That’s kind of an odd holiday, isn’t it? But today really is International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day, so in honor of this I’ve rounded up some links to some our dogs’ favorites as well as a few that I’ve found online that I’d like to try out. I know the dogs are up for it!

First is my dogs’ absolute favorite, the aptly named Fido’s Favorite Treats. This actually reminds me that it’s time to make a fresh batch!

The Basic Dog Biscuit recipe is pretty much fool proof, and makes a nice crunchy treat.

Microwaveable Dog Donuts are perfect when you don’t feel like messing with an oven or just want to try something new.

Good oral health is just as important for dogs as it is for us: Teeth Cleaning Dog Biscuits.

From around the Web:

~ Alexander’s Veggie Thins
~ Hungry Mutt Random Recipe
~ Sugarlaws’ Dog Treats

Did you know Allrecipes has a whole section just for pet food now? Check out the homemade dog food, diabetic dog treats, and Lucy’s recuperation food.

Post from: Blisstree

Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day

These are one of my favorite dog treats to make, and one of the favorites for the dogs to eat!

It’s easy and foolproof, and I usually have all the ingredients on hand. Make sure you don’t store it in an airtight container (they’ll get moldy) – in fact, they do well in the fridge.

Fido’s Favorite Treats

1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup margarine or butter
1 cup boiling water
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons chicken or beef instant bullion
1/2 cup milk
4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese ( 1 cup)
1 egg, beaten
2 cups white or wheat flour

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper. In large bowl combine rolled oats, margarine and water and let stand for 10 minutes. Stir in cornmeal, sugar, bouillon, milk,cheese and egg. Mix well. Add flour 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition to form stiff dough.

On floured surface, knead in remaining flour until dough is smooth and no longer sticky, 3 to 4 minutes. Roll or pat out dough to 1/2 inch thickness; cut with cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on cookie sheets.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely. Store loosely covered or in the fridge. Makes 3 1/2 dozen large biscuits.

Post from: Blisstree

Fido’s Favorite Treats

Keeping the biscuits in the oven after they’re done baking not only gets them extra-crunchy, it also helps dry them out to the point that they won’t get moldy or spoil.

1 cup wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup nonfat powdered milk
1 can low-sodium chicken stock or broth
3 tablespoons corn oil
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
1/4 cup wheat germ for dredging biscuits

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and oil a large baking sheet. Combine the wheat and all purpose flour together with the wheat germ, powdered milk. In another small bowl, mix stock and oil. Combine until well mixed.

When all ingredients are thoroughly mixed, place dough on a dry slightly floured surface and begin kneading. Add all purpose flour as needed until the dough is easy to handle and soft. Take table spoon sized portions and roll them in the extra wheat germ, then place them on the oiled baking sheet with a gap of about 3 cm between them and squish each ball, with a fork, into a biscuit shape. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until nicely browned. Turn off oven but leave the biscuits inside until completely hard. Keep the uneaten dog biscuits in airtight bags in the fridge or freezer.

[image: amazon]

Post from: Blisstree

Teeth Cleaning Dog Biscuits

Donuts aren’t just for people! Of course, these donuts for dogs are a bit more healthy and don’t take nearly as long (just pop them in the microwave!) and are overall more dog-friendly, so why not whip up a batch for your dog to enjoy the next time you treat yourself?

Microwaveable Dog Donuts

2 C Whole wheat flour
3 T Oatmeal
1 Egg; lightly beaten
1 tsp Garlic powder
2/3 C Beef or chicken broth

Place flour in a bowl, add egg and broth and mix well. Blend in oatmeal and garlic powder. Roll dough into a ball, roll out on a lightly floured surface to 1/2″ thick. Cut with small doughnut cutters; reroll scraps and repeat. Arrange on a shallow baking dish or on a sheet of parchment paper in a single layer. Cook in the microwave on high for 10 minutes or until firm. Let cool until hardened. Store in covered container in refrigerator.

These could also be baked in the oven at 375 degrees for about ten minutes.

[cute puppy 'donut' from flickr]

Post from: Blisstree

Microwaveable Dog Donuts

Remember, these are for the dog, not you! (Although, admit it – when you make your own treats you take a nibble, right? Right?)

Apple Cinnamon Drops Dog Treats

1 large apple
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup of water
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup oatmeal
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/8 cup whole wheat flour

Preheat oven to 350 ° F. Core, slice and mince the apple (use a food processor if you have one). In a large bowl, combine the minced apple, honey, water, cinnamon, and oatmeal. Gradually blend in the wheat flour, adding enough to form a stiff dough.

In a small bowl, add 1/8 cup wheat flour. Spoon the dough by rounded teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches (5cm) apart. Using the bottom of a glass dipped in the wheat flour (to prevent sticking), flatten each spoonful of dough into a circle. Adjust the size of the drops based on how big a treat you like to feed your dog.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and flip each cookie to brown evenly on both sides. Reduce oven temperature to 325 ° F. Return to oven and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Let cool overnight.

