Sugar Free, Fat Free, Gluten Free Frosting For Dogs

Tips and tricks to best use Fido's Frosting from K9Cakery.com!

Sugar free, fat free, gluten free dog treat icing

The information posted here is intended to provide answers to common questions and clarify terms related to   Fido's Frosting and Fido's Royal Icing for dogs.

Fido's Frosting products are the only genuine USA made yogurt frosting products on the market that are sugar free, fat free, and gluten free. These products are extremely difficult to formulate and manufacture. Other dog treat frosting products on the market use sugar, fat and/or gluten because these ingredients are cheap and very easy to work with. We have chosen to take the most difficult path so that we can offer the highest quality product to our customers. But, by removing sugar, fat and gluten, our products work differently from their unhealthy counterparts.


Icing cracking Cracking is rare but can occur. It happens typically due to the following reasons:

• The dog treat frosting or icing was applied to a treat that was not fully dry inside. What happens is that the frosting dries hard, and then over the next few days, as the treat finishes drying inside, it shrinks and causes natural stress cracks. The remedy is to make sure the dog treats are completely dry before applying the topping. Some bakers dehydrate their treats to accomplish this. To test for dryness all the way through, simply break the treat. If it does not "snap" crisply, it is not dry inside.
• Gluten free dog treats often develop cracks in the frosting. Our research has shown that in every case, the frosting has dried on the treat, but the actual treat has cracked because it contains no gluten to hold it together. Gluten forms the chemical bonds that holds baking mixes together and acts like a "glue". Remove the gluten and the "glue" is gone. This is why you will see gluten free cookies crumbling in their packages. The icing will crack along the same lines as the cookie itself. Turn the cookie over and you will easily see the crack that is causing the crack in the topping.

Icing pruning This effect occurs, usually to royal icing, when it is applied to a very dense treat. 

• Gluten free treats are very dense and are typically the ones affected. Because Fido's Frosting products have no fat or sugar, they dry from the outside in. This differs from the properties of the yogurt candy chips which contain fat and sugar. These chips do not actually "dry". What you are seeing is the fat solidifying at room temperature. Apply heat and the chips will liquefy due to the properties of the fat. 
• Fido's Frosting products actually dry and once dried, will not turn back into a liquid. Since they dry from the outside in, they form a "skin" on the sides with access to air and slowly dry hard as the air reaches the frosting. With dense treats, air can only get to the top of the frosting, and no air passes through the treat like it does in one containing gluten. The frosting or icing forms a skin. Because it can only dry outside in, the "skin" on top dries before the innermost portion. Thus, the "skin" prunes much like your fingers do when immersed in water for a length of time. Some people mistake pruning for cracking, but it is not the same.

Icing falling off In very rare cases, bakers have reported that the icing has fallen off their treats. There are two reasons that this may occur:

• If the icing is applied in a thin line or in thin drops, it has a good chance of falling off. This is because there is not enough topping applied to a large enough surface area of the dog treat to allow proper bonding. To prevent this from happening, apply a full base coat of icing or frosting to the treat and THEN apply a thin line or drops on top of the base coat while it is still sticky. This provides plenty of bonding area and the topping will not fall off.
• If the treat is very smooth, the topping may "fall off." The topping needs textured grooves or pores to have something to stick to. The more porous the treat, the better the bond. To prevent this from happening to a smooth treat, simply poke holes or score the surface with a fork or knife before baking the treats.

"Milk bone test"  If you are having difficulty with the frosting on your own treats, we recommend trying it out on a commercial product like Milk Bones. If it works properly on the commercial dog treat, then it is safe to say that it is not the frosting that is the issue. Anyone still experiencing problems after performing this test is encouraged to contact us through the K9Cakery.com website.

The best place to learn about how to use Fido's Frosting products is to join us in the Facebook group "Homemade Dog Treats". Simply request to join. You will see some amazing dog treat artistry and make new friends who share your passion for baking for dogs!

Valentine Treats For Dogs!

