A Healthy Treat For Your Furry Friend!

4/9/2015

Mmmm grain free high fat treats!

What an adventure having a dog is! If you haven't yet seen a picture of our newest addition, this is Coconut our little French Bulldog! She is 4 months old, and has been a ton of fun! (Oh yes a lot of work too- you bet!). She even gave us the scare of a lifetime the other day when she swallowed a raw rib bone and was choking. Off to emerg, 48 hours of monitoring, and lots of coconut oil, snacks, and love, and happy to report she is fine :D
Last week I decided to make her some homemade treats. I am not a fan of all of the strange ingredients in dog treats (especially gluten), and I question why they are so heavily carb based, so I figured I would make my own! I wanted something healthy and natural but that will hopefully be tasty for the pooch. So I found a recipe online and modified it.

1. First thing I did was mix the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.

2. The wet ingredients were warmed on the stove top and mixed together too.

3. Then add the wet to the dry.

4. And mixy mixy.

5. Spread out the mix on a pan, I used parchment paper as it is easer to avoid sticking. At this point you could use a cookie cutter or hand create different shapes if you want! I did not, as my baking supplies are packed somewhere.. but that would be a fun idea. Of course we do know the shapes are just for our enjoyment.. the dogs don't care!

6. Bake for 15 minutes, let cool for another couple minutes, and then cut them into pieces if you haven't used cookie cutters or shaped them in advance. Make sure they are fully cooled before letting your fur baby sample them! These treats, although a strange combination of flavours, are perfectly healthy for humans too (so don't worry if your child tries one!), and are fine for cats if they like them! Straya (my fatcat) did not :(
The coconut oil or other fat used, and coconut flour is super healthy for their shiny coat of fur and strong nails, and healthy cells in general! The flax has omegas and fibre, the turmeric will help with any inflammation, and the sea salt provides micronutrients. If you use bone broth that will also provide tons of vitamins and minerals as well as collagen for healthy joints.
Preventative medicine is not just for humans. Anything we can do to help our pets live longer healthier lives makes sense to me!

Coconut fully enjoys her treats! Maybe because she is a puppy or maybe because we don't give her "junk food", or maybe she just wants to make her human mommy happy, but I'm glad for it since I know they are healthy for her and help keep her healthy :) Please share photos and comments if your pups get to try your homemade goodies! <3

Thanks for spending time with me,
Erica
<3
PS Check out a really fantastic dog behaviour book I read, Inside of a Dog (Initially found at Costco!)

This is Blu, my Mom's fur baby, he prefers spoon fed beef liver.. but he will eat these treats if you make them into small enough pieces lol! (and best to cover them in bacon)

Home Made High Fat Grain Free Puppy Treats!
Ingredients:
- ½ cup beef, chicken or vegetable broth
- ½ cup of oil of choice (bacon fat, coconut oil, olive oil)
- 1 ⅓ cup tapioca flour (from cassava!)
- ⅓ cup coconut flour
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
- ½ teaspoon turmeric

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. In a small pot over medium heat bring the broth and fat to a boil
3. While that is boiling, mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl
4. After the broth has come to a boil, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix them well
5. On parchment paper on a pan, press the dough into a rectangle, approximately ¼ inch thick. You can then cut them into shapes or use a cookie cutter, or leave whole
6. Bake for 15 minutes, when the timer goes off shut the oven off, open the oven door a crack, and leave open to cool
7. After about 5 minutes remove from oven to cut into pieces if needing to still
8. Once cooled, serve!