Healthy treats....

[general606]

Any suggestions for healthy, grain-free treats for our 8 month old lab?

[deidra]

If I was you I would make my own treats. I do. It's cheaper and you know whats going into your dogs. Here's a reciee I just found but have never tried it

My Favorite Dog Treat Recipe

Gluten Free Dog Biscuit Recipe

- 1 Lb ground meat ( lamb, beef, chicken, turkey ) Lamb and beef tend to be higher in fat. Chicken and turkey might be a better choice for an overweight dog.
- 1 large sweet potato ( cooked and mashed )

- 1 large egg

- 1/4 tsp garlic powder ( not garlic salt )or one large clove pressed

- 5 tbsp. large flake rolled oats ( organic if possible ) or 4 tbsp. ground flax seed meal

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mixing up very well.

Lightly grease a cookie sheet with olive oil. ( very slightly )

Dump ingredients on cookie sheet and spread evenly and flatly to the sides of pan. This should be about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.

Bake for one hour at 350 degrees.

Remove pan from oven and use your cookie cutter at this time, if you want. If you don't have a cookie cutter, just score the 'cookie dough 'with a knife or pizza cutter, into squares.

Put back into the oven and bake for another hour at 250 degrees.

This will dry these healthy dog treats out. Keep an eye on your oven. The time could be more or less, depending on how hot your oven runs.

These dog treats should be fairly dry and a little crispy, but not burned.

Grain Free Dog Treat Recipes are Naturally Gluten Free.

[general606]

Thanks! Sounds like a weekend project!

[Tanya]

dehydrated liver

[BigBrownDog]

Carrots

[Baloo317]

There are lots of grain free treat options. Depending on your budget the dehydrated stuff is great (liver, chicken, cheese, etc.) Or as the above mentioned, raw veggies/fruits.

Depends on what you use them for too. For training, I generally use hot dogs, kielbassa (sp?) and cheese strings, easy to break into little pieces, quick to chew and the dogs will work HARD for them. For general every day "get in your crate" type of treats I would use the ones listed above.

[BigBrownDog]

Just remember - no grapes or raisins.

[Baloo317]

Here's a list of plants, fruits and veggies toxic for dogs and symptoms to watch for if they injest them:
Plants, Fruits & Vegetables Toxic to Dog

[coley235]

I give mine "healthy omega salmon" treats. They smell horid but my picky dogs LOVE them and they are great for their skin and coat. No grain!

[MicksMom]

Wow, Deidra, those treats sound great! Looks like I'll be trying a new recipe for Caleb. For anyone looking for an easy home made treat- I mix any of the following with some oatmeal, spread the mixture out on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 (how long depends on how thick I roll the mixture):

mashed banana
peanutbutter
canned pumpkin
canend dog food
canned meats
applesauce