Natural Dog Chews

Natural dog chews are a trending dog treat. Pet parents want to give the healthiest dog treats to their furry little ones.

All natural dog chews

When looking for a natural chew for your pet, first consider the ones that have a single ingredient. These are the best choices. If you can't find any, then pick chews that are made from all-natural ingredients only.

Finally, if you still can't find any, make your own! Sweet potatoes, dehydrated chicken, or other meats like beef, pork, lamb, or salmon skin can be turned into chews for dogs. The industry is moving towards adding additional flavors like rabbit, kangaroo and crocodile.

Simply dehydrate strips of your dog's favorite food choice from the list above. If you do not have a dehydrator, all you have to do is take the potato or the chicken or other meat and place in the oven at a low temperature (200 degrees F or lower). Let the strips bake until they dry out. Figure at least 3-4 hours, maybe longer depending on your oven. 

If you are looking at store-bought brands, check the ingredients. A good rule of thumb is that if there is an ingredient that you cannot pronounce, chances are good that it is NOT a natural product.

For example, look for product descriptions that contain the following words:

• All-natural
• Free range or grass fed
• No preservatives, additives or fillers
• No hormones
• No antibiotics

Be sure to check where the product was made. Consider staying away from foodstuff that says "Made in China" on the package, because the food industry is not highly regulated as it is in the USA and other countries.

Homemade Dog Treats For Dog Rescue

House of Love ARF. Isn't that a wonderful name for a dog rescue group? Founded in 2012, this organization helps to rehabilitate abused dogs and cats and retrain them if necessary for a better home situation than they came from.

To help accomplish her mission, founder Ruth Bednar sells homemade dog treats for a fundraising idea. We are glad to have her as a member in our Facebook group, Homemade Dog Treats.

Some of the treats made by the House of Love, ARF:

Homemade dog treats for dog rescue

The all natural dog treats in the photo include:

• Sweet potato chews
• Peanut butter hearts
• Peanut butter banana parsley hard dog biscuits
• Peanut butter banana soft dog treats

What does ARF stand for? You will have to visit the rescue through the link above to find out!

Valentines Cupcakes For Dogs

Get ready for Valentine's Day doggie style and make Valentines cupcakes for dogs!

Use this easy dog treat recipe to make red velvet cupcakes to celebrate Valentine's Day with your fur-baby!

Watch The Frosting Guy make these all natural dog treats step-by-step. The natural ingredient annato is used to create the red color in the cupcakes.

To finish off the Valentine cake, frost with Fido's Frosting. The dog cupcakes will look just like the red velvet cakes on sale at the grocery store...except they will be healthier because there is no added sugar or fat! Don't dogs live well these days!

The entire recipe including ingredients and written directions can be found at this link for Valentine treats at the website DogCakeWorld.com. While you are there, check out the other dog cake recipes!

If you would like to see more videos, TheFrostingGuy channel on YouTube offers videos with easy step-by-step instructions on how to make and decorate dog treats.

All Natural Fudge For Dogs

Chocolate for dogs for Valentine's Day?

Sure looks like chocolate fudge from the photo. In fact, Christina Chase, the baker, said that she took some samples into her office and a co-worker tasted a treat and remarked that it was too chocolatey!

Christina said that as long as her dogs enjoyed it, that was all that mattered. (They asked for more.)

All natural carob "fudge" for dogs

Of course these homemade dog treats are not made using real chocolate. Chocolate's chemical structure is toxic to dogs and it should not be given to them in any amounts. Carob is used by doggie chefs to create the look of chocolate. Some people also find that ti them, it tastes similar to chocolate....or better.

Now your dog is not going to turn down one of these tasty morsels because it doesn't taste like chocolate. But sometimes you have to please the human dog owners first. One lady told me she will not let her dog eat anything that she doesn't like herself. 

