Treats are irresistible to cats and dogs, however many owners either prefer or decide not to feed them to their pets because most of them have a load of added ingredients that are simply not healthy, especially if your furry companion experiences health issues.
Luckily though, there are many alternatives for people who enjoy DIY practices in the kitchen. So if you want to treat your pet to a goodie and know exactly what’s in the treat, the best thing to do is make those goodies yourself with ingredients you trust.
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Fine-tuned recipes for healthy cat & doggie snacks made at home
As you know, some ingredients can hurt pets, so make sure you take note of the problematic foods to avoid when creating your recipes. That being said, here are a few safe recipes to try whenever you want to pamper your little ball of fur.
- Peanut butter biscuits: 2 cups whole-wheat flour (substitute for another flour for wheat sensitive pets); 1 cup rolled oats, 1 third cup peanut butter, 1 and a quarter cups hot water.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Start by mixing the dry ingredients together, add in the peanut butter, the hot water and knead the dough. Add more flour as needed if you find the dough to be too sticky. Roll out the dough and shape the biscuits as preferred, then bake for 40 minutes.
- Beef liver biscuits: half a cup whole-wheat flour, 2 eggs, 1 and a half cup chopped beef liver.
Process the ingredients in a food processor or use a mixer to mix the ingredients together. Bake at 325°F for 15 minutes, let cool and cut with a pizza cutter into pieces. Keep in the fridge in an airtight container.
- Cat treats with lovely cheese: combine cheese, yogurt, flour, cornmeal and water and flatten the mixture. Bake similar to pizza dough for about 25 minutes. Cool on a cooling rack before cutting in small bites.
The result should be cheesy treats that keep firm on the outside and chewy on the inside.
- Fresh baked tuna treats – we know for whom this is, cattie pets. Mash some tuna with a fork, add whole-wheat flour, milk, some vegetable oil and an egg.
Roll the dough into small balls and bake for about 10 minutes. For something a little cheesier, add roughly a quarter cup cheddar cheese.
- Sweet doggy treats – 1 cup peanut butter, 1 and a half cups flour, 1 quarter tsp baking powder, three quarters cup water, almond milk or olive oil, 1 tbsp molasses, one quarter cup rolled oats.
Mix all the ingredients together and knead the dough well. Roll out and cut with a cookie cutter or use cookie shapes, then bake for approximately 20 minutes at 350°F. Recipe can include shredded carrots, applesauce, chopped bacon.
These are just three recipes easy to make and containing good old natural ingredients. Keep in mind that doggie treats and cat treats should only be fed occasionally, and that if you want to treat your pet every day, you should provide less of the actual food.
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Veterinarians recommend serving treats to pets about twice a week and always be mindful of portion control and using safe ingredients.