If you feel what other dog lovers feel, your pet is considered and treated as a member of the family. Homemade dog treats are a wonderful way to show your love. Your pet is as important to you as the other members of the family. You watched him grow from a puppy to a fully mature dog who has a personality, likes and dislikes and returns unconditional love.
Just as you take every precaution with your family’s health by eating the right foods, including healthy snacks, you also care about how you pamper your pet. It’s just as much fun for pet parents to give homemade dog treats and healthy snacks as it is for pets to eat them.
Unfortunately, most store-bought pet treats are far from healthy. In fact, many of them are made in China even though that fact is not printed on the label. Very few commercial pet treats bother to have the ingredients listed on the label. You can be more than sure that preservatives and fillers are included which give the treat more bulk and taste good to the dog.
For example, many dog treats print only the name of the company that distributes the product, but do not indicate where the treat was originally processed. If you notice that the barcode on the package has the first three number sequences 690, 991, or 692, the product was made in China. What’s so dangerous about dog treats made in China?
Hartz, a leading distributor of dog products in the US, recently recalled its Chicken Chews™ Soft and Tender and Chicken Wrapped Oinkies® Pig Skin Twists because trace amounts of antibiotic residues were discovered. Of course, Hartz isn’t the only dog food distributor that had to recall products due to contamination. More than 500 dogs died from eating dry treats containing glycerin between 2010 and 2012.
The only way to avoid feeding your dog poison or to ensure that his treats are healthy for him is to make them yourself. Even empty calories will eventually add to his weight without providing any nutritional value.
Dogs are carnivores as evidenced by their teeth and short gastrointestinal systems. Some owners believe that if they feed their dog only grains and vegetables, they have a healthier diet, but meat is necessary for a complete diet. A good dog treat that goes unrecognized by most owners is any type of real bone, except chicken and turkey bones. Bones satisfy the urge to chew, and their stomachs benefit from chewing on bones. You can buy chew bones at any butcher shop if you are a vegetarian.
Whether you want to make your own dog treats for training purposes or just because you want to please your pet, there are several recipes on the internet. Keep in mind that some animals have allergies, and watch your pet’s reaction to treats that include wheat, milk, and eggs.
Warning: Never include sugar in your pet’s treats! Dogs cannot process sugar.
Here are two recipes to get you started making your own candy. You can easily find the ingredients in your kitchen cupboard and it will take less than an hour to prepare. Go and enjoy making these delicious treats for your best friend.
Sunflower biscuits for dogs
2 cups flour
1/3 Cups. Oatmeal
½ cup shelled sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons of flaxseed oil
½ cup chicken broth
2 whole eggs mixed with ¼ cup milk
1 whole egg beaten
· 2 teaspoons. Fresh Mint (natural breath freshener)
Addresses:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix the flour, oatmeal, and seeds. Add the oil, chicken broth, and the egg-milk mixture.
Let stand for 30 minutes. Then, pour onto a floured surface and roll out to ¼-inch thick. Use your cookie cutter of choice and brush with the beaten egg for a nice sheen. Bake for 30 minutes until golden. Let it cool.
Treat your dog to the delicious taste of a homemade treat.
PUMPKIN DOG TREATS RECIPE
Ingredients:
15 ounces pure cooked pumpkin puree
3/4 cup of oatmeal. You can mix this dry, you don’t need to cook it first.
1/2 cup powdered milk powder
Instructions: Preheat oven to 300 F.
Mix all the ingredients together. Drop small dollops (I use about half a tablespoon) onto a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
Whether you want to make bite-sized cookies for small dogs, training rewards, or just small treats, you can use a piping bag and squeeze out large button-sized rosettes for tasty bite-sized cookies!
Depending on the size, this recipe will make about 20 treats. This healthy homemade dog treat is perfect for training or just treating your special friend.