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I can't remember the last time I bought dog treats in a store. It really is more economical and healthier to make your own. We eat a lot of chicken breast in our house and I have found they are not as closely trimmed when they are on special. There is always a few sides pieces and sinew that is not appetizing so I save those pieces and poach them for treats. They would end up in the garbage so I consider them a sort of freebee that I can cook and freeze until I need them. Likewise with some leftovers like quinoa, brown rice, vegetables that are still edible but not so pretty - they end up as treats as is or part of a baked goodie for the dog.
>My dog loves chicken or sweet potato for treats far more than any commercial dog treat. And they are fraction of the cost!
Absolutely! Cooking at home is always going to be cheaper, and fun too if you're like me and the kitchen is your favorite room in the house. There are some safety advantages to commercial cooking though, namely that we have, in some ways, better equipment as well as standardized sanitation protocols.
One way industrial equipment can make a big safety difference is in controlling Listeria, a particularly nasty bacteria. Some bacteria will just die off if you get them under enough heat, but not this creep. If you just heat Listeria up without controlling the moisture levels of your food, the bacteria can dry out before it gets hot enough. When that happens it can go into a sort of hibernation state, and when it gets cool and wet again it will pop back up good-as-new.
The kind of equipment that we have allows us to keep precise check on moisture levels so that the bacteria doesn't realize it's being cooked out until its too late (dun dun dun).
For home cooking there's definitely some things you can do to minimize your risk without spending $50k on an industrial smoke house. The best thing is probably to consume the product quickly, or not make so much at a time that you're storing it for weeks. Bacteria takes time to grow to harmful levels, so the quicker it's eaten the less of a problem you're likely to have. Freezing helps also, but it might not eliminate the problem, and you also have to deal with things like freezer burn if you store meat for too long.
Also, personally, I recommend that you get meat that's steroid/hormone/antibiotic free, but that's pretty easy to come by these days. The jury is still out as far as organic produce goes for pet health, but it couldn't hurt if you're willing to pay the little extra for it.
I really can't understand why people feel the need to buy commercial dog treats.
My dogs love chewing on the uncooked stems of broccoli & cauliflower.
I don't eat the really woody, lower portion of these stems, but the dogs really love the taste, and it gives them something to chew on.
When I make a salad, I eat the green parts of the Romaine lettuce leaves, and my dogs get the white spines of the leaves. When I trim sweet bell peppers the dogs get the white portions inside, and when I cut up tomatoes, the dogs get the stem ends. The same goes with the ends of carrots.
With the exceptions of mushrooms & parsley, I have found that dogs love vegetables.
Instead of buying commercial treats that may contain dangerous ingredients, and that tend to be very fattening, if you give your dog the pieces of vegetables that you don't eat, your dog will be getting a lot more nutrients, will tend to stay far slimmer, and you will save a whole lot of money.
My sweet girl would get small bites of whatever fruit/vegetable I had (that were dog safe) such as cantaloupe (she loved it!), apple slice, raw spinach, blueberries, fresh green beans, carrots or pieces of tomato. All were vet approved & endorsed. The key is variety, not to give too much of the same thing.
I knew a girl who would give her little Maltese baby carrots constantly...probably 10-20 a day. Moderation is important.
Love the dehydration idea but I never bought a dehydrator. Tried making sweet potato jerky in my toaster oven (very low setting) but it did not turn out.
Here's a treat that's safe and relatively easy.
Slice part of a chicken breast as thinly as you can, spread them on a microwave safe plate, cover with a sheet of paper towel and microwave them on high, 2 minutes at a time (checking that they don't burn) until they are dehydrated. Let cool and store in a ziplock bag in your fridge. Our dogs LOVE them. I wouldn't keep them any longer than 5 days to be safe, so just do a little at a time.
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