Hi Folks! Well, since you're visiting my site, I want to give something back to you. So, I've created the Pet Tips page and this page (the Dog Treat Recipes page) ... I hope you enjoy them and find the content useful.
Before I start with the recipes, I'd like to discuss foods that are potentially dangerous to dogs.
Food that are Potentially Dangerous to Dogs
There are some foodstuffs that humans relish which cause illness and death if eaten by pets.
Chocolate, macadamia nuts and onions are good examples. Each of these foods contains chemicals which rarely cause problems for humans, but for dogs, these same chemicals can be deadly.
- Pear pips, the kernels of plums, peaches and apricots, apple core pips (contain cyanogenic glycosides resulting in cyanide posioning)
- Potato peelings and green looking potatoes
- Rhubarb leaves
- Mouldy/spoiled foods
- Alcohol - serious intoxications have occurred when dogs have been given alcohol to drink as a "joke". Also, dogs seem to be attracted to alcoholic drinks, so drinks should not be left unattended.
- Yeast bread dough - yeast from homemade bread produce alcohol-ingestion of raw yeast dough can result in serious alcohol intoxication. Additionally, there is a risk of bloat and gastrointestinal obstruction from the dough as it rises in the stomach.
- Coffee grounds, beans & tea - caffeine is a no-no for dogs, as it acts as a stimulant and can cause severe heart acceleration and seizures
- Hops (used in home brewing)
- Tomato leaves & stems (green parts): a Nightshade plant, tomatoes contain trace elements of nicotine, mostly concentrated in the leaves and stems
- Cooked Bones - bones become brittle in the cooking process and splinter when broken. These splinters have sharp edges that can rupture/puncture the stomach lining. Amongst the most dangerous cooked bones are ham bones, pork chop, chicken and turkey legs
- Raisins and grapes
- Cigarettes, tobacco, cigars
DOG TREAT RECIPES!!
Note: Make sure any baby food
you choose does not contain onions!
Classic Baby Food Dog Treats
·
3 Jars Baby Food -- Chicken
3 Jars Baby Food -- Chicken·1/4 C Wheat Germ
1/4 C Wheat Germ·1/4 C Dry milk powder
1/4 C Dry milk powderCombine ingredients in bowl and mix well. Roll into small balls and place
on well-greased cookie sheet. Flatten slightly with a fork. Bake in
preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes until brown. Cool on wire racks
and STORE IN REFRIGERATOR.
Gourmet Baby Food Doggie Cookies
3 Jars Baby Food -- beef or carrots1/4 C Cream Of WheatChicken1/4 C Dry milk powderCombine ingredients in bowl and mix well. Roll into small balls and place on well-greased cookie sheet. Flatten slightly with a fork. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes until brown. Cool on wire racks and STORE IN REFRIGERATOR. Also freezes well. Another Prodigy member made these substituing cream of wheat for wheat germ and then used tablespoon to make cookie sized drops on plate. Microwaved for 4 minutes on Medium High. Suggested keeping an eye on them in microwave and perhaps start out for only 3 1/2 minutes. They do come out soft. Also suggested using Beef/Vegetable Dinner Baby Dinner insted of Beef or Chicken.
Classic Dog Bones
1 c Beef, chicken, or vegetable -stock
1 c Bread or all-purpose flour
1 c Whole wheat or rye (or other -dark) flour
1 c Bulgar wheat
1/4 c Non-fat dry milk powder
1/2 ts Salt
1 1/2 ts Yeast
Use machine mixer on dough cycle to combine ingredients. Roll dough to 1/4" thickness. Cut with cookie cutters or knife. Place on baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover with clean kitchen towels and let rise in warm place about 45 minutes. Bake at 325-degrees for 45 minutes. When all are baked, turn off oven and return all cookies to cooling oven overnight to harden. Store in airtight container.
(Using a 3.5" bone shaped cutter, I get about 30-35 cookies from this recipe.)
Peanut Butter Treats
·2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour·3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour·1 1/4 Tbsp baking powder
1 1/4 Tbsp baking powder·1 1/4 cup peanut butter
1 1/4 cup peanut butter·1 cup soy milk
1 cup soy milkCombine flour and baking powder in a large bowl. Combine milk and peanut butter in a separate bowl and mix until smooth. Gradually stir peanut butter mixture into flour in the larger bowl. Knead dough by-hand and roll-out on floured surface to desired thickness. Cut-out treats. Place aluminum foil on cookie sheet and bake 15 minutes at 400o . Cool before storing. Note: cooking time may vary depending upon thickness.
Microwave Doggie Treats
·2 Cups Whole wheat flour
2 Cups Whole wheat flour·1 Tbsp Dry Oatmeal
1 Tbsp Dry Oatmeal·1 Egg; lightly beaten
1 Egg; lightly beaten·1 tsp Garlic powder
1 tsp Garlic powder·2/3 Cups chicken broth
2/3 Cups chicken brothPlace flour in a bowl, add egg and broth, mix well.
Blend in oatmeal and garlic powder. Roll dough into a ball, roll out on a lightly floured surface to 1/2" thick. Cut with small doughnut cutters. Re-roll scraps and repeat. Arrange on a shallow baking dish or on a sheet or parchment paper in a single layer. Cook on HIGH 10 minutes or until firm. Let cool until hardened. Store in covered container in refrigerator.
