Baked Glazed Apple Treats - Limited Ingredients

     We recently acquired a third dog, fostering, and the amount of treats we're going through is crazy! I only purchase treats and food that are wheat and corn free due to Maeby's food allergies, which can get pricey, so I decided to make some treats again. I wanted to do something more simple and less messy than the usual process. I then thought of apples; my dogs love apples! They're relatively cheap and very healthy. So, this is the concoction that resulted:

Baked Glazed Apple Treats

Ingredients:

3 Apples, of any variety

3 TBSP honey

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 275.

Clean and dry the apples (leaving the skins on provides extra fiber). Chop off the tops and bottoms, since they will be too thick for the desired result. Slice the apples horizontally as thin as possible, approximately 12 slices per apple, removing seeds.

Place the apple slices on cookie sheets lined with wax or parchment paper. HINT: Spray the cookie sheets with oil before applying wax paper, as the honey will cause the paper to stick to the pan. 

Combine the honey and cinnamon in a small bowl and microwave x 30 seconds. Now, spoon or brush small amounts onto each apple. If the honey starts to become too thick to spread, reheat in the microwave at 10 second increments. 

Place the cookie sheets in the oven for 2 hours, flipping the apples every 30 minutes.

Apples should be crispy around the edges and dehydrated. Let cool before serving. 

Store in airtight container and refrigerate. 

Wet Noses Dog Treats

We have had a crazy 2 weeks! We've had a small rescued dog at our house for 48 hours followed by dog-sitting for a friend whose pup went into her first heat at our house. Then some friends came over with their doggy for a weekend, and finally, a family member came to visit with her new puppy.  In the midst of all these paws coming a going, we received a shipment of new treats from Wet Noses.  Their story is great! But knowing the following information hooked me.

"We bake our products within our own  facility using 100% human grade, organic ingredients. Our products contain NO CHEMICALS, NO ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, COLORS, PRESERVATIVES, CORN, WHEAT, OR SOY."

So, I ordered a variety of treats for my mutts to taste test.  It was even a treat for myself to open the box and find such cute packaging!  My kitchen counter looked like a doggy boutique but without the boutique price. Below is a list of the treats I ordered and their nutritional info (all of which is listed on their website).

DOGRANOLA

Ingredients:

Organic Rye Flour

Organic Peanut Butter

Organic Whole Oats

Organic Flax Seed

Organic Dried Cranberries

Organic Cane Molasses

Calories per Treat: 30

NO WHEAT, NO CORN, NO SOY… 100% ORGANIC

APPLES & CARROTS

Ingredients:

Organic Rye Flour

Organic Apples

Organic Carrots

Organic Whole Oats

Organic Canola Oil

Organic Molasses

Organic Ground Thyme

NO CORN, NO WHEAT, NO SOY

SWEET POTATO LITTLE STARS

Ingredients:

Organic Rye Flour

Organic Sweet Potato Puree

Organic Canola Oil

Organic Molasses

Organic Cinnamon

Organic Ginger

Calories per Treat: 6

NO WHEAT, NO CORN, NO SOY, VEGAN... 100% ORGANIC

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SWIRL

Ingredients:

Organic Rye Flour

Organic Cane Molasses

Organic Butternut Squash

Organic Canola Oil

Organic Whole Eggs

Organic Molasses

NO CORN, NO WHEAT, NO SOY, NO SUGAR, NO SALT

All the doggies that came over loved these treats!  That included my 2 large mutts, a chihuahua, boston terrier, jack russell and a long-haired dachshund.  However, if you have a picky puppy, they offer trial sizes in many flavors for only $1.99!  I should have gone with the full size, though.  Currently, they're offering a flat shipping rate of $5.  They also included one of their brownies for free!  We'll definitely be a repeat customer.

Defending Our Favorite Dog Treats

There has been a craze of people thinking that they can't feed their dogs anything not manufactured in the US. However, we personally eat many foods that are not manufactured in the US without knowing it. What many don't realize is that the threat of illness is actually from jerky (processed meat with additives) as well as raw hides (treated with lye and bleach that is absorbed into the hide and very difficult to digest).

A few years ago I found a treat that I could finally feed Maeby, who has food intolerances. The ingredient list is as short and sweet as a concerned pet owner could wish for! In my 2+ years of feeding my dogs these treats, I have never had a bad experience. As a matter of fact, my pups have had less stomach upset and less constipation. Here are the treats I am talking about.

The first in the line up is dehydrated chicken and duck tenders or chips. The meat does come from Thailand, however, it is cooked, dehydrated, irradiated and tested by the FDA. I have come across many other breeders and trainers who recommend these treats.

