Molasses is sugar and not good for cats or dogs
Of course all manufacturers of treats make them taste good to cats/dogs including the toxic ones that come from China and the ones that contained melamine in 2007 that sickened and killed huge unknown numbers of cats/dogs.
The only thing that matters in a pet food or treat is the ingredient list, for this example Blue Dog Bakery Peanut Butter & Molasses Flavor and there’s nothing good in it.
These treats basically contain nothing but carbohydrates in the form of starches and sugars, all of which are harmful to dogs.
Molasses certainly isn’t OK as an ingredient as it is almost all sugar and a whopping 84% carbohydrates; a dog’s natural diet is 6% carbohydrates.
Dogs don’t process carbohydrates whatsoever like humans do; dogs get their energy from protein and fats, not from carbohydrates.
Starches + sugars = carbohydrates = huge swings in blood sugar and insulin, insulin resistance and high blood sugar leading to obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cataracts, allergies and many more serious illness and disease often leading to premature death, similar to those found in humans.
Here’s what a really bad ingredient list looks like in treats: Unbleached wheat flour, whole wheat flour, blackstrap molasses, palm oil, whey, oats, natural caramel color, nonfat milk, egg powder, salt, baking soda, natural peanut butter flavor, brewers yeast.
Contains only 9% protein and a whopping 70% carbohydrates.
Here’s what a really good ingredient list looks like in treats: Angus beef liver, boneless Black Angus beef, Black Angus tripe (Guaranteed Fresh and Preservative-Free).
Contains 35% protein and only 8% carbohydrates.
The first ingredient list above is Blue Dog Bakery Peanut Butter & Molasses Flavor and the second is Orijen Black Angus Beef/Single-Source Biologically Appropriate Dog Treats.
Yes, there’s a huge, huge difference in price but an even bigger difference in nutrition for your dog... one contains almost all harmful ingredients and the other the exact opposite.
Without a doubt, the cheapest and most nutritious treats for cats/dogs are the ones pet owners make themselves.
Simply finely chop some chicken and liver, form into small pieces and put in a food dehydrator or at a very low oven temperature to evaporate the moisture.
Blue Dog Bakery can be bought at Walmart where they sell the worst of the worst pet foods including Ol’ Roy, Pedigree, Purina, Iams, etc.
There’s reasons why you can buy at Walmart a box of Blue Dog Bakery treats for under $5 and a 40 lb. bag of Ol’ Roy dog food for under $23.... and those reasons are very bad for cats/dogs.
Dr. Karen Becker, DVM wrote a couple of excellent articles on the good and bad ingredients in treats, including molasses:
Stick With Safe and Nutritious Pet Treats and
China Responds to U.S. Concerns About Tainted Pet Treats
We all want what’s good for our pets; the most important thing is to read the ingredient list on anything you feed your cat/dog and familiarize yourself with both the good and harmful ingredients.
Roger Biduk