Love your dog? Make sure you remember him or her on Valentine's Day, with yummy dog treats like these Valentine treats for dogs made by 
Thefive DogBarkery based in London.

Valentine treats for dogs

Dog bakeries are gearing up for this holiday just like other bakeries! Your dog will appreciate the special treat even though he likely will have no idea why people are acting so mushy and lovey-dovey. 

It is thoughtful and fun for us humans to give decorated dog treats like these as holiday gifts to the dog lovers (and dogs) we care about. 

You can make your own homemade dog treats for Valentine's Day using a heart shaped cookie cutter or a bone shaped cookie cutter. Try this easy 

dog biscuit recipe. 

To decorate, use Fido's Frosting brand Royal Icing for Dogs colored with red, pink and blue powdered icing coloring. To get the interesting marbling effect, lay down a thin coat of one color, then put a few small drops of a second color over it. Take a toothpick and drag the toothpick through the colors.

Click this link to see more "heartfelt" ideas for Valentine treats: Lovecakes for dogs - also baked by Thefive Dog Barkery. A list of available hues of red and pink icing colors is provided.

Great Balls of Bacon! Bacon Grease Dog Treats

What to do with that leftover bacon grease...

Make bacon grease dog treats!

Use it to add flavor to homemade dog treats. These bacon balls were created by Lazy Bones Pet Treats. Owner Anna Lyle told us that she just made these treats and her dogs went berserk! So, because her own dogs were definitely a biased consumer group, she offered some to the neighbor dogs and they are still standing at the fence barking for more.

Bacon grease dog treats by Lazy Bones Pet Treats

Now some of you may be thinking that bacon grease is unhealthy. Dog owners do this, especially in the winter months, to help their dog's dry skin and coats. 

Dogs do not develop heart disease from high cholesterol in the same manner that humans do. Schnauzers have a genetic predisposition to increased levels of fat in the blood (known as hyperlipidemia), but other breeds are not that susceptible.

If your dog has other health issues or is overweight, you should rethink his diet. But for a healthy dog, an occasional dog treat is fine. You should always check with your veterinarian if you have any concerns.

The red colored homemade dog treats above are decorated with the all natural dog treat icing, K9Cakery Royal Icing for Dogs, and the others are coated with peanut butter.

Dog treat ingredients:

• 5 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 10 tablespoons bacon fat. 
• Honey if desired
• Shredded cheese if desired
• Fido's Frosting brand Royal Icing for Dogs

It is recommended to drain the bacon fat through cheesecloth. If you do not have cheesecloth, a coffee filter will work, but will drain slower.

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. 
• Combine all the above ingredients.
• Roll the dough into little balls and press dough into a mini muffin pan. 
• Bake 30 to 35 minutes. 
• Do not overcook or the dough will harden.
• Let cool completely.
• Decorate by drizzling Fido's Frosting brand Royal Icing for Dogs over the bacon balls.

This recipe yields quite a bit! Cut the ingredient amounts in half if you do not want to make a lot of bacon balls.

Simple Valentine Cookies For Dogs

You love your dog! Your dog loves you! What better Valentine can you have....

Share your love with Valentine cookies for dogs. All you need is a heart shaped cookie cutter and a basic, easy dog treat recipe. These are peanut butter dog treats baked and decorated by Cathy Mags.

Valentine cookies for dogs by Cathy Mags

Add your own ingredients for different flavors. You can find various recipes on this blog. Feel free to leave a comment about any recipes you are looking for and we will post them! 

When all finished, wrap the dog cookies in clear cellophane so that they are easy to see. Treats this beautiful will make a gorgeous package just by themselves. 

Tie it up with a dog-themed ribbon, such as one with paw prints or bones stamped on, and you will have a cute little Valentine treat package. If you do not have dog-themed ribbon, red, pink, purple, or any combination of those colors suggests Valentine's Day.

If you have young children, this would be the perfect little appreciation gift for them to give to the family dog.

