Making your own dog treats is the best way to avoid toxic ingredients and harmful chemicals. If you keep up with dog news, you've probably been hearing a lot about pet food and treat recalls over the last few years. These recalls have led more dog owners to think about homemade products instead of buying commercial.
The biggest problem with commercial dog food and treats is the lenient health requirements. While there are a few rules and regulations, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is not nearly as stringent about pet food as it is about food for human consumption.
This leaves gaps and loopholes that some sneaky pet food manufacturers can take advantage of. They use poorer quality ingredients that are sourced from unsafe countries to make pet food and treats at a cheaper price than their competitors. Many consumers shop based on price alone, and fail to look into the reputation of the company or the ingredients they use in their products.
While these ingredients may not harm your dog immediately, they can have serious long-term effects. Some bacteria found in recalled products could result in death if ingested by your dog, and certain unsafe ingredients have been linked to serious diseases like cancer.
Making your own homemade dog treats, like these soft chews made with berry and yogurt, will eliminate the risk of unsafe ingredients. While some pet owners say they don't have the time to make their own dog treats, it's actually a lot quicker and easier than you may think.
You can even make recipes like this one in bulk and freeze the dough or the treats for later use. Just be sure to follow the storage instructions shared with the recipe.
MORE RECIPES HERE: Homemade Dog Food & Treats Recipes
Soft Berry Yogurt Dog Treats Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup pureed berries
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup oats
Directions
These easy to make dog treats can be whipped up in just a few minutes. First, preheat your oven to 350°. Then add all the ingredients listed above in a medium-sized mixing bowl and stir until completely combined.
As you'll see in my video guide above, this will form a sticky dough. Using a spoon, scoop ping pong ball-sized onto a well greased cookie sheet. Squish the dough balls down with the backside of the spoon until the treats are about 1/4″ thick.
Bake the treats for 15-20 minutes in the 350° oven. They'll still be soft, but they won't be sticky anymore. You can feed them to your Fido as soon as they are cooled. Store the leftover berry yogurt dog treats in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.
As I mentioned above, you can also store the cookies or the uncooked dough in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. This is ideal for dog owners who don't have the free time available to make homemade dog treats every week.
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