The Healthy Hound Cookbook: Over 125 Easy Recipes for Healthy, Homemade Dog Food--Including Grain-Free, Paleo, and Raw Recipes! (6 page)
Authors: Paris Permenter,John Bigley
Never include cereals with raisins in dog treat recipes. Raisins (and grapes) are toxic to most dogs and can result in acute renal failure. Raisin toxicity can develop within hours of ingesting.
This tasty recipe is especially fun to make when apples are in season. It’s easy to make your own unsweetened applesauce; just wash, core, and peel the apples (remember, apple seeds are toxic to dogs). Dice the apples and place in a large pot with enough water to cover them and bring near boiling. Turn down the heat and cook until soft. Drain, then purée in a blender and refrigerate, or jar or freeze for future use.
YIELDS: 36 (2") treats
3 cups whole-wheat flour
2 cups oats
1 cup organic unsweetened peanut butter
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon baking powder
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
- Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, stirring until well mixed and ready for kneading. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface. Depending on the oil in your peanut butter, you might have to add a teaspoon of olive oil if you find the mixture is a little too crumbly.
- Roll the dough out to about
1
⁄
4
" thickness, then cut the dough into 36 desired shapes. Place on your cookie sheets. - Bake for 25 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and cool completely before serving or refrigerating. Refrigerate for 5 days or freeze in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Even if you use fun cookie cutter shapes, be sure to keep the biscuits fairly uniform in size so they will bake and brown evenly in the oven. Another tip to keep in mind is to roll the dough thinner for a crisp consistency, and thicker for chewier biscuits. (A thinner dough will yield more treats than the yield shows.)
If you don’t have homemade Pumpkin Purée (see
Chapter 15
), use half a can of puréed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling) for this easy recipe.
YIELDS: 36 mini muffins
1
2
⁄
3
cups rice flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1
⁄
2
teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons molasses
1
3
⁄
4
cups pumpkin purée
1
⁄
2
cup canola oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1
⁄
3
cup water
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray three mini-muffin tins or line with parchment cups.
- In a large bowl, mix rice flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and molasses, then add pumpkin purée, oil, and eggs. As needed, add water until the mixture is the consistency of mashed potatoes.
- Drop spoonfuls of mixture into muffin cups, filling
2
⁄
3
of the way. - Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Cool completely before serving or refrigerating. Refrigerate for 5 days or freeze in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
These sunny cookies are sure to brighten Fido’s day.
YIELDS: 24 (2") cookies
3 bananas, mashed
1
⁄
2
cup canola oil
2–2
1
⁄
2
cups all-purpose flour
1 cup shelled, unsalted sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
- In a large bowl, mix all ingredients until well blended. (Add more flour if the mixture is too wet—it will depend on the size of the bananas.) Refrigerate bowl for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
- Roll dough into 24 small balls. Place on cookie sheet, then flatten with a fork. Bake for 10–20 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove from oven and cool completely before serving or refrigerating. Refrigerate for 5 days or freeze in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Packed with vitamin E, the little sunflower seed is a treasure chest of goodness for your dog. Skin and coat benefits are some of the best reasons to feed these seeds to your dog, but they also have anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and heart-health benefits! You can also feed raw sunflower seeds to your dog, but always shell the seeds first.
These easy-to-make vegan cupcakes come together in just minutes and make a tasty snack to share with your dog!
YIELDS: 24 mini cupcakes
2 ripe bananas, mashed
2 tablespoons agave nectar
1
⁄
3
cup unsweetened applesauce
3 cups whole-wheat flour
1
1
⁄
2
–2 teaspoons organic baking powder
2 cups water
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray mini-cupcake tins or line with parchment cups.
- In a large bowl, mix bananas, agave nectar, and applesauce; slowly add in flour and baking powder, adding water a bit at a time.
- Pour mix into cupcake tins, filling
2
⁄
3
of the way. Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. - Cool completely before serving or refrigerating. Refrigerate for 5 days or freeze in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Parsley is a natural breath freshener for your dog to help avoid doggie breath! Some dogs have an aversion to having their teeth brushed, so parsley-based foods can really help between brushings and dental cleanings, which are an important part of your dog’s overall health.
YIELDS: 24 (2) treats
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
1
⁄
2
cup nonfat dry milk powder
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 large eggs
1 cup organic unsweetened peanut butter
1
⁄
2
cup water
- Preheat oven to 300°F. Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
- Whisk together flour, oats, nonfat dry milk powder, and parsley in a large bowl. Set aside. In another bowl, beat eggs, then add peanut butter and water. Mix well, then slowly add wet ingredients to dry.
