Baking is more fun if you can lick the spoon and I can guarantee you that, in this case, it is true….I have made doggie treats that will send your fur kids into pure bliss!
Why organic?
When Piglet (our Boston Terrier) fell ill at the age of 10 months we tried everything in our power to get him well. Plagued with vet visits and skin rashes we simply could not figure out what was causing him to be ill. We decided to do some intensive homework on the root causes of the symptoms we were witnessing and boy, was it a revelation.
The answers (and causes) turned out to be very much centered around what we were feeding him.
My Partner and I tend to be so precious over what we put into our own bodies - Yet I’ll admit, when it came to Piglet, kibbles seemed ok.
Of course, they were the “top of the range” kibbles – grain free, “real meat” et all and we tried them all, but ultimately, when we started down the rabbit hole that is Google – we were forever changed.
Once the journey of awareness began, and we were no longer ignorant to the giant con of the dog food industry we could never go back.
Here is an interesting read for those of you who want to educate yourself about what you are feeding your babies.
The summary of our GOOGLE discoveries? Kibbles were the equivalent of feeding Piglet MacDonald’s everyday. How could we expect his immune system to fight off disease with that diet? Giving him medicine was fighting the symptoms and not the cause. Right there and then we then decided to move him over to organic, natural, real, food. (I must admit, I am more than slightly embarrassed that I relied on preconceived ideas and inherited opinions about pet care)
What do I mean by real food? Simple – REAL FOOD. We moved over to a local brand that cooks organic real food and delivers to our door. All for the same price as the better quality kibbles on the market – so price should not be a factor!
It contains veggies, herbs and real meat. We add our own extras such as grated apples. Yoghurt, broccoli or carrots and top it off with cold pressed omega 3 fish oils, spirulina and joint supplements.
It sounds like a feast fit for a prince and it is. Prince Piglet.
So, in the spirit of knowing exactly what your pet is consuming and ensuring they get exactly what their little (or big) bodies need; I recently decided to make doggie treats here at home.
I know what goes into them and Pig simply loves them!
The best part of this? He gets to lick the spoon with his friends Betty (the chocolate lab) and Basil (the labra-doodle)
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups oat flour
- 1 ½ cups brown rice flour
- 230 grams organic free-range chicken liver
- 1 cup oat bran
- 1 ½ cups oat bran
- 1 egg
- ½ cup water
Instructions:
Preheat you oven to 180 degrees Celsius
Puree your liver in a food processor. Clean out your processor immediately afterwards as the liver has a tendency to stick and can be a real pain to clean up later!
In a large mixing bowl combine all the ingredients and mix thoroughly until dough forms. I used my hands and just got in there, as it is much quicker!
If you do not have a silicon dog treat tray, roll the dough into 2cm diameter balls. Place on a cookie tray that has been covered with foil, as this will make it easier to clean up later. If you do have doggie treat silicon moulds then fill the moulds with your dough.
Bake for 25 minutes and then turn your oven off and leave the treats on the pan/moulds in the oven overnight. This allows the biscuits to dry out and become crunchy!
Store them in an airtight container and don’t forget the “sit”