Pets Care

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup soy flour

1 teaspoon bone meal — optional

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon lecithin — optional

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

3 tablespoons alfalfa sprouts — chopped

1 cup brown rice — cooked

3 tablespoons canola oil

1/2 cup water

Combine flours, bone meal, yeast, lecithin, salt, garlic powder and alfalfa leaves. Add rice and oil. Combine well. Add 1/4 cup water and mix well. Dough should be very easy to handle, not crumbly. Add more water if needed to achieve proper consistency.

Lightly flour board or counter and roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with 2 1/2 inch cutter. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Makes 3 dozen.

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/4 cups grated cheddar cheese

1/4 pound margarine — corn oil

1 clove garlic — crushed

1 pinch salt

1/4 cup Milk — or as needed

Grate the cheese into a bowl and let stand until it reaches room temperature. Cream the cheese with the softened margarine, garlic, salt and flour. Add enough milk to form into a ball.

Chill for 1/2 hour. Roll onto floured board. Cut into shapes and bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until slightly brown, and firm.

Makes 2 to 3 dozen, depending on size.

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup unbleached flour

1 package yeast — 1/4 ounce

1 cup chicken broth — warmed

1 tablespoon honey

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. In large bowl combine the whole wheat flour with the yeast. Add 2/3 cup chicken broth and honey and beat for about 3 minutes. Gradually add the remaining flour. Knead the dough for a few minutes until smooth and moist, but not wet (use reserve broth as necessary).

3. Cover the dough and let it rest for about 5 minutes. Divide the dough into about 15-20 pieces, rolling each piece into a smooth ball. Punch a hole into each ball with your finger or end of spoon and gently pull the dough so the hole is about an 1/2″ wide. Don’t be too fussy here, the little bagels rise into shape when they bake.

4. Place all the bagels on a greased cookie sheet and allow to rise 5 minutes. Bake for 25 minutes. Turn the heat off and allow the bagels to cool in the oven.

By Jenny Kitchens, http://www.moddogstudio.com

While doughnuts might not be especially healthy for humans, these doggie doughnuts are very healthy for your canine companion. Plus, they’re super easy to make.

Materials:

* measuring cup
* measuring spoons
* large bowl
* small bowl
* rolling pin
* baking sheet
* cooling rack
* double broiler
* doughnut cutter
* food processor

Ingredients:

* 2 cups whole wheat flour
* 1 tbsp. baking powder
* 1 cup organic peanut butter
* 1 cup whole milk
* 2 cups carob chips
* 1/4 cup shelled peanuts
* 2 tbsp. vegetable oil

Yield: about 20 doughnuts

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Combine flour and baking powder in a large bowl.

3. Mix peanut butter and milk in a small bowl; then add to dry ingredients and mix well.

4. Place dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead.

5. Roll dough to 1/4″ thickness and cut out shapes with a doughnut cutter.

6. Bake for 10-15 minutes on a lightly greased baking sheet until lightly browned. Baking time will vary depending on the oven, so be sure to monitor them so that they don’t burn.

7. Cool the cookies on a rack.

8. Melt the carob chips in a double broiler over low heat. Note: If you don’t have a double broiler, fill a saucepan halfway with water and place a heat safe bowl on top to melt the carob chips in. Be sure to leave room for steam to vent.

9. Add vegetable oil to the melted carob chips and mix well.

10. Spoon the carob icing over the cooled doughnuts.

11. Grind the peanuts in a food processor and sprinkle on top of carob-iced doughnuts.

By Cindi Massei, http://www.KobeDog.etsy.com

Bake a healthy peanut butter treat your dog will love to munch. These biscuits are best kept in a cool, dry place, not in an airtight container or in the refrigerator. Moisture can cause them to mold, so a glass jar with the lid loose is recommended.

Note: These biscuits are not rock-hard; most small dogs and older dogs with sensitive teeth can eat them. However, if your pooch prefers them softer, you can cut the cooking time down or roll them to 1/4″ thick and bake them as specified above. The thicker biscuits will stay a little moist inside and will be softer.

