Homemade Dog Treats

In response to a request for recipes for other types of dog treats, I thought I'd share two that I found out there on the web, and one that I have in a recipe book for dogs - The Good Treats Cookbook for Dogs by Barbara Burg.

Many of the dog treat recipes out there use whole wheat flour.  I try to avoid wheat as much as possible in what I feed our dogs.  Wheat is one of what I call the 'three nasties' for pets - wheat, corn and soy.  I don't think any of our dogs have allergies to these three ingredients, but I avoid them nonetheless.

Here's a link on substituting wheat flour with other types of flour - http://forum.lowcarber.org/archive/index.php/t-214051.html.  Personally I would favor rye flour, barley flour, millet flour or rice flour.  I'm not sure how much the substitution of wheat flour with any of those would affect the consistency of many of the dog treat recipes out there, so that would be something you'd have to try.

Here's a soft treat using rice flour and rolled oats:

Ingredients:

1 cup rice flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup applesauce, unsweetened
1/2 cup finely grated carrot
2 eggs
3 tbsp molasses

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, stir together the rice flour, rolled oats and cinnamon.
In a small bowl, combine the applesauce, grated carrot, eggs and molasses.
Make a well in the medium bowl's ingredients and pour in the applesauce mixture.
Mix thoroughly until well combined.
Lightly spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
Drop teaspoon-sized clusters on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
These treats will last in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. They will be good in the freezer for 4 months. The yield is approximately 70 teaspoon sized treats. You can make them larger for a larger breed dog, just be sure to bake them an additional 5-10 minutes.


Here's a peanut butter biscuit recipe that doesn't specify the type of flour to use:

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbs. peanut butter
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 Tbs. chicken broth*
1 egg white
1 tsp baking powder

Instructions:

Mix flour and milk until lumpy and then add peanut butter and broth.
Add parmesan cheese to the mixture followed by egg white. Mix well until it has the consistency of pancake batter. Add baking powder.
Place on greased cooke cheet, making 2 inch drops. Bake at 400°F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool before serving.

* A note about broth - if you use store-bought broth, I'd recommend low-sodium, organic broth.  Preferably, it is easy to make your own!


And here's Ms. Burg's recipe for Carob Chip Cookies:

Ingredients:

3/4 cup whole rolled oats
2 cups rye flour
1 cup all-natural peanut butter
1 cup milk
1/4 cup unsweetened carob chips

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine oats and flour. 
In another bowl, combine peanut butter and milk.
Add peanut butter mixture to dry mixture and blend well.  Fold in carob chips.
On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough and roll out to 1/4" thickness.
Use cookie cutters to cut into shapes, repeating rolling and cutting until all dough is used.
Place biscuits on lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes.
Cool on rack and store in a sealed container.

I hope your dogs love their home made treats.  Happy baking!

So, about that chicken jerky...

In my first post, I mentioned that renewed concerns about chicken jerky from China causing illness in dogs was one of the things that motivated me to make good on my long-time intent to create a Family Friend Pet Sitting blog.

This topic has been in the news as recently as May 23, 2012, and I saw a warning being circulated on Facebook about it again this afternoon.

Here's what Snopes.com has to say about it: UNDETERMINED.

Here's what I say about it: DON'T RISK IT!

Here's what the Krebs greyhounds say about it: WE WANT OUR CHICKEN JERKY!

So, we decided to start making our dog treats at home.  I did some research on the internet about making homemade chicken jerky for dogs.  I learned you can use your conventional oven, or you can use a food dehydrator.

We purchased a Nesco food dehydrator on Amazon for around $60 about a month ago.  We have successfully made several batches of jerky using chicken breast, turkey breast, very lean beef steak and beef liver.  All of it has been given 16 enthusiastic paws up!

Here's what I've learned so far -

1.  Select very lean meat.  Meats with higher fat content takes longer to dry, and jerky made with fattier meats can spoil if not refrigerated.

2.  Consider buying organic meats for your dogs.  Yes, it's more expensive.  It's also healthier, and hopefully the animals were treated more humanely on the farm they were raised on.

3.  The thinner you slice the meat, the quicker it will dry.  Slicing the meat while still partially frozen allows you to slice it more thinly.  Be sure to use a very sharp knife!

4.  We start our dehydrator before going to bed and 8 hours later - voila!  Fresh, healthy dog treats we feel good about giving to our dogs.  Peace of mind is priceless!

5.  Some people use seasonings or marinades on the meat prior to making the jerky.  I personally follow the KISS method - it saves me time, and I don't have to be concerned about sodium, etc.  Dogs don't need meat to be enhanced - it's MEAT!

6. Beef liver REALLY STINKS. I've never been squeamish about meat before, but handling raw beef liver and preparing it for the dehydrator had me gagging. It stinks when it's raw, it feels horrible, and it stinks while it's dehydrating!   For that batch, the dehydrator did its overnight shift in the garage. Phew!

Finally, you can make homemade biscuits and cookies for your dogs using a dehydrator too.  We haven't tried that yet, but I'll let you know The Krebs Crew Review when we do!

Welcome to the FFPS Blog

Creating a blog has been something I've been wanting to do for my pet sitting clients for quite a while. In today's digital world, we get inundated daily with bits and pieces of news and information from the internet, social media like Facebook, and other forms of communication with friends, family and co-workers.

The recent news about chicken jerky from China and the Diamond Pet Foods Salmonella outbreak and recall renewed my interest in taking FFPS into the blogosphere, in an effort to create a 'one-stop shop' for pet news and information.

I routinely get questions from my clients about nutrition, vaccinations, training and health concerns. As both a professional pet sitter and as a pet parent I strive to stay informed from a variety of resources, and I look forward to sharing that information with you here.   

I'd also like to share some of my personal experiences with animals at home and at work, and would love to have you do the same with me.  Please give me feedback on what you see, and what you want to see, on this blog!

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It is a privilege to care for your companion animals, and Family Friend Pet Sitting is a success because of you.

Thank you so much for your continued support and patronage.