Our pets are special to us. This means the treats we give our pets should be just as special. The organic, gluten-free, and vegan industry is booming and many health-interested pet owners are wanting to increase their pet's health with wholesome food choices. Not all packaged pet food contains uncertain chemicals but many pet owners want better than a packaged treat, purchased at a big box online store made out of who knows really what.
Homemade Treats:
If you find yourself with a little extra free time, or simply like to bake, homemade treats are a great way to spoil your pet! By making dog treats from home, pet owners have control over what goes into their pets’ treats. They are chemical-free and can be made with wholesome ingredients that your pet may need such as antioxidants or more fiber.
Gina Green, a pet food researcher has studied how some red-flag ingredients like BHA, BHT, Ethoxyquin, Sodium Met bisulfite, and TBHQ lead to poor gut health in your pet. 'The Guardian' in 2021 posted that many raw food zero carb pet food diets may be related to increasing canine heart disease. These unhealthy ingredients are found in manufactured food and treats.
Making treats for your dog can be fun and here are a few of our favorites that you can try:
Recipes:
Pumpkin Carrot Bites
Ingredients
¾ cup organic canned pumpkin unsweetened
1 egg
¼ cup shredded carrots
1 cup whole wheat flour
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325° degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, stir all ingredients (pumpkin, egg, carrots, and flour) until combined and the dough is moist.
With a spoon or your hands, roll the dough into small balls and place it on a baking sheet. (You may use a little flour to prevent the dough from sticking to surfaces).
Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.
Cheesy Bone Dog and Cat Treats
Ingredients
3.5 cups unbleached whole grain flour
2 cups of shredded low-fat swiss cheese
2 tbsp. coconut oil
3 tbsp. steel cut oats
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350*F degrees.
Mix all ingredients until the dough is thoroughly combined and thickened.
On a lightly floured cutting board, roll out dough to ⅜” in thickness
Cut with a bone-shaped cookie cutter and transfer them to an ungreased cookie sheet.
After all the cookies on the baking sheet, press 1-15 oats onto each.
Bake until you start to see the edges fully golden brown and that the treat thoroughly dry.
Peanut Butter and Banana CBD Dog Treats
This easy recipe could be the starting point to treating your furry friend’s anxiety, inflammation and pain.
Ingredients
1 ripe banana, mashed
¼ cup organic peanut butter (zero added or low sugar and salt)
2 cups of old-fashioned oats
1 tablespoon 100% Organic CBD Oil
Coconut oil
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325°.
In a small bowl, go ahead and mix a tablespoon of coconut oil and however many milligrams of CBD oil you would like to administer to your pet. (Look at the chart below for dosage recommendations). We use coconut oil because it is a great infuser for CBD. It is high in fatty acids that create a strong binding agent for the cannabinoids in CBD oil.
Add your oats into a blender and blend until you get a flour-like consistency. Then, in a medium-sized mixing bowl, add 1 ripe, mashed, banana, followed by peanut butter and the infused coconut oil. Mix thoroughly. Stir this mixture together with the blended oats and stir thoroughly until the dough has moistened.
Slightly dust a flat surface with whatever flour you prefer, then use your hands to shape the dough into a circle, about ¼ thick inch. You may roll out the dough and use a cookie cutter to cut out the treats. Place the cutouts on a non-stick cookie sheet.
Bake cookies until golden brown for approximately 25-30 minutes depending on the thickness and size of the treats. With the measurements included in this recipe, you can make about 30 treats for 1-inch-thick treats or 15 for 2-inch treats.
A CBD Dosage Guide for Dogs Based on Serving Size and Weight
1-10lbs - 1/4th teaspoon
10-25lbs - 1/2th teaspoon
26-50lbs - 1 teaspoon
51-75lbs - 1 1/2 teaspoon
76-100lbs - 2 teaspoons
*Note: you may add 1/2 to the dosage if you prefer more CBD*
When picking out your pet’s CBD Oil make sure it is purchased from a retailer that evaluates the products they sell.
Check for:
Organic/non-GMO ingredients
No chemicals, preservatives or synthetic dyes.
Learn what ingredients are safe and which should not be used. For example, dogs can not digest skin such as grape skin or apple skin but green bean skin and blueberry skin is perfectly safe.
These quick and easy-to-make dog treats are a perfect way to give your pet a little extra love! Enjoy and please post your pictures on our Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. We want to see them!