Ingredients:

* 2 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
* 1/2 cup peanut butter
* 1/2 cup old fashioned oatmeal (not instant)
* 1/4 cup skim milk or water
* 3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth (or beef)
* 2 tsp. safflower oil

Materials:

* rolling pin
* mixer
* 2 cookie sheets
* non-stick cooking spray

Yield: About 1 pound of biscuits

Steps:

1. Mix all wet ingredients together thoroughly (skim milk, peanut butter, broth and safflower oil).

2. Add oatmeal until mixed through, then slowly add whole wheat flour until it is fully incorporated into the dough.

3. The dough should be moist, but not sticky. The type of peanut butter used can alter the texture of your dough. If your dough is too wet or sticky, slowly add small amounts of whole wheat flour until dough is the right consistency. If it is too dry, add more water or broth.

4. Roll half of the dough out to 1/8″ thick on a flat surface. Sprinkle whole wheat flour onto your workspace and rolling pin to keep dough from sticking.

5. Cut shapes out using the cookie cutter(s) of your choice.

6. Place cut pieces on cookie sheets lightly coated with non-stick cooking spray, grouping similar sized biscuits onto the same cookie sheet. The small ones will cook more quickly than the large ones and you can remove them first if necessary.

7. Bake at 325 degrees for about 45-50 minutes, checking every 15 minutes, rotating as necessary for even cooking. Check the bottom of the biscuits to make sure they are not overcooking or burning.

8. To be sure they are done, break one in half. The dough should be the same color all the way through. If the center of the biscuit looks dark and/or moist, they are not done. They should be thin, crispy and dry all the way through. Note: The biscuits can be removed before the inside is completely dry but they will not last as long in your biscuit jar.

9. When done, remove from cookie sheet and place on a cooling rack, on a towel or in a paper bag to cool

By Amanda Toris, http://www.NJChocolateLab.com

Keep your dog’s breath under control month after month with homemade breath mint cookies. The treats are safe for canines and can be stored for up to one month — if your dog doesn’t gobble them down sooner.

Materials:

* stand mixer with paddle attachment
* rolling pin
* cookie cutter
* cookie sheet
* parchment paper
* cooling rack
* air tight container

Ingredients:

* 1/4 cup fresh mint
* 2 tsp. flax seed oil
* 1 egg
* 3/4 cup milk
* 1/8 cup wheat germ
* 3 cups whole wheat flour, 1 additional cup for dusting work surface

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Combine mint, flax seed oil, egg, milk and wheat germ in the stand mixer’s bowl.

3. Mix with paddle attachment on low speed for 30 seconds, or until all of the ingredients are well distributed.

4. One cup at a time, add flour to mixture at medium speed. Once ingredients have been mixed, continue to add additional two cups in the same manner. Tip: If the dough seems too sticky after all three cups of flour have been added, continue to add flour from additional cup of flour set aside for dusting work surface until dough feels pliable.

5. Place dough on dusted work surface (Figure B). Using a rolling pin, roll dough to a 1/4″ thickness.

6. Using your favorite cookie cutter, cut the dough into shapes and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Once cookies are finished baking, turn off the oven and leave the cookies to crisp for 3 hours.

8. Move cookies to a cooling rack and allow cookies to cool. Once completely cool, store cookies in an air tight container. Cookies may be kept for up to one month if kept in a cool, dry place.

* 2 cups whole-wheat flour
* 1/2 cup wheat germ
* 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
* 1/4 cup vegetable oil
* 2 tablespoons honey
* 3/4 cup water
* 2 teaspoons peppermint extract
* 1/4 cup cornmeal, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place first 4 ingredients in medium mixing bowl. Blend with a whisk. Add oil, honey, water and peppermint extract. Mix well. Knead for at least 1 minute. Sprinkle 1/8 cup cornmeal listed over a sheet of wax paper. Place dough on wax paper.