Carob is an all natural product - it is a legume that grows on a carob tree. Some people think it tastes similar to chocolate. It does not have the 

dog-toxic caffeine properties of chocolate.

All Natural Doggie Fudge
(Recipe by "Andea", adapted from "Jeanne Marie Martin")

What you need:

• 1 cup natural peanut butter
• 1 cup honey
• 1 cup carob powder
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• Greased baking pan (e.g. brownie pan)

Directions:

• Stir the peanut butter and honey in a saucepan over medium heat until softened.
• Remove the mixture from the heat.
• Add in the remaining ingredients and mix together well.
• Press the mixture into the greased baking pan. 
• Let it cool. 
• Cut into small squares.
• Decorate with red quinoa for a Valentine's touch

DIY Chicken Jerky Dog Treats

Dogs love chicken jerky dog treats because they satisfy the chewing urge.  A thick, crisp piece will keep a dog entertained. It is easy to digest. These jerky treats are healthy all natural dog treats - simply pieces of dried chicken with no added ingredients.

Make your own chicken jerky for dogs using your own oven if you do not have a dehydrator. Takes little preparation and even less effort!

Chicken jerky dog treats

What you need:

• Frozen baked chicken cut into 1/4 inch strips. Some bakers recommend baking it first to make sure that the meat is not raw prior to drying, which could be a source for bacterial contamination. Sometimes frozen meat is easier to cut. Make sure to remove all the fat (which will keep it moist and prevent drying.)

Directions:

• Place chicken strips on a baking sheet. 
• Leave strips in the oven. (Some bakers recommend leaving the door slightly ajar for ventilation.) Set your timer for at least 4 hours. Depending how dry you want the jerky, you may need to leave it in longer. 

As you can see in the image of the dog jerky above, I did not dry the chicken out completely. (That was because I ran out of time and did not feel comfortable leaving the oven on.) Those strips were in for approximately 4 hours, but I did not remove all the fat which is glistening in the photo. The end result was a chewy treat, but would have been chewier had I dried it out a little bit more. Needless to say, my dogs did not care...

A dehydrator runs at a lower heat setting - 160 degrees F - using less energy. You can leave it without worry. The professionals use dehydrators and dry the chicken for a very long time to ensure there is no bacterial contamination, and to prolong shelf-life. 

However, if you are making this for your own pets, you are not going to be concerned about packaging and shelf-life. Just make sure that the chicken is cooked all the way through.

If you would rather let someone else do the work, please buy jerky treats made in the USA. We can recommend a dog bakery close to you or one that will ship so you can get freshly made all natural chicken jerky treats. Be wary of those that say "made in China" on the package. The manufacturing plants in that country are not regulated and there are too many reports of dogs becoming seriously ill from undisclosed additives.

See Chicken Jerky Treats for Dogs with Struvites for a recipe modification for dogs with that particular health issue.

Gluten Free Dog Treats

Does your dog need to eat gluten free dog treats?

First of all, what exactly is gluten? Gluten is a protein found in grains such as wheat, barley and rye. 

Humans who suffer from an intestinal illness called celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten which causes inflammation in the small intestines of these sufferers.

Irish Setters are one dog breed prone to celiac disease.

Some dogs are grain sensitive. Dogs were originally carnivores, but due to the economics of making dog food, grains were introduced to keep the costs down and many low cost dog food is primarily made from grains. 

Grain allergies are common in dogs. If your dog is scratching a lot, have him evaluated first by your vet before you diagnose him yourself! There are many reasons why a dog could be scratching.

If your dog does require a gluten free diet and has grain allergies, instead of trying to figure out what is and is not healthy for him, you can use this dog cake mix from K9Cakery.com:

Eggs, fresh fish, meat and chicken, cheese, fruits and vegetables are all gluten-free. 

Gluten-free flours include rice flour, potato flour, corn flour, soy flour, and a myriad of flours from lesser-known grains.

Click this link for more information on hypoallergenic dog treats.