Making your own Dog Treats

Making your own dog treats is a fun activity for any occasion. A basket of homemade dog snacks blows friends and neighbors away and will keep their critters happy for days. Plus, why feed your own pets artificial flavors and chemicals when you don’t have to? Making your own puppy treats is as easy as making cookies.

Here is a simple recipe from “BullWrinkle.com”. A website with a lot of really great dog recipes for treats, meals, health snacks and even meat loafs.

3 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 cup Quaker oats
1 cup milk
1/2 cup hot water
2 beef or chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 cup meat drippings

Dissolve bouillon cubes in hot water. Add milk and drippings and beat. In a separate bowl, mix flour and oatmeal. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients and mix well. Press onto an ungreased cookie sheet and cut into shapes desired. Bake at 300 for 1 hour. Turn off heat and leave in the oven to harden. Refrigerate after baking.

For extra healthy dog snacks, add some nutritious ingredients such as:

Spinach, pumpkin, blueberries, sweet potatoes, sunflower seeds, flaxseed, carrots, brown rice, pomegranate, cranberries or tomatoes. Just grind these ingredients or chop them into tiny pieces and add them to the mix. Maintain a balance between wet and dry ingredients enough to form a dough.

For puppy breath, add some fresh flavors such as vanilla, peanut butter and mint. Feel free to add cooked meats such as chicken gizzards or ground beef; but remember that treats with these ingredients should be kept in the refrigerator to avoid bacteria growth.

National Geographic reminds dog owners to educate themselves before adding any ingredient; some foods we can eat are harmful to dogs. These include chocolate, hops, some nuts, onions, garlic and even avocado according to some sources. Because dogs stomachs are sensitive, never allow your dog to eat too many treats and always keep an eye on your dog after giving him a homemade treat, to make sure there are no allergic reactions to the ingredients.

Regarding Wheat: Those who have considered making their own dog foods have probably come across the debate regarding dogs and wheat. Wheat and corn are main ingredients in many commercial dog foods, but some renowned veterinarians claim that these ingredients are difficult for our pets to digest. The healthiest dog foods do not contain these grains but are mostly meat, supplemented with gentler grains such as brown rice and whole oat. If your dog is allergic to wheat or if you want to avoid using it in your dog treats, replace the whole wheat flour with whole oats or rice flour.