If you have clients who are dog lovers, do the same for them. Dog lovers always appreciate it when someone remembers the dog.

Fido's Frosting Royal Icing for Dogs is used to decorate these Valentine dog treats. It is an all natural yogurt icing that is sugar free, dries hard and shiny, and needs no refrigeration.

Puppy Cakes for Christmas

Make your own puppy cakes for Christmas! So easy, so simple, and you will have a nice treat to share with the furkids.

Follow this example from @CathyMags. She baked some Christmas dog treats for her Maggie and used K9Cakery's silicone paw shaped baking pan to make the little paws which are the perfect size for a puppy cake!

Puppy cakes for Christmas made by Cathy Mags

The dog treats in the middle of the photo are mini dog cupcakes. All are decorated with dog treat icing - Fido's Frosting Royal Icing for Dogs.

These dog cakes are so quick and easy. Use a dog cake mix from K9Cakery or your own dog cake recipe. The cupcakes for dogs will bake within 15-18 minutes. Let them cool and then drizzle some Fido's Frosting on top. You do not have to be a professional cake decorator! Cathy bakes because she loves to and because her pooch loves that she does!

Here are some more Christmas dog treats made by @CathyMags for Maggie:

Christmas dog treats

Let your imagination run wild for decorating. You can find great ideas on Pinterest! 

Fund Raising Ideas for Dog Rescue Groups

Are you looking for new fund raising ideas for dog rescue groups? Have you thought about making homemade dog treats and selling them for donations?

Not only are dog treats easy to make, but the entire process is fun. Kids especially love to be involved with dog crafts like this. They enjoy decorating the treats and they know they are helping out with a worthy cause.

Alaska Dog and Puppy Rescue -
Fund Raising Ideas

These beautiful dog treats are made for the Alaska Dog and Puppy Rescue. All you need is a good recipe for a dough that has dog-safe ingredients, and some dog-themed cookie cutters. Or, use one of the new silicone baking molds for less effort. Just press the biscuit dough into the wells and bake! No need to cut out shapes because the molds will turn out biscuits with fine detail.

All natural Fido's Frosting brand yogurt Royal Icing for Dogs was used to finish these. It takes color well as you can see. Edible glitter and dog bone sprinkles complemented these treats as well.

Sell an assorted plate of various shapes or pack up dog treat bags and tie them with a colorful dog themed ribbon for a beautiful display. You can make up labels with your dog rescue group's name and contact information and stick these onto the treat bags. 

Dog lovers will not hesitate to buy the treats to help with the rescue efforts, especially when they look as enticing as these. They know that they are contributing to an important undertaking. Advertise the treats as being "handmade with love". Use all natural ingredients and you can even correctly state that they are healthier than Girl Scout cookies! How could pet lovers refuse?

Dog Christmas Cookies Decorated With Royal Icing

Don't forget the pooches at Christmas! 

Take a look at these beautiful dog Christmas cookies decorated with royal icing made by Lazy Bones Pet Treats, a dog bakery based in Kansas City, Missouri. Fido's Frosting Royal Icing for Dogs takes color well and creates vibrant Christmas dog treats! 

Christmas dog treats made by
Lazy Bones Pet Treats

Colored sesame seeds complete the all natural decoration. Buy the colored sesame seeds or with a little bit of effort, color them yourself. Use then just as you would sprinkles or jimmies on other treats for dogs to keep the sugar content at a minimum. 

More Christmas treats for dogs from
Lazy Bone Pet Treats

Fido's Frosting royal icing is perfect for flooding an area with color as seen in the stars and the bell above. Or just drizzle green and red dog treat icing for an interesting "painted" effect, as seen in the image below.

Dog Christmas cookies with drizzled dog treat
icing from Lazy Bones Pet Treats

Come join us in Homemade Dog Treats on Facebook and get more ideas for making and decorating your own dog treats.

Dog Christmas Cookies

Make dog Christmas cookies decorated with bright, holiday colors so that everyone in the family gets to have tasty Christmas treats!

