Single ingredient dog treats list one ingredient on the label, and that one thing is the whole treat. The panel on our Turkey Thin Chips reads "Turkey," and the one on our Sweet Potato Fries reads "Dehydrated Sweet Potatoes."
If your dog has to avoid certain foods, you can check a label that short in seconds and know everything in the treat.
Reading the label on single ingredient dog treats
The name on the front of a bag gives you the flavor, and words like "natural" or "grain free" describe the recipe in broad strokes. The ingredient panel on the back lists everything in the treat, heaviest first. If your dog has to skip a protein, read the back. A jerky named for one meat can list a second meat right behind it.
A single ingredient treat has one entry on that panel. The word "dehydrated" describes the drying, so "dehydrated sweet potatoes" counts as one ingredient. Watch for these on a longer panel.
- A second protein behind the one named on the front
- Flour or gelatin, which give a chew its body and shape
- Salt or smoke flavor, there for taste
- Preservatives, which help a treat keep on the shelf
Plenty of good treats carry a longer list. Our Prime Chews do, since a long lasting chew with a jerky center needs binders to hold its shape. We go through that full panel in our guide to dog treat ingredients.
"Limited ingredient" and "single protein" sound close, and both allow more on the label. A limited ingredient treat keeps its list short. A single protein treat has one meat and can include other ingredients.
Elimination diets and simple labels
Your vet may put your dog on an elimination diet to track down a food that disagrees with them. Treats count as food during one. Ask your vet before you add any treat, single ingredient or not, and bring the bag. You can name everything in a one ingredient treat, so that conversation goes fast.
The same goes if your dog has to skip a protein. A chip whose panel reads "Turkey" takes seconds to check.
You may want a short label for its own sake. With one line on the panel, you have nothing to look up. Thin one ingredient treats make handy training rewards, since you can break them into small pieces. Our guide to training treats has the calorie math.
Our single ingredient treats
Thin Chips
Thin Chips give you a meat treat you can split by hand for a small dog or a training session. Each bag holds one protein. We slice it thin and dry it at low heat in our family plant in Lenoir, North Carolina.
Beef dries dark and crisp. Turkey dries golden and thin enough to break with two fingers, so a few chips in your pocket give you a handful of rewards on a walk. With five proteins to pick from, you can switch flavors when your dog wants something new.
| Thin Chips flavor | Ingredient panel | Calories per chip |
|---|---|---|
| Beef | Beef | 19 |
| Turkey Tendon | Turkey Tendon | 19 |
| Turkey | Turkey | 21 |
| Pork | Pork | 22 |
| Elk | Elk | 41 |
Beef and Turkey Tendon come in lowest at 19 calories a chip, so you can hand out more of them in a long training session. Elk carries the most at 41, so break one in half for a small dog. Elk is the one to ask your vet about if your dog needs a protein it has not eaten before.
Sweet potato treats
Our Sweet Potato Chews, Fries, and Bones give you a single ingredient option with no meat in it. Each bag lists one ingredient, dehydrated sweet potatoes. Our other sweet potato recipes add a meat or a coating. You can shop these three and every Thin Chips flavor in our single ingredient dog treats collection.
- Sweet Potato Chews keep your dog busy, since each chew is thick and firm. The guaranteed analysis puts fat under 1%, and each chew runs 35 calories. The bag holds 32 oz.
- Sweet Potato Fries break into smaller pieces for small dogs. They look like thick cut steak fries.
- Sweet Potato Bones suit dogs of 12 pounds and up, going by the serving guide on the bag. They come in a 12 oz bag.
For a softer treat, the directions on the Fries and Bones bags say to add water and let it rehydrate before you serve it.
Choosing one for your dog
Match the treat to the job. Break a Thin Chip into small pieces for training, or hand over a Sweet Potato Chew when your dog needs something to work on. If your vet has your dog on a restricted diet, show them the panel before you buy.
Every single ingredient treat we make sits in one collection, from Beef Thin Chips to Sweet Potato Bones. Start with a protein your dog likes.
