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I decided not to buy treats for my dogs anymore since most I find are made in China and/or are not healthy. I need some ideas for making healthy dog treats or what's safe as dog treats. For example; I heard pumpkin is good? Is canned 100% pumpkin ok or too much aluminum? How do you serve it, a spoonful? My dogs are small, 10lbs so they get small treats. I don't eat meat, so don't usually have any around the house. Would prefer non-meat ideas but will take any healthy suggestions. Ideas are appreciated!
chicken jerkey.
thin slice chicken along the grain (about 1/8th an inch thick) place on wire rack and bake on low for however long it takes for them to dry (typically about 3 hours on low for 1/8th inch slices)
boiled or grilled meats
low sodium hot dogs
liver treats.
boil water, add liver to boiling water for a few mins (cow tends to take 5 mins, chicken a little less) then rinse well in cold water. pat dry then place on a wire rack in the oven about 200 degrees for about 20 mins then dice (makes GREAT training treats!)
those are the basics.
i also give raw meaty bone, raw carrot, plain (no sugar added) yogurt, cottage cheese, egg...
only once in a while...
i find being that dogs are carnivores, it only makes sense that their treats be HEALTHY meats or otheriwse good healthy protein and fat.
i only use pumpkin (canned is fine as long as its not pie filling (they add sugar to it)) but 100% pure pumpkin is fine) when theres a tummy issue going on, pumkin is high fiber and anthing from 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon (depdning on the sie fo the dog) will either help bind for loose poop or help soften for constipation...otherwise i dont use pumpkin, much the same as i dont think people should take fiber supliments if they dont have to, dont want the body becomming reliant on the extra fiber...
I use to buy Buddy Biscuits by Cloudstar, made in the USA, but my dogs are large and piggies and it was costing me a fortune so now I make treats for them instead. Oats, molasses, honey, flax seed, egg, WW flour, bananas, cinnamon, ginger, I cut them up, bake them off and save myself tons of money.
My dogs also love cucumbers, pineapple chunks, oranges, bananas, yogurt...
I buy Pet Botanics Healthy Omega Treats from PetSmart for my dog. She's an 11 year old, 9 pound Dachshund/Toy Poodle mix. She loves these treats. I put 2 of them in her treat ball every morning. I've bought the Salmon, Chicken, Duck and she loves all of them. Here's the nutritional info on the chicken ones...
Features:
Made with real chicken, layered with cod fish & sweet potatoes
Packed with omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids
Has essential antioxidants
Low in fat
Easy digestible proteins
No by-products
Low calorie treat
I've been trying different recipes that I've found online, and then adjusting them to be exactly what I want. There are lots of recipes out there.
One thing I've noticed with homemade treats is that it's best to store them in the freezer and just take out a few days worth at a time. They don't keep as long as store-bought dog biscuits.
You can get mini cookie cutters to make little treats for your dog...look in the cake decorating aisle at Walmart or the craft store and they've got lots of little mini cutters.
I sometimes make homemade treats for my dogs but primarily use Wagath's biscuits. I like the ingredients and you'll notice the Breakfast Biscuit is a favorite for humans too! LOL
Sam loved carrots, apples, and cheese. He was a fairly large dog, I have never had a small dog. He also loved peanut butter.
I used to get bagels at the store bakery when they were being marked down, and I would cut them in chunks, and put them in the oven until they felt hard, about 250, for an hour. I would give them to him. And of course, he ate Cheerios, gold fish crackers, teddy grahams, and any other random thing the baby threw on the floor. Good dog!
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