Makes about 3 dozen crunchy cookies, depending on how big you make them.

[image: flickr]

Post from: Blisstree

Apple Cinnamon Drop Dog Treats

Image details: Dog Standing on Hind Legs to Receive Treat served by picapp.com

When I make treats for my dogs I like to make sure the ingredients are as unprocessed and “real” as possible. I like this one because it uses real meat, and I only put in half the garlic powder since the jury’s still out on how garlic affects dogs!

I also read a few years ago that small dogs need to be careful with their liver treat intake as it can thin the blood due to its high iron content, and should not be given to dogs who’ve recently had surgery. I can’t find anything specifically about that, though, but I did find that liver has a high amount of vitamin A, and in large amounts can result in hypervitaminosis A (vitamin A toxicity), and continuous feeding of large amounts of liver can result in bone problems and the runs!

Don’t let that scare you off, though. In small, reasonable amounts liver is good for dogs, great for training, and great for their coats.

Quick Liver Treats

1 lb chicken livers
1 cup flour
1 cup corn meal
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 Egg

Place chicken livers in blender, liquefy. Add egg, mix a minute more. Pour into bowl. Add flour, corn meal and garlic powder. Mix. Spray jelly roll pan lightly with oil and pour mixture into pan. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degree. Cut into small squares while still warm. Keep in freezer to prevent spoilage. Feed at room temperature or right from the freezer for a cool summer treat!

Post from: Blisstree

Quick Liver Treats

Dogs like the occasional cool treat just as much as we do, so why not treat them to a homemade ice cream made just for them?

While dairy isn’t terribly good for dogs, yogurt contains much less lactase than regular milk and the live cultures are great for your dog’s digestive system. Use the ice cream just as an occasional treat!

Frosty Paws Dog Ice Cream

32 oz vanilla yogurt
1 mashed banana or one large jar of banana baby food
2 T. peanut butter
2 T honey

Blend all together and freeze in paper cups. Peel away the cups & place in your pets dish to serve. These can also be made in a non-salt automatic ice cream maker and served like regular ice cream in a dish.

DO NOT freeze in ice cube trays as your dog is likely to eat them so fast he’ll choke!

[image: flickr]

Post from: Blisstree

Make Your Own Frosty Paws Ice Cream

Mutt Muffins

1 small jar of baby applesauce/or equivalent in regular applesauce (not flavored)
2 carrots, shredded
2 Tbsp honey
2 ¾ cup water
¼ tsp vanilla
1 egg

In a bowl, mix all wet ingredients together and add the applesauce. Mix thoroughly.

4 cups whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbsp nutmeg/pumpkin pie spice

Combine dry ingredients.

Add wet ingredients to dry and mix thoroughly, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl to be sure none of the dry mixture is left. Grease a muffin tin with non-stick spray. (Paper liners stick to the muffins so just use a greased muffin tin) Using an ice cream scoop, fill each cup ¾ full.

Bake at 350° for approximately 1 hour. Makes about 2 dozen mutt muffins. Enjoy!

Post from: Blisstree

Mutt Muffins

3/4 c. hot water or meat broth
1/3 c. butter
1/2 c. powdered milk
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
1 egg, beaten
3 c. whole wheat flour

In a large bowl pour hot water over butter to soften. Stir in powdered milk, salt, and egg. Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Knead 3 to 4 minutes, adding more flour if necessary to make a very stiff dough. Pat or roll to 1/2-inch thickness and cut out with cookie cutter or cut into 1″ pieces with a pizza cutter. Place on a greased or parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 325-degrees for 50 minutes. Allow to cool and dry out in the oven until hard. Makes approximately 1-1/4 lbs.

Post from: Blisstree

Dog Biscuit Recipe

Is it weird to recognize the birthday of a pet? I always thought it kind of was until we got Chip. We adopted him from my friend’s co-worker so we knew his exact date of birth, and we couldn’t resist “celebrating” it ever since.

He turns five today (or 33, according to this conversion calculator) and yes, I made a dog-friendly cake for him and Honey. Since we don’t know Honey’s birthday – or even how old she is – we lump them both together and nudge Honey’s assumed age up a year today as well (we think she’s nine).

Several years ago one of my longtime blog reads made this cake:

Peanut Butter Carrot Cake

1 cup flour
1tsp baking soda
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup shredded carrots
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup honey
1 egg

Mix flour and baking soda. Add remaining ingredients. Pour into greased 8″ round cake pan and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Let cool. Puree cottage cheese in blender for icing. Decorate with more peanut butter and carrots.

Needless to say, the dogs LOVE it.

Post from: Blisstree

Happy Birthday, Chip!