Homemade Pet Treats

 

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Don’t forget about your pets this holiday season! Here are some healthy treat recipes for your dog and cat from petsafe.net:

Fruity Dog Biscuits

• 1 apple (cored and all seeds removed. see note below)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 cup water
• 2 tsp cinnamon (optional: ginger powder)

Preheat oven to 350° F. Combine the lemon juice and water in a small bowl. Set Aside. Peel, core and slice the apple. The more uniform the pieces, the better. Place the apple slices in the lemon bath. Let them soak for 8 minutes. Gently turn them around once or twice. Place the slices on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Sprinkle with cinnamon or ginger.

Bake for 20 minutes. Turn off the oven and let them continue cooking for another 10 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Note: Be sure to remove the core and seeds -it’s poisonous to dogs.

Sweet Kitty Bites

• 1 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup tuna oil, chicken broth or beef bouillon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all ingredients into dough. Dust hands with flour and form small, 1/2-inch thick, round biscuits. Set on greased cookie sheet. Bake 30 minutes or until biscuits are slightly browned. Cool before serving.

Basic Biscuits (for dogs and cats)
• 3 cups whole grain flour (plus a little more for rolling them out)
• 1/3 cup olive oil, butter, or meat drippings (most dogs’ favorite)
• 1 egg
• 1 cup water, stock, or milk

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, adding a little more flour or water if needed to make a smooth, not sticky, dough. Grease two cookie sheets or line them with silicone sheets. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out about a ¼-inch thick and cut into desired shapes (many cooking stores now carry “bone” cookie cutters), place shapes on the cookie sheets, and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes or until browned and firm. Cool and store in an airtight cookie jar.

Cats who enjoy catnip will go wild for these if you add ½ cup of dry or 1 cup of minced fresh catnip to the dough and roll it out about 1