I make a batch of pumpkin treats for my dog every month or so, sticking some in the fridge to use in the next week and then sticking the leftovers in the freezer so that they last longer. He is addicted to them and I love knowing that I'm feeding him the healthiest possible food. Take a look at what you should before baking for your doggies:
I reached out to Jessica Young, a nutritionist over at The Missing Link, for some official input about what it is that makes most grocery store dog treats a bad idea.
“It's less about what's missing and more about the process in which most shelf stable commercial pet food is made,” she said. “Like in human food, overly processed foods (ones that are cooked at a high temperature) kill the nutrients no matter the quality.”
When my dogs were pups, my vet recommended plain pumpkin and white meat chicken for their baby digestive tracts that were painfully sensitive. Finding a commercial food that agreed with them was next to impossible, but things improved considerably for them once I gave up looking and just started picking up cans of pumpkin at the grocery store to make their own snacks.
“Most commercial pet foods tend to have higher amounts of wheat, grains, or starch fillers,” she says. “Even grain-free foods just replace wheat with potato, and that's not great for your pet.”
They're also filled with things like sugar and corn syrup, and those things aren't good for us or our pets.
The American Homebrewers Association featured a story on Brew Dog Frank, who couldn't get enough of snacking on spent grains. That led them to come up with a recipe for Peanut Butter Banana Spent Grain Dog Treats, which is not only a great treat, but it's a great way to use what would otherwise be a waste product. But make sure you're not giving them hops, those are toxic — and more on that in a bit.
Superfoods for dogs
Everyone knows that dogs love things like banana, peanut butter, and apples.
The Missing Link has an entire line of products dedicated to superfoods that fill in the gaps — or rather, provide the missing link — between the nutrition your dog is getting from commercial foods and what they need to be happy and healthy.
Blueberries, kelp, sweet potato, kale, eggs, flaxseed, carrots, fish and salmon oil, and apple cider vinegar are all The Missing Link's missing links, foods that provide valuable nutrients that your dog won't get from most commercial foods and treats.
What not to include
Some foods, like sugar, salt, capsaicin, milk and other dairy products, can cause digestive issues that aren't fun for you or your dog. Foods that are poisonous to your dog include things like the infamous chocolate, coffee, apple seeds, macadamia nuts and chives, and onions are one of the worst things you can give your dog. If they get some of these kitchen staples, it can cause severe anemia.
While effects can depend on the size of your dog, there's some foods that are downright deadly. Grapes and raisins can cause kidney failure, liver damage, and only a handful can be potentially deadly. Xylitol is another big one, and it's found in a range of things from gum to bread and pastries. This one can cause seizures, low blood sugar, and liver failure in small doses, and it can also kill.
Adapt your favorite recipe for a treat you can share
It wasn't long before I stumbled on the idea of adapting an energy and protein bar recipe into something that we can all enjoy! There's a huge number of energy bar recipes out there, and our go-to favorite is this one from Bowl of Delicious.
Even though it calls for nuts and seeds, I just give leave those out in favor of some extra oats, and then bake into bars that are a great snack for when we get wherever we're going.
Get creative with how you bake
There's a ton of bone-shaped silicone molds out there, but if you're pretty sure you don't have room in your kitchen for more molds, you're definitely not alone.
There's a few things we've found make baking and cooking your treats easier. A lot of recipes will have you rolling out treats to cut, re-roll, cut again, and that can all turn into a huge time investment. Instead, pull out your mini muffin tins, and use that to portion out the dough into sections that are perfectly bite-sized for most dogs. If it's a firm dough, you can also use a cookie sheet covered with baking paper.
Use your slow cooker
If you opt to go the slow cooker route, you're cutting out all the time you're going to spend rolling out and cutting treats, and even though it's going to take longer to cook, you can literally mix up a batch and then forget about it.
One of the best recipes we've found for slow cookers is this one for personalized baked oatmeal bars from Sugar Free Mom. The base of the bars is a super-healthy banana, eggs, flaxseed, and oats, and you'll notice some of those are on Young's list of canine superfoods. They can be topped with anything you like, and once the batter's mixed up and poured into a parchment-paper lined crockpot, you can turn it on low and forget about it.
It's not as challenging as you might think
The best thing about making your dogs their own treats is when they realize it's all for them. They're not just my dogs, they're my kids. That's a special relationship, and making your own dog treats is an easy way to go an extra mile for a bit of bonding with your dog.
Who knew you could use the slow cooker for dog treats? That's genius and so effortless! You can never shy away from a meal that involves a slow cooker. Since dogs love a lot of the healthy foods we purchase, you most likely already have the ingredients to make quick and simple dog treats in your kitchen right now. In the long term, it'll also save you money since you won't need to continually purchase overly priced and overly processed treats from stores. We want to keep our dogs as healthy as possible so that they're a part of our families for as long as possible. This is the way to help them out! Let us know if you have a favorite recipe in the comments below!
Article Source: The List
