items added to boost the nutrient levels.
Its main ingredients are (from greatest to least):
- Ground whole wheat.
- Corn gluten meal.
- Cane molasses.
- Chicken fat.
- Fresh deboned chicken.
You see, the top 2 on the list are grains.
Dogs need them on their diet.
But not too much, as they’re harder to digest than animal protein, a study says.
Plus, based on experts, they have fewer essential amino acids too. Or things dogs need to create proteins.
You might also like: Can dogs eat froot loops?
#2: Purina Beggin’
This jerky treat has a named meat source as its 1st ingredient – pork.
However, next to it is more grains:
- Barley.
- Oatmeal.
- Wheat flour.
- Brewer’s rice.
- Wheat gluten.
- Soybean meal.
- Corn gluten meal.
These are even processed products (anything with ‘meal’).
So they don’t contain enough nutrients like whole grains.
But what’s concerning is that the brand proudly says it has ‘real bacon.’
It’s salty and high in fats.
Also, bacon’s cured using ‘sodium nitrite.’ And it may cause cancer, according to a study.
Don’t get me started with giving your pooch human food.
Eating a small piece of it may not harm your pooch right away.
However, if you continue giving fatty snacks to your dog…
They’re not only at risk of an upset stomach but also of deadly pancreatitis. Or swelling of the pancreas.
Further reading: 7 Reasons Why Your Dog’s Poop Is Orange + 5 Tips
#3: Purina Alpo Variety Snaps
This brand is another colorful treat on the list.
Compared to other products, the ingredients are fewer.
But 4 out of 14 are artificial food dyes. Which are all connected to cancer and allergy cases.
Plus, it’s a grain-rich snack. And its only meat source is a ‘chicken by-product meal.’
It’s good that you know which animal they got the ingredient from.
However, by-products are from leftover parts of slaughtered animals. Say blood or their organs.
Then they’re cooked to become a ‘meal.’
Thus, compared to fresh meat…
By-product meals are less expensive. So they’re used to boost the food’s nutrient levels.
#4: Purina Beneful Baked Delights
If you check this treat’s top 5 ingredients…
You’ll see that they’re mostly grains and sugar.
That’s a lot of carbs for your dog, which may not burn well.
And like Alpo Variety Snaps, this also has a chicken by-product meal.
Plus, it has synthetic food dyes and unnamed animal fat too.
The latter’s sketchy as you don’t know its actual source.
This may not always be the case. But who knows, they may have gotten the fat from 4D meats.
Or flesh from animals who are:
- Dead.
- Dying.
- Disabled.
- Diseased.
Just the thought of it can send chills down your spine.
But besides the possible unpleasant source…
The meat or fat may also have traces of ‘pentobarbital.’ Or a drug used in euthanizing animals.
This happened in a recall on some dog food like Ol’ Roy and Gravy Train, so it’s possible.
If you want to know more, read this article: 5 Dangers When Feeding 4D Meats To Your Dog
#5: Gravy Train
Like Beneful Baked Delights…
You won’t see any whole meat source within its top 5 ingredients.
Instead, it has corn syrup. Which is only excess sugar for your Fido.
Not to mention that it’s also linked to hyperactivity. And can make your pooch excited all the time.
More iffy ingredients in this product:
- Red 40 (coloring).
- Unidentified animal fat.
- Chicken by-product meal.
#6: Pedigree DentaStix
If you’re looking for a treat that cleans your pooch’s teeth…
This may be on top of the list. As Pedigree’s known worldwide.
However, I say do more research as it may harm your Fido.
Bad reputation
First, these dental chews have negative reviews. And you can read some of them here.
The most common complaint is stomach issues.
After eating a DentaStix, the Fidos had:
- Bad gas.
- Yellowish vomit.
- Watery poop (with or without blood).
Choking hazard
When you leave them unattended with these sticks…
Aggressive chewers may swallow the treats whole.
And if the piece’s too big for their size, it can lodge in their mouth or block their throat.
Sugary and salty treats
Lastly, the ingredients are full of starch and sugars from:
- Flours – from corn and wheat.
- Maize gluten – a by-product of milling corn grains.
- Glycerin – a preservative that’s also a sweetener.
Also, it has ‘sodium tripolyphosphate.’
Based on experts, it’s a kind of salt that often causes vomiting at large doses.
So this might be why most of the product’s complaints are Fidos throwing up.
Thus, it’s best to avoid this dog treat as much as possible.
#7: DreamBone Mini Chews
Speaking of dental treats, here’s a product you must always avoid.
According to a report, 2 dog parents sued this company as it caused their Fidos’ deaths.
In the 1st case, the vet found a piece of this treat inside the dead pooch’s body.
And Fido was fine before the incident, as per the report.
Then in the 2nd case, the parent said that her English Bulldog suddenly had weak legs.
It happened after the dog ate a DreamBone chew.
The parent tried to save her pooch. But she couldn’t retrieve the piece of treat.
As it moved further down in the dog’s tract. Which the Fido can’t easily throw up.
DreamBone Mini Chews are similar to rawhide.
It’s a hard treat you give to your pooch with caution.
But what makes DreamBone more dangerous is that they’re smaller.
So your dog can swallow the whole thing.
And this can cause life-threatening conditions, like:
- Choking.
- Blockage in the intestines.
