Making Dog Treats at Home

PETS · GLOBAL

Making Dog Treats at Home

What is safe, what is toxic, portions and storage

Home-made treats are cheap and let you control exactly what a dog eats, which matters most for dogs on an elimination diet or with a sensitive stomach.

Safe ingredients

Plain cooked chicken or fish without bones, carrot, green beans, plain pumpkin, blueberries, plain oats and plain natural yoghurt in small amounts. Peanut butter is fine provided it contains no xylitol.

Dehydrated plain meat and vegetables make excellent treats with nothing added.

What is toxic

Chocolate, grapes, raisins, sultanas and currants, onions, garlic, leeks and chives, macadamia nuts, alcohol and anything containing xylitol, which is in some peanut butters and sugar-free products and is severely toxic.

Cooked bones splinter and must never be given. Contact a vet immediately if a dog eats any of these rather than waiting for symptoms.

Portions

Treats should stay within about ten percent of daily calories, with the rest from complete food. Home-made treats are easy to over-give because they feel wholesome, so cut them small and reduce meals to match.

For training, weigh out part of the day's kibble and use that, which costs nothing.

Storage

Home-made treats have no preservatives. Keep them refrigerated and use within a few days, or freeze them, and discard anything that smells off.

Fully dehydrated treats keep longer in an airtight container.

Training treats

Small, soft and quick to eat is what works for training, since a dog chewing for thirty seconds loses the connection. Cut treats to pea size rather than giving whole ones.

High-value treats for difficult situations and ordinary kibble for easy ones.

Kitchen hygiene

Wash hands, boards and surfaces after handling raw meat for dog treats, and keep pet food preparation separate from human food.

Weight and health

Excess weight shortens dogs' lives measurably and accelerates joint problems. You should be able to feel the ribs easily without pressing hard and see a waist from above.

If a dog is gaining weight, treats are usually the cause rather than the meals.

Puzzles instead

Food puzzles, snuffle mats and scatter feeding use the same food and occupy a dog far longer than a treat handed over.

Dehydrating at home

Thin, even slices, dried until completely brittle rather than leathery, and cooled before storing. Any moisture left in a treat is where mould starts in the jar.

Sweet potato, chicken breast and liver all dehydrate well with nothing added.

Introduce any new ingredient in a small amount and watch for an upset stomach.

Dogs with conditions

Speak to a vet before adding anything for a dog with a diagnosed condition, food allergy or pancreatitis history.

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