April 7, 2015
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Baking for Boo
I have been growing more concerned with the origin and quality of the treats I buy for Boo. I try to be careful about buying Made In USA dog treats, but there are no guarantees where the USA manufacturers purchase their ingredients. So, I decided to start making homemade dog treats. I've been making breath treats for several years now and Boo has always like them. They are made with brown rice flour, activated charcoal powder, fresh mint, fresh parsley and some wet stuff like eggs to hold it all together.
My first effort beyond the breath treats was a basic dog biscuit recipe. Boo likes them, but I'm not happy with the way they turned out. Too soft... too pale... I have to keep them in the freezer and thaw them out one or two at a time. My next endeavors were more successful.
The heart shaped treats in the jar on the right are peanut butter, banana and oatmeal. I think there's some honey in there, too, but I can't remember the recipe off the top of my head. Boo loves them.
The little bone shaped treats in the jar on the left are homemade Greenies. Boo will eat them, but he's not crazy about them. The ingredients include kale powder, wheat bran, coarse ground cornmeal and peppermint. They are good for his teeth and gums and the peppermint helps sweeten his breath.
The large bone shaped treats in the big jar in the middle are a variation of the basic biscuit recipe. This time I added a cup of finely chopped fried bacon, a tablespoon of bacon grease and an extra egg yolk (only because I wanted to brush the biscuits with egg white before baking). I baked them at a slightly lower temperature for almost three times longer so they would be browner and crispier than the first batch I made. Boo, of course, loves them because... duh... BACON!! I made them 1/2 inch thick because that's what the recipe said, but I used such a large cookie cutter, I should have gone down to 1/4 inch. Next batch... For now I'll just break off smaller pieces.
Dog treats are no harder to make than cookies, recipes are easy to find, and it's comforting to know exactly what ingredients are in the things I give Boo to eat.
I added this photo of Boo at the request of my friend Michel. This was taken while it was still quite cold and snowy. Boo hasn't worn his sweater for several weeks, since the temperature got above 20 degrees F. He used to love to sit outside in the snow when the temperature was only around 10 or 15 degrees and he would refuse to come inside until I put on boots and went out to get him. Now he is older and the cold makes him shiver. I never thought I'd put a sweater on a dog, but I never had a little dog in a cold climate before.
Comments (6)
Compliments for your inventivity and the work you do to well feed your dog
But I do not see any meat in your fabrication; I see the eggs only, like animal proteins ..
But this seems to suit to your doggie .
Love
Michel
RYC ; thanks for your precision about the well balavced diet of Boo!
Did you post a photo of him ?
Love
Michel
@fauquet: I added a photo for you. Boo is half shih tzu and half bichon frise. His fur is very soft, more like human hair than dog fur. He is a medium sized dog, about 22 pounds right now, but he will lose a pound or two now that we can get out and walk.
RYC : Thanks, friend, to post the photo .
Good afternoon Mr Boo . How much you look beautiful , how cute you are .I know you are well cared and even spoiled with homemade treats !
I forget to say you are elegant . what do the misses say about you ?
Michel
If you want to borrow my dog treat recipe book I can try to remember to bring it Sat. night to the wine & canvas event. I think most dogs regardless of their size wore sweaters this winter - at least the ones around here!
I would love to borrow your recipe book! I'm finding my recipes online. I always feel more secure with recipes that are in a book for some reason.
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