Hello everyone! With the fall season coming up, I always find that it’s the perfect time to bake, especially for our furry friends! Here at Mclean Animal Hospital, I’ve had the opportunity to make some of these homemade pet treat recipes for different events during the year, and they’ve always turned out great. As an avid baker I always enjoy making something yummy for someone else, especially animals!
These recipes are all very doable even if you don’t do a lot of baking. They are meant to be simple and easy for everyone. The great thing about making your own pet treats is that you can really know what is going into the treats, and what exactly your pet is eating. You can change the ingredients a bit as well, in order to suit your pet’s different tastes. Your pets will love you forever for these delicious treats!
Four-Legged Family Member Treats- for both dogs and cats, adapted by the Among Friends book by Roxie Kelley:
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 ½ cups all purpose or whole wheat flour
¼ not fat dry milk powder
2 tsp salt or garlic salt
½ cup water
Cooking spray
In a large bowl, mix both cheeses with the oil. Stir in flour, milk powder, and salt until blended. Add water and knead until stiff yet pliable dough forms. Roll dough on a lightly floured surface to ¼-inch thickness, and cut out treats with a cookie cutter. Gather scraps, and reroll dough, cutting out more treats until all the dough is used up. Bake on a lightly sprayed or non-stick baking sheet in a 350° oven for 25-35 minutes (depending on the size of the treats), turning once during baking. The treats should be golden brown when done. Let them cool on a wire cooling rack. This recipe makes about 20-30 treats.
Dog Treats- Recipe adapted from the Farm Fresh Recipes by Heather Cameron book:
1 cup oats
2 ½ cups whole wheat flour, plus extra for dusting
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/8 cup wheat germ
1/8 cup ground flax seeds
1/8 cup oat bran
¼ cup sunflower seeds
3 tbsp olive oil
1 ½ cups hot water
¼ cup parsley, chopped
Preheat the oven to 325°. Mix together all the ingredients in a large bowl. Start with using a spoon to stir because the mixture will be hot, but as it cools, use your hands to mix. Use whole wheat flour to dust work surface and then roll out the dough. Use a pizza cutter, knife, or cookie cutter to cut into desired shapes. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. Check the treats at about 20 minutes. If you have cut them smaller, they should be browned enough, and are ready to be taken out. Take them out of the oven, and let them cool on wire rack. Makes about 100 small treats
Cat Treats:
1 egg
14-oz can of chicken cat food
¼ cup chopped parsley
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp water
1 cup brown rice flour
½ cup cooked brown rice
Preheat oven to 325°. In a bowl mix together egg, cat food, parsley, vegetable oil, and water. Add brown rice flour and cooked rice. Stir to incorporate. Mixture will be thick, but spreadable. Spread mixture onto non stick, or sprayed/parchment lined baking sheet, creating a rectangle that is about 1/3 of an inch thick. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven. Let it sit until cool enough to handle. Then slice dough into bite sized pieces, then return them into the oven for another 8 minutes. Remove from oven, and cool completely. Store in airtight container in the fridge. Makes about 50 small treats.
by Amanda Thomson, Veterinary Assistant
