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Making Homemade Dog Treats Healthier |
You love your puppies and you only want to give them the best. That means healthy dog food and treats. Many of you are making your own homemade dog treats, maybe because you don’t want to pay the high prices for the commercial variety or maybe just because your best friend deserves the best. Whatever your reason, you can modify traditional dog treat recipes to make them healthier.
You can also for recipes that have some more natural and healthy ingredients as they’re written. These are snacks that include vegetables, good oils (like olive oil), pumpkin, egg whites, or liver. Pumpkin is a particularly good choice for dogs because it’s so rich in vitamins and fiber. Hard boiled egg whites are a great source of protein in these snacks as well. These foods are good your dog in their own right and selecting the organic versions will only improve their value.
The most obvious change you can make is to use an organic version of any ingredient on the list. It is getting much easier to find quality organic fruits and vegetables, even in your more mainstream grocery store. However, you can also find organic meats, even some rather exotic ones like venison or buffalo. These types of modifications can improve the health factor of any homemade dog treat recipe.
Another key area where organic swaps in your homemade dog treats are available is for flour. There is organic flour available. You can also swap out traditional white flour for other more beneficial options, such as corn meal.
Some of the healthiest homemade dog treats don’t take any real preparation and are the same ones you eat. For example, dogs can handle and digest carrots. So next time you cut up some carrot sticks for your own snacks, cut up an extra bunch for your dog as well. Popcorn also falls into this category. Dogs love it (except for those allergic to corn, so know what your dog can eat before you make this treat) and if you keep it unsalted and healthy for you, it’s also healthy for Fido.
Some people have concerns over how dogs handle dairy and you might have found that your dog doesn’t tolerate milk well. However you can still find safe snack recipes that include some dairy products. If you have a homemade dog treat recipe that calls for ice cream, you can replace that with the healthier frozen yogurt or perhaps cottage cheese. Your dog might handle these options better.
There are also a surprising number of recipes for sweet snacks for your canine. These can also be modified to become healthier. If you remove the white sugar the recipe requires, you can replace that with a variety of better options. Some choices include honey, molasses, bananas, or apple sauce.
Unfortunately, many dogs are becoming overweight along with much of the rest of the population. It’s great you’re looking for healthy homemade dog treats to feed your pet. If you make some simple modifications to the recipes you find, you can make them both tasty and healthy for your dog.