Sprinkle remaining 1/8 cup cornmeal on top of dough. Roll out to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with desired cookie cutter or with a sharp knife and place on greased cookie sheets. Bake for 40 minutes. Cool and store in tightly sealed container. Makes 22 to 25 treats

Dog meals and snacks don’t have to hard to make or take a lot of time. Many snacks can be grabbed straight out of your refrigerator and are much healthier than baked goods.

However, there are a few things that I have noticed regarding many homemade dog food recipes that you should avoid doing.

1. Don’t microwave your dog’s food. Microwaving kills vitamins, minerals and nutrients. The radiation also alters the cell structure of the food. Scientific studies have shown that humans that eat microwaved foods have significant and disturbing changes in their blood cells. Microwaving has many serious side-effects, including altering the minerals in vegetables into cancerous free radicals. It’s bad enough that we humans continue to use microwaves to cook our food… let’s not subject our animals to it as well.

2. Many recipes that I’ve seen promote using beef/chicken bouillon cubes and/or canned beef/chicken broth. These products have very high and unhealthy sodium levels. Either use sodium reduced broths or better yet make your own.

3. Obviously, some sort of flour is needed to bind together baked dog biscuits. However, instead of using white flour, whole wheat flour and/or cornmeal in your recipes, substitute spelt flour instead. It’s much more easily digestible for both humans and animals. Flour and cornmeal are hard for animals to digest and many are or can become allergic to these grains.

4. Don’t feed your dog too many “baked” treats that contain flour and cornmeal. Opt for more natural, healthy, and uncooked treats (some recipes are listed below).

Healthy Homemade Dog Food Recipes

You can make up several days worth of dog food at one time or cook them up while you prepare your own supper. Here are a few recipes to try out:

Shepherd Pie

* 6 oz beef or chicken broth (low sodium or make your own)
* 1 pound ground beef, chicken or turkey
* 1 cup mashed potatoes
* 1/2 cup mixed vegetables (no onions or mushrooms)

Mix broth, meat and vegetables together. Grease casserole dish and pat mixture into dish. Top with potatoes. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes.

Sometimes your dog may have a slightly upset stomach with possibly some diarrhea involved.

The following recipe is a nice bland mixture that still tastes good and should help to solve your pup’s tummy problems.

* 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut up (either raw or cooked)
* 1 cup cooked brown rice
* 1 cup cooked carrots
* 1 cup non or low-fat cottage cheese

Mix together and serve according to you’re dog’s size, weight and activity level. This recipe should be good for one large dog for 1 main meal or 2 smaller meals. If you desire, you can also add 1 tbsp of flax seed oil for added essential fatty acids.

Quick Dog Treats

Dogs, like humans, like to have their snacks. The following two snacks are healthy and quick to prepare:

Frosty Cube Treats

* 1 large container plain yogurt (make sure it contains live acidophilus cultures and no sugar or artificial sweeteners)
* 1 cup ground carrots OR ground apples OR lightly cooked ground liver

Mix together and fill ice-cube trays. Freeze. Pop one out for a treat when frozen.

Banana and Cottage Cheese Mash

* 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese
* 1 ripe banana, mashed
* 1 tbsp flax seed oil

Mix together and serve for a nice, quick, healthy snack.

About the author

Rose Smith operates several sites featuring natural and organic relief solutions for everyday health problems – both in humans and animals. If you would like to know more about natural dog nutrition visit http://www.caringforcanines.com

Gourmet dog treats

Recipe:
500 g liver
1 1/2 cups full grain wheat flour
1 cup corn flour
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon leaven

First, shred the liver in a blender. Add remaining ingredients and mix again. Scratch the dough surface, to break the treats off later more easily. Bake 25 minutes with 200 C. After cooling you can freeze the dog treats.

Narural dog treats

Recipe:
1 spoon butter
1 spoon full grain flour
2 eggs
2 spoon chopped parsley or dandelion sheets
Full grain oats

Mix butter, flour, eggs, and herbs, then add as many oats as necessary to get a mushy dough. Make small flat portions and bake 15 minutes with 180 C. Then turn the dog treats and leave them in the oven until they are dry.