SPECIAL DIET: CARROT DOG BISCUITS (Low Purine for Kidney
Stone Prone Dogs)
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 cups white rice flour
6 tablespoons safflower oil
2/3 cup water
2 tablespoons grated carrot
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together well. Roll out to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutter. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool and store in tightly sealed container.
SPECIAL DIET: MOLASSES DOG BISCUITS (Low Purine for Kidney
Stone Prone Dogs)
2 cups white rice flour
1/2 cup soy flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons safflower oil
2 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup molasses -- unsulphered
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend eggs and milk. Mix dry ingredients. Add oil, molasses and egg mixture (save 1 Tbsp egg mixture). Knead together (add water if too dry), let sit for 1/2 hour. Roll to 1/2 inch and cut into desired shapes with cookie cutter. Put on cookie sheet, "paint" on remaining egg mixture, and bake 30 minutes. Let cool and store in tightly sealed container.
CARROT COOKIES
6 Jars Baby Food Carrots
2 Eggs
1 Tablesppon Garlic powder
2 Cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 Cup dry rolled oats
1/4 Cup wheat germ
Combine carrots, eggs and garlic. Mix until smooth. Add dry ingredients. Roll out on heavily floured surface and cut into bars or desired shapes. Bake at 300 degrees for 45 minutes or to desired crunchiness. The centers will continue to harden as they cool. Brush with egg white before baking for a glossy finish.
Chocolate toxicity
Chocolate contains theobromine, a compound that is a cardiac stimulant and a diuretic.
When affected by an overdose of chocolate, a dog can become excited and hyperactive. Due to the diuretic effect, it may pass large volumes of urine and it will be unusually thirsty. Vomiting and diarrhoea are also common. The effect of theobromine on the heart is the most dangerous effect. Theobromine will either increase the dog’s heart rate or may cause the heart to beat irregularly. Death is quite possible, especially with exercise.
After their pet has eaten a large quantity of chocolate, many pet owners assume their pet is unaffected. However, the signs of sickness may not be seen for several hours, with death following within twenty-four hours.
Cocoa powder and cooking chocolate are the most toxic forms. A 10-kilogram dog can be seriously affected if it eats a quarter of a 250gm packet of cocoa powder or half of a 250gm block of cooking chocolate. These forms of chocolate contain ten times more theobromine than milk chocolate. Thus, a chocolate mud cake could be a real health risk for a small dog. Even licking a substantial part of the chocolate icing from a cake can make a dog unwell.
Semi-sweet chocolate and dark chocolate are the next most dangerous forms, with milk chocolate being the least dangerous. A dog needs to eat more than a 250gm block of milk chocolate to be affected. Obviously, the smaller the dog, the less it needs to eat.
Onion and garlic poisoning
Onions cause sickness in dogs, cats and also livestock. Onions contain the toxic ingredient thiosulphate.
Pets affected by onion toxicity will develop haemolytic anaemia, where the pet’s red blood cells burst while circulating in its body.
At first, pets affected by onion poisoning show gastroenteritis with vomiting and diarrhoea. They will show no interest in food and will be dull and weak. The red pigment from the burst blood cells appears in an affected animal’s urine and it becomes breathless. The breathlessness occurs because the red blood cells that carry oxygen through the body are reduced in number.
The poisoning occurs a few days after the pet has eaten the onion. All forms of onion can be a problem including dehydrated onions, raw onions, cooked onions and table scraps containing cooked onions and/or garlic. Left over pizza, Chinese dishes and commercial baby food containing onion, sometimes fed as a supplement to young pets, can cause illness.
Onion poisoning can occur with a single ingestion of large quantities or with repeated meals containing small amounts of onion. A single meal of 600 to 800 grams of raw onion can be dangerous whereas a ten-kilogram dog, fed 150 grams of onion for several days, is also likely to develop anaemia. The condition improves once the dog is prevented from eating any further onion
While garlic also contains the toxic ingredient thiosulphate, it seems that garlic is less toxic and large amounts would need to be eaten to cause illness.
The danger of macadamia nuts
Macadamia nuts are another concern. A recent paper written by Dr. Ross McKenzie, a Veterinary Pathologist with the Department of Primary Industries, points to the danger of raw and roasted macadamia nuts for pets.
The toxic compound is unknown but the affect of macadamia nuts is to cause locomotory difficulties. Dogs develop a tremor of the skeletal muscles, and weakness or paralysis of the hindquarters. Affected dogs are often unable to rise and are distressed, usually panting. Some affected dogs have swollen limbs and show pain when the limbs are manipulated.
Dogs have been affected by eating as few as six macadamia kernels (nuts without the shell) while others had eaten approximately forty kernels. Some dogs had also been given macadamia butter.
Luckily, the muscle weakness, while painful, seems to be of short duration and all dogs recovered from the toxicity. All dogs were taken to their veterinary surgeon.
Pets owners should not assume that human food is always safe for pets. When it comes to chocolate, onions, garlic and macadamia nuts, such foods should be given in only small quantities, or not at all. Be sure that your pets can’t get into your stash of chocolates, that food scraps are disposed of carefully to prevent onion and garlic toxicity and that your dog is prevented from picking up macadamia nuts if you have a tree in your garden.
