recipes?

[Mugzilla]

i'm not sure where this thread should go, so feel free to move it.

i was curious if others enjoyed making their own doggy treats as much as i do? and if so, what your favorite (and your dog's favorite) recipe is.

i don't always have time for it, but on the weekends especially, i use to enjoy making home made treats for my muttley crew

since discovering all of my female eb's food allergies, i haven't found a recipe yet that didn't have something she was allergic to. if anyone knows of a good substitute for oatmael, i would LOVE to know.

until i discovered my female eb was allergic to oatmeal, their favorite treat was oatmeal and ground turkey muffins (or just cut treats)

recipe (not mine. i found it on the internet a long time ago):

preheat oven to 350 degrees

put in a bowl:

4 cups old-fashioned oatmeal (not instant)

mix thoroughly in another bowl:

1 cup grated carrots (on small grate) OR grated sweet potatoes OR grated yams OR green beans-OR whatever veggi your dog likes (i use to check my fridge to see what dog safe fresh veggies were about to go off if not used ,and then just use the lot of them in the recipe. it's a very flexible recipe)
3 eggs
1 to 1 1/4 pounds of fresh ground raw turkey (or ground chicken or low fat ground beef)
1 TBSP olive oil (if using ground meat instead of turkey, don't use olive oil. it's only needed with turkey since turkey is so lean and tends to dry up)

keep adding oatmeal slowly to wet mixture of carrots, ground turkey, eggs, etc, and mix until all the dry ingredients are mixed in well. the mixture might be a little "wet" but when baked the muffins are more firm.

for muffins for a small dog, fill mini muffin pans 1/2 way and pat down. for a big dog, fill mini muffin pans to the top and pat down. or, as i do, just spread the entire mix evenly over a non-stick baking pan.

bake in the center of a 350 degree preheated oven for 20 minutes (or more if needed to make sure they are "done").

if spreading all of the mix onto a non-stick cooking tray instead of using muffin slots, once they're done cut them into individual biscuits with a pizza cutter.

*because there are no preservatives in them it's a good idea to put them in the freezer and only keep enough in the fridge to last 3 days.

[froggz]

Well I don't have my bully yet, but my current dog and friends dogs all enjoy my homemade treats very much. I'm sad to say its not common for me to write down the recipie, but more of tossing ingredients together.

My typical base is:

2-3 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup ground flaxseed meal
1/4 cup dry milk
1/2 tsp baking soda
1-2 eggs(depending on other wet ingredients)

The rest of the recipie usually depends on what I have around the kitchen. I've used assorted vegetables along with drippings/grease/stock of beef, chicken and bacon. I have a roll of venison in the freezer thats going to be next.
I work to balance out the dry with the wet ingredients to have a rollable dough, which is rolled, and cut with a cookie cutter and baked. They are pretty easy to tell when done.

After alot of reading I am wondering if I should inquire with my vet about allergies before giving any of my treats to my coming bully. No dog has yet had any issues with them but bullies are bullies lol.

[Mugzilla]

I'm sad to say its not common for me to write down the recipie, but more of tossing ingredients together.

same here. the only reason i was able to put the recipe up is bc someone else saved it. it's definately just an eyeball and do whatever type recipe.

i wouldn't worry about food allergies with your bully unless he/she starts to show signs of allergies. my female bully was breaking out in bad skin rashes (looked like she'd slept on an ant hill) by the time she was 6 months old. she also had hot spots on her front paws from constant licking, chewing, and scratching. i've been told that constant scratching is one of the most common reactions to allergies in dogs.

her food allergies weren't determined at the time. just a general 'allergies' diagnosis. i didn't find out what she was actually allergic to until she was over 4 years old, although i don't recommend waiting that long if you know they have allergies. the only reason i waited so long to actually find out what all she was allergic to was bc my military career had me changing locations so often that she didn't have a 'steady' vet seeing her up until then and the other vets that saw her for one or two check ups before we moved again were more comfortable just giving her steroid shots to reduce the allergy reactions than they were in doing the tests to determine what she was allergic to.

the blood test to see what all they're allergic to isn't terribly expensive. mine was less than $200. but the tests only show positive reactions (meaning they are allergic) to things they have been exposed to and are allergic to. so a puppy that hasn't been exposed to much probably wouldn't show many positive reactions yet. they set up a series of injections based on what all they are allergic to. the goal is to build up their immunse system against the things they're allergic to, slowly but surely by steadily increasing the strength and amount of their injections. at least that's the goal.

as i said, i wouldn't worry about food allergies until your puppy showed signs of allergies. i'd recommend talking to your vet about your concerns and learning what the signs/reactions of allergies could be so that you'll be aware if your bully baby does develop allergies.

if you are still worried, i'd recommend a good, grain free dog food, since many eb's that have food allergies are allergic to grains. grain free Canidae or Canine Caviar are both GREAT choices. they're high end dog food and are more costly than dog foods carried in regular grocery stores or even most chain pet stores, but they are also a lot better for your dog--allergies or not. my dogs loved canidea and love canine caviar even more.

your recipe sounds like one my dogs would love. thank you for sharing it. i might have to get my female bully a different type of treat and make your recipe for the other dogs