Plato Pet Treats Review: Air Dried Dog Treats

I am so picky with what I feed my dogs! Their health is so important to me, so I only want them to have the most wholesome food and treats. I discovered an incredible healthy dog treat brand called Plato Pet Treats, who specializes in natural dog treats that are made differently than other brands.

Ever heard of air dried dog treats before? If you’re thinking, “do you mean freeze dried treats?”, these are actually different and there’s some really cool science behind this new method! In this post I’m going to be sharing all about Plato Pet Treats, their air dried dog treats, how they’re made and so much more about these awesome American made dog treats!

What Are Air Dried Dog Treats?

Something that makes Plato Pet Treats stand out amongst the rest is their process of air drying their dog treats. With this process, more nutrients are retained and moisture is left in the treats, which not only improves their texture but also makes them more palatable for dogs. One study shared that:

“In the pet food industry, it is widely known that moistest kibbles are more palatant [sic] for dogs… Results confirmed dog’s preference for kibbles with higher moisture. They demonstrated that water content significantly impacts textural properties and volatile profiles of kibbles. Water increased elasticity and probably porosity of the kibbles, leading to a higher release of volatiles, thus a better palatability.”

I actually always add some water to my dog’s food because I loved that it added a little more water to their diet and I thought it made a fun little gravy for their food too, ha! Now, after learning more about this process, it makes sense why my dogs love the added liquid!

Below are some photos from Plato’s air drying process!

Difference between Air Dried & Freeze Dried Dog Treats

So if you’re wondering now, okay, so what’s the difference between air dried dog treats and freeze dried dog treats? Air dried dog treats contain more moisture which improves texture and as the moisture evaporates and the dog eats the air dried dog treat, the aroma of the treat is stronger and more palatable for the dog!

Air dried dog treats tend to be cheaper than freeze dried treats too! I personally went on chewy and looked up many freeze dried treats and compared them to the price of Plato’s dog treats and with Plato, there were numerous instances where you would get a larger bag for a cheaper cost or the same cost as a smaller freeze dried dog treat bag!

What Flavors Does Plato Pet Treats Have?

This healthy dog treat brand has dog treats available for dogs of all sizes and they feature a ton of healthy proteins, veggies and fruits like:

Chicken
Lamb
Duck
Turkey
Salmon
Mango
Cranberry
Pumpkin
Sweet Potato

All of their natural dog treats are made with limited ingredients, with the protein being the number one ingredient and are naturally preserved and contain no artificial flavors, corn, wheat or soy. They all have their own health benefits like:

Added EPA & DHA to support brain function
Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids to support skin & coat health
Support healthy digestion

What Treat Types Are Available?

Plato’s air dried dog treats come in a variety of all natural dog treats and chews types. Below is a helpful breakdown of what’s available!

1. Dog Energy Bars

2024 Update: ***I think these may have been discontinued***

If you have a super active dog that loves to go hiking, camping, dock diving or do agility, these dog energy bars are for you! These dog energy bars are a great way to give your dog a boost without giving them a huge meal. These are actually Plato Pet Treats newest healthy dog snack and these energy bars for dogs come in three flavors:

What I love most about these energy treats for dogs, is that each one contains a pairing of a protein and a vegetable/fruit and when it says mango or carrot, it’s the real deal! I gave the chicken and mango one to Annie first and she couldn’t contain her excitement, ha!

Pro Tip: You can actually get an incredible deal on the Chicken and Mango flavor if you have a Costco membership! They actually sell a 12-count 2 pack. That’s 24 dog energy bars!

2. Thinker Sticks

The next dog treat type from Plato Pet Treats is their Thinkers dog treats! These healthy chews for dogs remind me of Slim Jim meat sticks but for dogs, ha! After I opened a few of the thinkers dog treats, I saw that some flavors are soft dog treats and others have a little bit of a crunch when you break them a part!

If your dog is anything like mine, healthy dog chews only last 10 seconds, ha! My favorite way to use Plato Pet Treats thinker sticks is to put them as the handle in a dog popsicle recipe or as a fun way to top off a KONG or West Paw Toppl.

Plato Pet Treats thinker sticks are available in regular size or as mini’s and come in a ton of flavors.

3. Single Ingredient Fish

Probably the most stinky and most wanted dog treat of all time are dried fish dog treats, ha! When I opened the bag of Plato Pet Treats Wild Caught Baltic Sprat dog treats, I immediately was brought back to the days where I had a small fish tank as a kid and I would fee my fish the tetra fish flakes fish food that came in the little yellow bottle!

Plato Pet Treats dried fish dog treats are all sustainably sourced from cold, Icelandic waters. They have two kinds of dried fish treats, their Wild Caught Baltic Sprat Fish Dog Treats and their Hundur’s Crunch Jerky Cod Skin Dog Treats.

If you’ve never given your dog dried fish treats before and are wondering, “Are dried fish treats good for dogs?” or “Can dogs eat fish skin?”, the answer is yes! Dried fish dog treats are filled with Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids, which is great for your dog’s skin & coat. They also are great for fighting tartar on your dog’s teeth. Fish skins for dogs are safe when thoroughly cooked. Raw fish skins can contain unsafe bacteria and parasites.

These cod skin dog treats and sprats dog treats are great healthy dog snacks that your pup will love! I know Diesel did!

4. Toy Stuffers

2024 Update: *I think these have been discontinued*

Next are Plato Pet Treats Toy Stuffers! These healthy dog snacks come in two sizes and two flavors: Chicken & Apple and Duck & Blueberry in small and large sizes. These are great for exactly what their name is, stuffing toys! Whether you want to close the hole in your West Paw Toppl or KONG or fit it inside of another canine enrichment dog puzzle toy, these toy stuffer dog treats are a great option!

5. Small Bites

Don’t think I forgot my small breed pet owners! Plato’s small bites are not only a great treat option for small dog owners, but they also double as training treats for dogs. Whenever I’m training Annie or Diesel, I always try to put aside a special bag of dog treats that I know they’ll lose their mind over, because then their entire focus will be on me and the treat!

Plato Pet Treat’s small bites come in three tasty flavors: Salmon Meaty Morsels, Organic Chicken Meaty Morsels and Duck Meaty Morsels dog treats.

6. Real Strips

Last but not least are Plato Pet Treats Real Strips! These all natural dog treats are like medium size meat bars and then come in a few single flavors like duck, salmon and chicken. They also have a cool turkey dog treat flavor combination like turkey and pumpkin!

The turkey dog treat flavor combination is my favorite! I actually used all three in a fun Thanksgiving Dog Treat recipe on my Instagram this year.

See the full Thanksgiving West Paw Toppl Recipe here.

How cool is Plato Pet Treats? I personally loved learning more about air dried dog treats and the benefits of air drying dog treats and the difference between freeze dried dog treats. I definitely think Plato Pet Treats are some of the best all natural dog treats made in the USA! From training treats for dogs to dried fish treats for dogs, they truly have created an amazing variety of healthy dog chews and treat types and flavors!

I hope you loved reading this dog treat review about an awesome healthy dog treat brand! If you want to learn more about Plato Pet Treats, watch this cool video about their story and founder Aaron Merrell on their website!

P.S. check out more of my posts featuring other cool and helpful dog products:

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Photography: Kate Kelley Collection