These fun, creative, colorful dog treats are made by Noah's Noms, a dog bakery located in Sanbornville, New Hampshire. 

Christmas dog cookies made by
Noahs' Noms dog bakery

Professional dog bakeries offer interesting combinations of ingredients in their dog biscuits. They know which ingredients go best together. If this is more information than you know, or have time to research, no need to worry. You can always order a batch of the more exotic treats.

Make your own homemade dog biscuits using a simple dog biscuit recipe. Roll out the dough and then use bone shaped cookie cutters or other Christmas themed cookie cutters. If you prefer a quicker and easier method, use the silicone molds from K9Cakery.com to make perfect bone or paw shaped biscuits without having to roll and cut. 

The Christmas dog treats in the photo above were decorated with yogurt dog treat icing: Fido's Frosting brand Royal Icing for Dogs. Look how cute the little bones with the scarves and faces came out. Of course the dog recipients will love them, but decorate your treats with personality and you'll have the humans also begging for more. 

Gingerbread Dog Treats

Remember the dog with gingerbread dog treats! 

Gingerbread men are a Christmas holiday favorite. The spicy aroma suggests winter holiday time! So why not include the dog too? Their heightened sense of smell will not let you get away with baking gingerbread men and not giving them a taste. 

Tammie's Homemade Pet Treats makes these gingerbread Christmas dog treats and finishes them with Fido's Frosting brand Royal Icing for Dogs.  

Gingerbread dog treats decorated with Fido's Frosting  
Royal Icing for dogs by Tammie's Homemade Pet Treats

Gingerbread treats are typically made with ginger and molasses or honey instead of sugar. Make them as a biscuit or a loaf cake. Ginger is used to alleviate nausea associated with motion sickness in humans and reportedly has similar effects in dogs. Honey and molasses are used frequently in recipes for dog treats as well. If you have any concerns about feeding your dog these foods, please talk to your vet before doing so.

Ginger root, molasses, and honey are natural ingredients.

Gingerbread biscuit recipes for dogs can be found around the internet. Beware of recipes that list nutmeg and garlic as ingredients for dog biscuits. These are two ingredients that can be toxic to dogs in large amounts. 

Very simply, to make your own gingerbread homemade dog treats, add the following to your regular biscuit dough:

• 1/2 teaspoon ginger 
• 1/2 cup molasses 

Remember, dog treats are not a substitute for a meal. Even though your dog will beg for more, do not give in!

Thanksgiving Treats For Dogs

Make Thankgiving treats for dogs to serve as part of your holiday fare. 

After all, dogs are part of the family too! Chances are good that someone will bring their small pet to dinner. Especially if you are a pet parent yourself, anticipate this and have a dog-friendly Thanksgiving. 

These beautiful Thanksgiving themed dog treats were made by the Pup-Cake Barkery:

Thanksgiving treats for dogs from
the Pup-Cake Barkery

Use Thanksgiving themed cookie cutters and cut out dough for dog biscuits. After baking, use dog treat icing to color your biscuits using the fall color scheme as you see above. Orange, yellow, brown, white and green are suggestive of this season. 

The icing is Fido's Frosting brand Royal Icing for Dogs. It will take all the above colors really well and is very easy to work with. 

The baker who made these dog cookies is obviously a professional decorator. But don't worry if you think you are not artistic. Your homemade dog biscuits will come out just perfect. The fact that you included the four-legged babies in your dinner plans will be remembered by all. Thanksgiving is a time to reflect and be grateful. Pet parents are very thoughtful of their pets and grateful to have the chance to share them with others.

If you would like to make your holiday dog treats more special, add in a little pumpkin flavoring into the dough or the dog icing. The holiday dog treats will smell like Thanksgiving! Find pumpkin flavoring for dog treats at K9Cakery.com.

Is Red Dog Treat Icing Safe?

Q: Is red dog treat icing safe for dogs?

A: As we come up to the holiday season, where the color red is featured quite a bit when it comes to icings and frostings, this question surfaces. The reader wonders if there is a problem with this particular color being difficult for dogs to digest.