Now, apart from the choking hazard…
These mini chews don’t also have the best main ingredients:
- Corn.
- Chicken.
- Sorbitol.
- Glycerin.
- Fructose.
- Pork gelatin.
- Barley malt syrup.
As you can see, more than 50% of them are sugar.
- Fructose – fruit sugar.
- Glycerin – a sweetener.
- Sorbitol – sugar alcohol.
- Barley malt syrup – as sweet as refined white sugar.
So with all these…
It’s like you’re giving candy to your dog.
Note: Never leave your dog with chews unattended. Or you might as well not give it to them in the first place to avoid mishaps.
#8: Canine Carry Outs
If having too many sugars in dog treats is a contest…
This product will likely win.
In its packaging, it lists chicken as its main ingredient.
It’s an excellent protein. And the brand specified its meat source.
But right next to it is…
Ta-dah!
Corn syrup.
Dogs need some sugar for energy.
However, being the 2nd main ingredient in their food is too much.
High doses of sugar may cause an imbalance in your Fido’s gut. Resulting in an upset tummy.
And it can also put your pooch at risk of several health conditions, like:
- Obesity.
- Diabetes.
- Metabolic disorders.
Then after corn syrup, you’ll find grains and unknown items, such as:
- Animal fat.
- Wheat flour.
- Corn starch.
- Animal digest.
- Red 40 (food dye).
#9: Wagg
This brand offers many snacks for dogs.
But let’s talk about its ‘Tasty Bones’ formula.
It has no added sugar, unlike the previous products.
However, its main ingredient’s wheat.
Then it’s only followed by:
- Chicken meal.
- Chicken liver digest.
The 1st one’s a processed product. Meanwhile, acids or heat treat the latter.
Companies may add animal digest to dog food. As it’s an inexpensive way to give a meaty flavor to the treat without adding actual flesh.
#10: Milk-Bone
Dogs are often associated with loving bones.
So this may add to the treat’s popularity. As these dog biscuits look like cute tiny bones.
But if we talk about its nutrition…
Milk-Bone treats list the following as their main ingredients:
- Wheat flour.
- Wheat bran.
- Ground whole wheat.
These are safe for dogs in moderation.
However, having too much of them may upset your Fido’s stomach.
Aside from these sources of starch…
These treats also have a ‘meat and bone meal.’
It’s an unidentified source.
So you only know it’s a product of cooked tissues and bones. And it could be from any animal.
#11: Pup-Peroni
I’d say it’s a pretty catchy name.
However, that’s all to this affordable doggy treat.
At a glance, it has beef as its 1st ingredient. Which is a good meat source.
But then it’s followed by ‘meat by-products.’
These are inferior to beef in terms of quality.
Plus, you don’t know where the manufacturer got those ingredients.
So you can’t cross out the possibility of 4D meats. Say roadkills or euthanized animals.
Further down the list, you’ll find other ingredients that could harm your dog:
- Sodium nitrite.
- Red 40 (food coloring).
#12: Pup Corn
This is a good example of great marketing.
You get the pun. And the dog treats are even packaged like popcorn.
But you see, your Fido won’t appreciate these things.
When you look at Pup Corn’s ingredients, corn flour’s listed 1st.
This makes it the main component of the food.
Then it’s followed by an animal protein – which is chicken.
However, listed meats have around 75% moisture in cases like this.
So when you remove that, the chicken might weigh less than the grains.
Then this puts them at the bottom of the list. (Bye, only meat source!)
Some recipes even have cheddar cheese as their 3rd ingredient.
Eating large amounts of it can be dangerous to their health.
It’s because cheese is high in fat. And some Fidos don’t digest dairy products well.
Read next: 5 Reasons Why Your Dog Can’t Eat Cheddar Cheese (Must-Read)
#13: JerHigh
These snacks specify their meat sources on their labels.
This is good as you know what you’ll be feeding to your pooch.
JerHigh’s top 2 ingredients are:
- Beef.
- Chicken meat.
But these are followed by more carbohydrates:
- Sugar.
- Wheat flour.
- Wheat gluten.
- Tapioca starch.
And as I said earlier, meats have a lot of moisture.
So if you exclude it in their weight…
The grains and sugars above may outweigh the beef and chicken in the treats.
But aside from these…
JerHigh also has potentially harmful ingredients. Especially in large amounts.
And they’re as follows:
- Unknown food dye.
- Unnamed preservative.
- Sodium tripolyphosphate – a type of salt that causes vomiting in dogs.
FREE VIDEO: Chicken vs Beef vs Pork… (the #1 WORST dog treat for your pet’s health & vitality)
According to the best-selling author and internationally acclaimed veterinarian, Dr. Lisa Marshall, there’s one dog treat that pet owners should avoid at all costs.
This dog treat can harm your pet’s digestive system and disrupt their nutrient absorption.
Both draining their vitality and encouraging the accumulation of “stubborn” fat deposits that cannot be eliminated through normal diet and exercise.
Do you know the dog treat I’m referring to? Ensure your pet’s health by selecting the option below you believe it is, and discover the answer from Dr. Marshall herself on the following page:
>> Chicken
>> Beef
>> Pork
>> Fish
Make your selection above or click here to skip straight to the answer.
==> Click Here To Discover The #1 Dog Treat To Avoid