Four Easy and Natural Dog Treat Recipes
Happy, Healthy Dogs Love Nutritious Organic Dehydrated Snacks
Most commercial dog treats are made with ingredients a dog should never ingest. As a result, health problems arise, and dog owners are mystified as to what happened. The following dog treat recipes help avoid such problems.
Natural, Organic Dog Treats Keep Dogs Healthy
Very few commercial treats are marketed without at least one undesirable ingredient, even if all ingredients on the label are listed as “completely natural.”
Wheat is completely natural, but no dog should ever eat it. Grains, especially wheat, can be responsible for a world of canine health problems, including itching, hot spots, parasites, digestive disorders and other issues. A dog owner’s mantra should be “first do no harm.”
Dehydrating is Easy and Produces Superior Dog Treats
Investing in a home dehydrator is money well spent. Below are four simple, healthful dog treat recipes that are easy to make.
Poultry Jerky
- Dogs love jerky. Begin with free-range chicken or turkey that has been fed a natural poultry diet and does not have added hormones or antibiotics.
- Slice the white or dark meat as thinly as possible with a sharp blade or electric knife. Some natural markets will do this upon request.
- Marinate the poultry strips in enough organic apple cider vinegar to soak the meat. Cover container and keep in the refrigerator overnight.
- The next day, drain the strips and arrange them onto the dehydrator trays. Follow your dehydrator’s instructions for meat dehydrating.
Sweet Potato Chips
- Sweet potatoes are an excellent carbohydrate source for dogs, but white potatoes are never to be used.
- Wash and pat dry the organic raw sweet potatoes.
- Slice sweet potatoes into thin chips.
- Arrange chips on the dehydrator, and follow the dehydrator’s vegetable instructions.
Apple Rings
- Organic apples make a great treat.
- Core several large organic apples with an apple corer.
- Once the core is removed, thinly slice the apple until each apple has been converted into a stack of apple rings. Do not remove the skin, but do make sure all seeds have been disposed of. Apple cores and seeds are highly toxic to dogs. Only use the fruit and skin.
- Load rings into dehydrator and follow the dehydrator’s fruit instructions.
Garlic Salmon or White Fish Strips
Never use farmed salmon unless it has been purchased from a retailer that maintains its own fish farms and guarantees that its fish have been fed a natural salmon-in-the-wild style diet. Most farmed salmon available in supermarkets contains an unacceptable level of cancer-causing PCBs. Select boned and skinned wild, or naturally farmed, salmon for your strips. Only use salmon that has been previously frozen, for the freezing kills parasites that can be harmful to dogs. If the proper salmon is unavalaible, white fish can be used.
- Make a garlic marinade by crushing two full peeled garlic cloves and mixing the garlic with one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and one cup of spring (or filtered) water.
- Thinly slice your salmon or white fish into strips. Place strips in container. Whisk your marinade and pour it over the fish. Cover, refrigerate, and let sit overnight.
- The next day, drain your strips on paper towel then arrange them in the dehydrator. Follow the dehydrator’s instructions for fish.
Dehydrating and Dog Treat Recipe Tips
- Apple cider vinegar, fish or garlic may produce a strong odor while dehydrating. Using the dehydrator outside or in a seldom-used area of the home or garage will help.
- Any meat can be substituted for the poultry in the jerky recipe, but red meats, unless extraordinarily fat-free, take longer to dry and will spoil quicker.
- All dehydrated treats should be bagged in small, tightly sealed bags. Without refrigeration, unopened sealed bags will protect the treats for weeks. With refrigeration, treats last even longer.
- Each type of food must be prepared individually. Dehydrators are meant to handle one food group at a time. Thoroughly clean your dehydrator trays between drying sessions.
All ingredients in these recipes provide a healthful benefit to dogs. However, a dog that is addicted to the grains, salt and other additives in commercial dog food and commercial dog treats may need time to detoxify and convert his bad habits before he welcomes his new healthy treats with two paws up.
Additional reading for dog lovers: Natural Foods That Protect Dogs From Parasites and The Good Dog Resume
Natural, Organic Dog Treats
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Dehydrating Organic Apple Dog Treats
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Thank You For My Healthy Treats!
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