Let's clear up the issues about RED coloring. 

Backhund dog bakery in Austria made these decorated dog treats using Fido's Frosting brand Royal Icing. These "gingerbread men" are really liver and carrot!

Liver carrot dog cake from Backhund dog bakery decorated with Fido's Royal Icing

Food coloring is regulated - in the USA, by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), and in Europe by the European Union. In the USA, a coloring is given a FD&C number which indicates it is approved by the FDA for food, drugs and cosmetics. The synthetic red colors FD&C # 3 and FD&C # 40 are allowed to be used in foods. There are other colors made from natural sources, but the artificial color commonly called "red dye # 2" was the one that has received most attention was banned in 1976.

Red dye # 2 was linked to cancer after laboratory rats (that were fed very large amounts of it) developed cancers. A panic regarding red food coloring was started due to this. Even red M&M's were discontinued at the time, even though it is reported that the candy never contained this coloring. 

Later, red dye # 40, which was substituted, was blamed for ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) but there has been no conclusive evidence that there is a link.

The red coloring is used as a decoration, not as a full entree, so your dog is not going to be consuming large amounts. It just may be that the color red, which in nature does signal danger (e.g. poisonous snakes, insects and plants often have red coloring) has a psychological effect on some people in the same way.  

If it truly was dangerous, it would be pulled off the shelves, due to so much public scrutiny. In conclusion, there is no need to worry, and you should enjoy making beautiful holiday dog treats using red dog treat icing and royal icing 
for dogs if you wish!
                                                    

Peanut Butter Dog Treats

Q: Are peanut butter dog treats healthy for dogs?
A: Yes, if you make them with the "right kind" of peanut butter.

If you are going to make healthy dog treats, then you will need to use healthy ingredients for dogs. Not all human foods are appropriate. The grocery store peanut butter brands that make wonderful peanut butter and jelly sandwiches contain sugar and also have a high fat content, high sodium content, and preservatives.

These peanut butter dog treats are courtesy of Bitsie Boutique For Pets & Tots in Madison, Ohio:

Peanut butter dog biscuits decorated with
Fido's Frosting dog treat icing

Fido's Frosting brand Royal Icing for Dogs was used to decorate the treats. It dries hard and shiny and does not need to be refrigerated. It will not melt. Look how perfect the little baseball threads came out. These treats will be gobbled up for sure! 

All natural peanut butter will not have added sugar, salt, hydrogenated oil or preservatives. Or you could use peanut powder which is gluten free and lower in fat because peanut oil is removed in the processing. This might be something to think about if you have an overweight dog.

Click to find a free dog treat recipe for peanut butter treats. 

Questions about peanut butter for dogs? Questions about peanut butter dog biscuits? Please leave a comment and we will be happy to answer! 

If you have any photos of your own peanut butter dog biscuits, we would love to have you post them on the K9Cakery Facebook page.

Halloween Dog Cookies

Halloween dog cookies make spook-tacular fare for the four-legged costumed ghouls and princesses. You can find decorated dog treats at your favorite dog bakery, or make your own.

Halloween is a family event especially when young trick-or-treaters are involved. Frequently, the dog gets to accompany the procession. And if everyone is dressing up, you can be sure the dog will not be left out.

These Halloween dog treats were made by Bone Appetit, a pet bakery in Sandwich, Illinois:

Halloween dog cookies

Color writers and Fido's Frosting brand of Royal Icing For Dogs were used to decorate the little ghosts, cats, pumpkins and bats. Fido's Frosting dries hard, smooth and shiny, and will not melt! These treats are irresistible.

You can make your own Halloween treats with Halloween-themed cookie cutters. Or simply make bone shaped dog biscuits and just use colored decorations to turn them into holiday treats.

No matter how much effort you want to put into treat making, the dogs and their owners will be appreciative of the thought. 

If you have some treats to show off, please post images for the 
K9Cakery Facebook community to enjoy.