- Turn out dough on a floured surface and knead; roll out the dough to
1
⁄
4
" thickness. - Cut into 24 shapes with cookie cutters and bake for 30 minutes or until golden.
- Cool completely before serving or refrigerating. Refrigerate for 5 days or freeze in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Be sure that “doggie breath” isn’t a sign of an underlying problem, like an abscessed tooth or gingivitis. Your veterinarian can tell you if your dog just needs a breath cleanser or a dental cleaning.
Fresh ginger adds a delightfully fragrant touch to these treats. If you don’t have fresh ginger, you can substitute ground ginger, although it isn’t as flavorful.
YIELDS: 36 (2") cookies
2
1
⁄
2
cups all-purpose flour
1
1
⁄
2
teaspoons baking soda
4 tablespoons (
1
⁄
4
cup) butter, warmed to room temperature
1 egg, at room temperature
4 teaspoons peeled and finely grated fresh ginger
1
⁄
2
cup Pumpkin Purée (see
Chapter 15
)
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour and baking soda, then add butter, egg, ginger, and pumpkin. Mix thoroughly.
- Turn out dough on a floured surface and knead until completely combined. Roll out dough to
1
⁄
4
" thickness and cut into 36 shapes with cookie cutters. (If you’d like a chewier treat, you can roll dough to
1
⁄
2
" thickness.) - Place cookies on cookie sheet; bake for 15 minutes on the middle rack of the oven.
- Remove cookies from oven and cool completely on a wire rack before serving or refrigerating. Refrigerate for 5 days or freeze in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
This super-simple recipe isn’t just easy on you—it’s also an excellent choice for senior dogs or for dogs with wheat allergies. Pumpkin is a great ingredient for all dogs; its rich orange color hints at the lutein, alpha carotene, and beta carotene contained inside. If your dog doesn’t have any wheat allergies, feel free to substitute Cream of Wheat in this recipe.
YIELDS: 24 (2) treats
2 cups Pumpkin Purée (see
Chapter 15
)
3
⁄
4
cup Cream of Rice cereal
1
⁄
2
cup nonfat dry milk powder
- Preheat oven to 300°F. Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix all ingredients.
- Drop dough onto cookie sheet, 1 tablespoon at a time. Flatten slightly if you like, or leave as small balls.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Cool completely before serving or refrigerating. Refrigerate for 5 days or freeze in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Did you know that the oldest evidence of pumpkin (found in Mexico) dates back to 7000–5500
B.C
.? This North American native pumpkin now yields 1.5 billion pounds of crop every year. The world record pumpkin weighed nearly 500 pounds. Snoopy and Linus would agree that’s definitely a Great Pumpkin!
Savory Treats
Not every dog has a sweet tooth; some are far more motivated by savory treats. Our Tiki loves meaty treats (the stronger scented, the better). If your dog likes savory treats, you can also use small portions of meals as treats, whether given singly or served inside a stuffable toy like a KONG
®
. Liver is the base of savory treats favored by many dogs. You can use beef or chicken livers—organic is always best for a “filtering” organ such as liver. Because of the high level of vitamin A, liver of any kind should be served in small doses, never more than 5 percent of your dog’s daily diet.
If your dog doesn’t have any trouble digesting lactose, these easy cheese bites make a powerful training treat (and you’ll find they’re as addictive as potato chips for the trainer, too!).
YIELDS: 16 (2") treats
1 cup grated hard cheese such as Asiago, Parmesan (not powdered), or Romano
1 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- If you are using garlic powder, toss with the cheese. Don’t mash the ingredients together—simply pile or stack about 1 tablespoon of cheese onto parchment, allowing at least 2" between treats because they will spread out. If any pieces of cheese are standing up too tall, even out the pile, so each treat is roughly the same height.
- Bake for about 5 minutes.
- Cool before serving. Refrigerate for 5 days.
These Cheese Crisps are especially great for people; try serving with dips as a substitute for tortilla or potato chips.
Make these pops tiny to use as training treats, or to plug into a stuffable treat-dispensing toy!
YIELDS: 36 (2") treats
4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese
1 cup finely grated carrots
1
⁄
2
cup unsalted peanuts
- In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and carrots.
- Using a blender or food processor, chop peanuts to a fine powder. Pour out powder onto a clean surface.
- With a spoon or melon baller, roll small bits of cream cheese mixture into a small ball, approximately 1" in diameter. Roll in peanut powder and place on a cookie sheet.
- Treats can be stored in the refrigerator for 5 days. For longer storage, place treats on a cookie sheet and freeze for 4 hours. Once frozen, bag treats in an airtight container; they’ll keep for up to 6 months. You can serve them frozen or thawed.