Garlic dog treats

Recipe:
2 cups wheat flour
2 cups full grain flour
1 cup oats
1 cup buttermilk (or yogurt)
3 teaspoon wheat germs
3 chopped garlic cloves
3 tablespoon chopped cheese
2 eggs
1 cup warm water

First, mix the flour, oats, buttermilk, wheat germs, garlic, and cheese. Then add eggs and water. Press it flat and make small portions. Preheat the oven; bake the dog treats approx. 50-60 minutes with 180 C.

Corn dog treats

Recipe:
650g minced meat
300g chopped carrots
150g cornstarch
150g – 200g corn flour
5 chopped garlic cloves
2 eggs
1 tablespoon wheat germ oil

Mix the ingredients and put over night into the refrigerator. Next day press the dough 1,5 cm thick and cut into small shapes. Bake the treats with 250 C, until the dog treats are gold brown. Switch down to 75 C, wedge a wood spoon into the baking-oven door, and bake the dog treats another 6 hours.

Dog treats with cottage cheese

Recipe:
150g cottage cheese
6 spoon milk
6 spoon flaxseed oil
1 egg yolk
200 g grated oats

Mix all ingredients and form small balls. Bake the treats approx. 30 minutes with 200 C until the dog treats are crunchy. As variation, add cheese, liver, bacon, or ham.

Dog treats with honey

Recipe:
150g wheat full grain flour
200g full grain oats
1 spoon honey
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
2 eggs
150ml milk
1 teaspoon herbs

Mix the ingredients, and form round shapes. Bake in the pre-heated oven about 10- 15 minutes with 220 C. Leave the dog treats further 5-10 minutes with 120 C in the oven.

Herbal dog treats

Recipe:
7 cups wheat full grain flour
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup grated cashew nuts
1 teaspoon leaven
1 spoon salt
3 chopped garlic gloves
1 spoon mixed fresh herbs

Mix the ingredients, than add 3 cups of water. Roll the dough and cut slices, about 5mm thick. Bake the treats for 10-15 minutes with 180 C. Leave the dog treats for 10 hours in the oven. This makes the dog treats crunchy.

Carrot dog treats

Recipe:
770g wheat flour
225g oats
1 teaspoon leaven
1 spoon chopped garlic gloves
1 spoon chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 grated carrots
50 ml wheat germ oil

Mix the dry ingredients. Add the oil and 3 cups of water. Roll the dough and form small shapes. Bake the treats 10-15 minutes with 180 C. Switch down to 70 C, and bake the dog treats another 4 hours.

* 2 cups Rolled Oats
* 3 cups Whole Wheat Flour
* 2 cups Corn Masa Harina Flour (corn flour)- Masa Harina is a fortified, fine ground corn flour that has been partially precooked in lime water (which makes it easier to digest). It is usually used for making tortillas and tamales and can be found in the ethnic (Mexican) section of most grocery stores. If you cannot find it, you can substitute regular corn meal.
* 1/2 cup Canola Oil
* 1/2 cup Peanut Butter
* 2 cups water
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* 1 – 2 tsp. garlic powder (optional- Mable liked 2 tsp.)
* 2 tsp. kelp (optional)

Preheat oven to 300 F.

In a heavy duty electric mixer, mix dry ingredients. Add peanut butter & water . Mix well to form a dough (add more water or flour if necessary to make a handlable dough). Knead briefly on a lightly floured surface until smooth.

Roll out to 3/4″ thick while shaping into a rectangle. Cut into “bone” sized biscuits, approximately 1 1/2″ X 3 1/2″ (or whatever size you like- it’s not rocket science) . You could also use a cookie cutter to make fun shaped biscuits if you desired. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 2 hours, then turn off the oven and let the biscuits sit for several hours until the oven is completely cool in order to dry and harden. Can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for several months.