How To Make Gourmet Dog Treats

Making your own gourmet dog treats is an easy and cost-effective way to reward your pet with something special. You can buy pre-made treats, of course, but homemade DIY gourmet treats give you so much more control over what your dog is eating. You take care of your own health - shouldn't you watch out for your pet's health, too?

Is there is a particular "people food" your canine likes that you haven't found in a pre-made treat? The best part is this very simple recipe can be modified to meet your dog's needs. When you make these dog treats yourself, you can add in his favorites! You can easily change out the recommended vegetables for ones you know your dog likes. Just stay away from onions and chocolate, as they can't digest the former and the latter can be toxic. You can make these gourmet treats any size you like, as well.

First, you will need to make a simple stew. In a small saucepan, combine:

• 2 oz of beef, pork or chicken, cut into very small pieces
• 1 C cup water
• 3-4 baby carrots
• 2 T finely chopped celery

Cook this on medium high heat until the carrots are very tender and the liquid is reduced by at least 1/3. Allow the stew to cool for several minutes, then pour into a blender and liquefy. Allow stew to cool completely before continuing. Next, in a large mixing bowl take:

• 2 cups of flour (can be wheat, rye, rice or oat)
• 1/2 cup of prepared stew
• 1/3 cup of vegetable oil (for low fat diets, substitute the remainder of the stew)
• 1 egg

Mix all ingredients into a dough and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Roll dough out to 1/4" thickness. You can now cut the dough into shapes with cookie cutters or shape into bones or you can roll circles of the dough around wooden dowels before baking to create hollow cylinders. Then those tubes can be filled with cheese, meat, peanut butter or even more stew for a special treat. These work exceptionally well for getting your dog to take pills – just bury the medicine inside the cheese or peanut butter and toss to your canine. Chances are your pooch will never notice.

These should keep for 2 weeks in a sealed container. Freeze the rest in individual bags or in layers separated by wax paper.