Thursday, March 29, 2012

welcome Gizmo

Yesterday there was no post because I've been trying to help the new addition to our home adjust. T and I recently acquired a shih tzu puppy named Gizmo.

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Just under a year, this pup has tons of energy and is extremely affectionate. He was free to a good home and absolutely adorable. Who could say no to a face like his?

T normally doesn't get "pinteresty" but when he does, I take his input seriously. He pointed out (before we even got Gizmo) that there was recipes to make our own dog treats. At first I was skeptical, but after seeing how Gizmo has a hard time chewing down store bought treats I took to Troy's pin.

Make Your Own Dog Treats
Source: http://www.curbly.com/users/capreek/posts/13538-how-to-make-your-own-diy-dog-treats

I took to this recipe because I love the endless options it comes with.

**Please note, as she states on her website when you are buying baby food, make sure there are no onions in the recipe. Onions are toxic to dogs.**

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We went with Vegetable Beef and  Turkey, Vegetable with Rice. I had to omit the later one because it had onions and T forgot to mention the above warning before we went shopping. Regardless, the recipe is extremely easy. I took the whole wheat flour, mixed it with the baby food and as you can see it turned out to be an interesting mix.

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Another thing I love about the recipe is the shapes are to your imagination. I am not fancy enough yet to have a dog bone shaped cookie cutter. I did read however that a pizza cutter works just as well. Who would of thought? I made some different sizes and shapes to find out what works best for Gizmo. The smaller the better for him.

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The smell is not appealing to me personally, it reminded me of the smell you get when opening a box of dog treats. That being said, it makes quite a bit. I actually halved the recipe from the site.

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After I had all these dog treats I tried to find something to store them in. I actually had some leftover glass jars and took to my craft spot upstairs. Gizmo had been following me around diligently while baking but decided to take a nap while I crafted.

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The treat jars didn't come from a particular pin, I just let my imagination go.

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I ended up making two treat jars and set a few treats aside for Gizmo's doggie friend, Sprocket. A good friend of T and I before we got Gizmo.

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Overall the jars turned out cute and the treats themselves received several lipsmacking results with Gizmo. We had tried some store bought treats to no avail, but he can't get enough of these. The great thing? I can try all different flavors so he doesn't get bored and his jar is reusable!

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If you try this recipe, let me know your results and combinations!

Until next time, happy baking!
Much love,
K

23 comments:

  1. Wheat isn't good for dogs. It causes GI tract issues and their teeth to decay.

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  2. A lot of dog foods contain wheat. Do you have something you could link to from an educated source that proves this? I went to google and found sites talking about dog allergies with wheat but nothing of what you mentioned.

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  3. I have a friend who is majoring it veterinary nutrition (who knew?!) and it turns out that dogs stomachs are sensitive to gluten, just like humans are. Gluten is a common allergen and technically, we are all allergic to it, but most people have better resistance than others. I would assume that you could make these same treats with a rice flour or whatever other kind of flour that can be found. Honestly, wheat products are given to our dogs so often that it won't seriously hurt them to have it, but if the substitution can be made, why not right? I love this blog! I just came across it on pinterest. Keep up the good work :)

    Melissa

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  4. Thanks so much for your feedback Melissa! It is really great to know :) this recipe could easily substitute another type of flour for sure!

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  5. Our vet had us take our dog off of foods that contain grain, she was having issues with ear infections. He said the food with grain can cause yeast infections. who knew?

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  6. Aww the poor pup! Every dog reacts differently I guess - same as humans :)

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  7. how much flour to jar of baby food/ sorry i dont see the ratio of the recipes for this how long do u cook at and temp

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  8. Since my dog is normal, with no sissy sensitivities, I'm totally making these treats for him. If he can eat flip flops, drink out of a toilet and lick himself clean, I'm sure a bit of WHOLE WHEAT isn't going to hurt. Thank you for the recipe.

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  9. What temperature on the oven and for how long?

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  10. Id cook them at 350 degree for 10 to 15 like a cookie but check them they may need longer or less time. This is a great recipe I cant wait to try it!

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  11. I use rice flour in my dog treats.

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  12. I added peanut butter for my second batch. About a tablespoon, melted, and added to the dough. I only baked the second batch for 15 mins @ 350 degrees!

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  13. what is the flour to baby food ratio?

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  14. I have 4 dogs, 2 of them have corn allergy (caused major ear infections) so we feed them a No Corn diet. We buy "No Grain" dog food for all 4 of them. We make dog treats/cookies for our dogs because of their allergies. We didn't realize our Beagle was also allergic to Wheat until we made their treats with Whole Wheat Flour and he starting having "Asthma Attacks" and Puking. We use either "All Purpose Flour" or "Rice Flour" to make treats. Amazingly his respiration distress has almost stopped completely. Although he does have "seasonal allergies". Our vet told us to give him Benadryl, 1mg per pound or 1 tablet per 25lbs. Just in case someone reading this has any of the same issues with one of their pets.

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  15. Thank u anonymous for the ear infection information as my poodle went 3 yrs of having an ear infection.I will definitely have to look into all of this for her..I am going to try this for treats for her and my poodle as the yorkie just doesn't chew her the treats very well...than u again..

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  16. Just a heads up for those who were asking: 2 cups flour to 2 (4oz) jars of pureed baby food. I personally make a smaller batch as I just have Gizmo. I make 1 cup now to 1 40z jar of baby food. I am so glad you are adding your own variations to the recipe! It is meant to be played with :)

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    1. If I keep the cookies in air-tight containers, how long can we keep these cookies? Thanks. I have a mini dachshund and she loves her treats.

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  17. I am just curious. If you are going through the bother, and no I don't find it a bother, to make home made dog treats WHY would you be using commercial baby food in the recipe? I made my own baby food for my son, and I think it would benefit our furry children to make it all homemade as well. It is basically purees meat with water, or veggies with water...I was just wondering. Thoughts?

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    1. Good idea.. being in control...esp if you grow your own...

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  18. If I keep the cookies in air-tight containers, how long can we keep these cookies? Thanks. I have a mini dachshund and she loves her treats.

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  19. I use 1 1/2 cups of rolled oats and (2) 4 oz jars of baby food. Process the oats into a flour consistency add the baby food, process again and bake. My grandpuppies will no longer eat treats from the store!

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  20. Hi Kay I tried this recipe and I must say my dog loves these treats thank you for sharing

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