Food dehydrator = Tasty Dog Treats
A few years back my mom got one of those food dehydrators. She thought she'd make some tasty dried fruit like you find in those snack mixes at the market.
The problem, we found, is that the yummy stuff you buy in the store--- you know, banana chips and dried pineapple and stuff-- is loaded up with sugar, which is what makes it so tasty. When you dry out pieces of fruit at home, it tastes sorta like old dried fruit mixed with cardboard. Not so good.
Fast forward ahead to now, and she saw dried sweet potatoes being sold for a ridiculous price in Drs Foster & Smith, and she got a great idea. She dragged out that dehydrator, bought some sweet potatoes, and voilà: instant dog treats!
Their Chessie loves them, my sister's dog loves them, and my mom gave me some and Jack and Maddie love them too. And unlike feeding whole pieces of fruit or veggies, you can stick these in a bag and carry them around for training treats.
Of course with any veggies or grain, you need to watch quantity to avoid tummy upset. I called my mom to let her know the dogs liked them, and to suggest they would probably love dried apple and banana slices too!
You could mix in the fruits and veggies in a bag, throw in a handful of plain Cheerios or Chex cereals, and maybe splurge and buy some of that expensive freeze-dried chicken or some buffalo chips or something, and mix up your own doggie trail mix!
With the price of wholesome treats at the pet store, and the fact that most of our Corgis are on very restricted calorie diets, I thought it was a wonderful thing. For now I won't buy one and I'll leave it up to mom to be the snack maker. :-) But you can get a mid-price dehydrator online for around $50, and when you figure the price of treats, plus the fact that the homemade ones have no additives, added sugar, preservatives, or artificial color, it seems like it could be a good investment.
The problem, we found, is that the yummy stuff you buy in the store--- you know, banana chips and dried pineapple and stuff-- is loaded up with sugar, which is what makes it so tasty. When you dry out pieces of fruit at home, it tastes sorta like old dried fruit mixed with cardboard. Not so good.
Fast forward ahead to now, and she saw dried sweet potatoes being sold for a ridiculous price in Drs Foster & Smith, and she got a great idea. She dragged out that dehydrator, bought some sweet potatoes, and voilà: instant dog treats!
Their Chessie loves them, my sister's dog loves them, and my mom gave me some and Jack and Maddie love them too. And unlike feeding whole pieces of fruit or veggies, you can stick these in a bag and carry them around for training treats.
Of course with any veggies or grain, you need to watch quantity to avoid tummy upset. I called my mom to let her know the dogs liked them, and to suggest they would probably love dried apple and banana slices too!
You could mix in the fruits and veggies in a bag, throw in a handful of plain Cheerios or Chex cereals, and maybe splurge and buy some of that expensive freeze-dried chicken or some buffalo chips or something, and mix up your own doggie trail mix!
With the price of wholesome treats at the pet store, and the fact that most of our Corgis are on very restricted calorie diets, I thought it was a wonderful thing. For now I won't buy one and I'll leave it up to mom to be the snack maker. :-) But you can get a mid-price dehydrator online for around $50, and when you figure the price of treats, plus the fact that the homemade ones have no additives, added sugar, preservatives, or artificial color, it seems like it could be a good investment.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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I just wanted to add that apple seeds are toxic, so if you do apples make sure you core them first!
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Permalink Reply by Karen Dadisman on
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I made sweet potato treats in the oven also. Rocky and Rosie love them!! Slice the sweet potato, after you have peeled it, fairly thin, spread out on a foil covered cookie sheet and put in the oven at 250 degrees. Stir every so often and let dry until the slices are kind of crisp. I store them in plastic bags in the freezer (if they aren't dry enough they will mold so the freezer prevents this). The dogs love them. I made them for my grand-dogs for Christmas also and was their favorite grandma.
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Permalink Reply by Alice on
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Do the baking and dehydrating methods make them crunchy or chewy? We buy the Sam's Yams brand and yes, they are expensive, but I haven't figured out a way to make them at home to where they are that same tough/chewy consistency which allows the dog to spend some time working on them rather than just scarfing it down.
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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Great idea Beth! i have one that I just borrowed to a friend and my oven has one too! It might be a bit b/4 I have time to try but I'll bet my dogs will love them too!
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