What Is the Difference Between Dog Treats and Dog Food?
Walk down a pet-shop aisle and the packets look alike: a dog on the front, a picture of meat, a promise. One is a meal. The next is a snack. Nothing on the front tells you which, and the difference matters more than almost anything else on the pack.
The short version: a food is built to feed a dog every day. A treat is built to be given now and then.
What makes a dog food a food?
Two words on the label: complete and balanced.
The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) spells them out. Complete means the product contains all the nutrients required. Balanced means those nutrients are present in the correct ratios. The label should carry a nutritional adequacy statement saying so, and naming the life stage the food suits: growth, maintenance, or all life stages. AAFCO calls that statement perhaps the most important part of a label, because it is the key to matching a dog's needs with a product.
The statement is what separates a meal from everything else on the shelf. A pretty bag and a long ingredient list are not substitutes for it.
What makes a treat a treat?
No obligation. That is all.
AAFCO's model regulations do not require treats to meet nutritional adequacy standards. Products that fall short carry wording such as "intended for intermittent or supplementary feeding only". VCA puts it in plain words: many dog treats are not complete and balanced, meaning they do not contain all the essential nutrients a dog needs (VCA Animal Hospitals).
That is not a flaw. A biscuit, a chew or a bit of dried meat was never meant to run a dog's nutrition; it is a reward for a good sit at the gate, a training aid on a walk, or a way of getting a pill down on a stubborn evening. WSAVA defines treats as anything given in addition to a complete and balanced diet, including snacks, chews and foods used to give medication (WSAVA, 2024).
The catch? Quantity.
How much of the day can be treats?
Three veterinary sources give the same ceiling, and that kind of agreement is rare enough to be worth noticing.
UC Davis says treats and additional food items should not exceed 10% of daily calories, with 90% or more from a complete and balanced diet. Its example: a dog eating 100 Calories a day should get no more than 10 from treats (UC Davis Nutrition Support Service).
VCA gives the same split: 90% from the complete food, up to 10% from treats and snacks.
WSAVA also says under 10%, and does the sum for you: 47 kcal for a 10 kg dog, 64 kcal for a 15 kg dog. It adds that treats should never replace a meal.
Those are guidelines for an average healthy adult dog in ideal condition. A dog with a medical condition, or one on a prescription diet, should hear from a vet before any treat is added. For the practical version, see [how often to give a dog treats](/blogs/news/how-often-to-give-dog-treats) and [how many grams of biscuit a 15 to 18 kg dog can have](/blogs/news/how-many-biscuits-for-a-15-18-kg-dog).
What should you check on a label?
Four things, in order.
The adequacy statement. Is it there? Does it name your dog's life stage? If instead it says intermittent or supplemental feeding only, you are holding a treat, whatever the picture implies. WSAVA's 2021 guidance says anything labelled short-term, intermittent or complementary should be a small portion of the diet, 10% or less.
The ingredient order. AAFCO notes that ingredients are listed in descending order of weight, so the first item is the heaviest. For a treat, a short list led by a recognisable food is a good sign; our post on [what ingredients make a good dog treat](/blogs/news/what-ingredients-make-a-good-dog-treat) goes through it.
The calories. Here is a snag. WSAVA notes that calorie information is only required on pet food labels in the US. Where a packet does not show it, WSAVA says to ask the manufacturer or work it out from the label's nutrient analysis. We cannot tell you what any particular Indian pack shows, so look at the one in your hand.
Who made it. WSAVA suggests checking for company contact details and for who actually makes the food. If a company cannot or will not give you information, its advice is to be cautious about feeding that brand.
A minute, no more. The checks work equally for a cheap pouch and an expensive bag alike.
Do chews, dental sticks and soft chews count?
Yes, unless they carry a complete adequacy statement. WSAVA's definition covers snacks, chews and foods used to give medication. A product's shape or marketing does not change which category it sits in. Everything in that category shares the one 10% allowance.
When should you see a vet?
If treats have crowded out meals and your dog is losing interest in food, has diarrhoea or vomiting, or is gaining weight steadily, speak to your vet. Repeated vomiting, blood in the stool, or a dog that is lethargic and will not eat for a day needs a visit sooner. Our page on [when to see a vet](/blogs/news/when-to-take-dog-to-vet-digestive-problems) lists the signs. If the question is whether treats can stand in for a meal, we answered that in [can treats replace my dog's regular meal](/blogs/news/can-treats-replace-a-dog-meal).
Where ChewCheer fits
It sits on the treat side of the line. ChewCheer is a soft chew of about 2 g, chicken and pumpkin flavour, made with chicory root fibre and inulin. It is not a complete food and is not meant to replace any part of a meal; it is given in addition to your dog's main diet, and it counts towards the same 10% allowance as everything else. It contains chicken, so it is not suitable for a dog that reacts to chicken.
The short version
A complete and balanced food carries an adequacy statement and is built to feed a dog daily. A treat has no such obligation, and many are not complete and balanced. UC Davis, VCA and WSAVA agree on the ceiling: treats at or under 10% of daily calories. Read the adequacy statement, ask for the calorie count if it is missing, and count every chew, biscuit and scrap towards the same small allowance.
Frequently asked questions
Can a dog live on treats?
No. AAFCO does not require treats to meet nutritional adequacy standards, and VCA notes that many are not complete and balanced, so they lack nutrients a dog needs. WSAVA says treats should never replace a meal. A dog fed mostly on treats would be missing nutrients and probably gaining weight.
What does complete and balanced mean on dog food?
AAFCO defines complete as containing all the nutrients required, and balanced as having them in the correct ratios. The label should also say which life stage the food suits: growth, maintenance, or all life stages. A food without that statement may be meant only for occasional feeding.
How do I know if something is a treat or a meal?
Read the adequacy statement. A complete food says so and names a life stage. A product meant for intermittent or supplemental feeding only is not a meal. WSAVA advises that anything labelled short-term, intermittent or complementary should make up 10% or less of the diet.
How many calories can treats make up?
UC Davis, VCA and WSAVA all give the same ceiling: no more than 10% of daily calories. For a dog eating 100 Calories a day, UC Davis says no more than 10 should come from treats. WSAVA works the same arithmetic out at 47 kcal for a 10 kg dog and 64 kcal for a 15 kg dog.
Why don't I see calories on my dog's treat packet?
Calorie information is only required on pet food labels in the US, according to WSAVA's 2021 guidance. Where it is missing, WSAVA says to contact the manufacturer or calculate it from the label's nutrient analysis. If a company cannot or will not give you the number, WSAVA advises caution about feeding that brand.
Are dental chews and soft chews treats or food?
Unless the label carries a complete and balanced adequacy statement, treat them as treats. WSAVA defines treats as snacks, chews and foods used to give medication, anything given in addition to a complete diet. That means they count towards the 10% allowance, however small or healthy they look.