Ingredients: Duck fillet  .... that's it! Just duck!

Ingredients: Chicken   ... yep that's all too!

The second line up is the combination treats... meat plus veggies or meat plus fruit. 

Ingredients

Ingredients

You may also find some of the chicken and apple products along with chicken and rice poppers on Amazon... guess how short those ingredient lists are!

Lastly, a product that I love from VitaLife is their PrePro biscuits.  These have both prebiotics and probiotics that your pup needs to stay healthy digestively and keep a healthy immune system. 

PrePro Info

I give my dogs the PrePro treats pictured regularly to help keep them... regular.  However, there is an immune booster that I like to give them a few weeks before they go to the kennel. They love these treats! It's the only "soft" treats I give them, since I want to put off vet teeth cleaning as long as possible.  If your dog has issues with constipation, these treats will be helpful.  Once your dog is regular, you don't have to give them daily, just a few times a week will do.

Vitalife's website is very informative, and they seem to hide nothing.  Please, check them out.  Truly healthy dog treats are very rare!  Corporate companies love to throw the word "healthy" around and have degraded it. 

Other brands I am also a fan/supporter of:

Sojos

Blue Buffalo

Zukes

However, when it comes to price, Vitalife has these beat.  I use Zuke's minis for training and Zukes Z-bones for healthy chewing/teeth cleaning.  Sojos also makes mini bones that are great for the treat dispensing toys and training.  Blue buffalo has some of the highest rated foods/treats when it comes to quality and health, but they are the most expensive. 

Other great healthy chews to replace rawhide would include: pig or cow ears that are not basted, duck feet and cow or pig hooves.  These are all "leftovers" from the meat we eat that would normally be thrown away by any human, however, our dogs love them! And most of them are very affordable.

Happy snacking!!

Treats! Fresh from Your Kitchen

The quality of ingredients in our dog's food and treats are slowly improving, even getting some attention in advertising.  I'm so glad it's getting easier to find healthy treats, but if you're still concerned about the ingredients in your dog's treats, why not try to make them yourself?  We have had a blast and saved some cash!  Here's a few of my dog treat recipes that have been approved by my Maeby and Kingsley... but they're not picky.


In case you're in need of some cute cookie cutters, check out these cute little sets. Before I found these, I made the mistake of spending a lot for what I've found to be over sized and over priced Martha Stewart cutters at PetsMart.  At least the cookies are breakable!


Peanut Butter Dog Treats

2 cups flour
1 cup peanut butter (creamy)
1 cup water
1/2 cup oatmeal
1TBSP baking powder 
1 TBSP Honey

Preheat oven to 375 and lightly grease baking pan.  In a mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder and oatmeal. Mix, then add peanut butter, honey and water. Stir until dough forms. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead it and then roll it out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut the dough into desired size and shape. Place onto lightly greased pan and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool and store in airtight container.


Apple Cinnamon Dog Treats

2 cups flour
1 chopped apple, with peel for extra fiber
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 TBSP peanut butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon


Preheat oven to 375 and lightly grease pan.
Mix flour, oatmeal, apple, peanut butter and cinnamon together, adding water to make dough workable. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead and roll the dough out into 1/2 inch thickness. Cut and place on lightly greased pan and bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.

Pumpkin Dog Treats

2.5 cups flour

2 eggs

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

2 TBS peanut butter

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350.

Whisk together the flour, eggs, pumpkin, peanut butter and cinnamon in a bowl.  Add water as needed to help make the dough workable, but the dough should be dry and stiff.  Roll the dough into a 1/2 inch thick roll and cut. Bake for 40 minutes.

Refreshing Summer Dog Treats

16oz plain yogurt

2 mashed bananas or 1 chopped apple (peel on for extra fiber)

2 TBSP peanut butter

2 TBSP honey

Mix and spoon into ice cube tray and freeze.

Thanks to my friend, Penny Arnett, for taking these great photos.

Ikea Hackers!

I'm very excited to show off our Ikea hack we came up with for our doggies! It's a steal of a deal. You'll know what I'm talking about if you've ever shopped out elevated dog bowls. For only $27, you can make a very modern doggy diner. Ikea offers this table in a variety of colors, too.

Home made dog diner

Project made of:

Ikea Lack side table, white     $7
2 small stainless steel bowls   $10
1 large stainless steel bowl     $10

Grand Total                         $27



My husband simply used a dremel to cut out the holes to set the bowls into.  It may be smart to line the inside edges with foam to keep water from seeping into the table.  I haven't dont that, yet.  I also need to saw the legs down at least an inch or two, so their heads can be even with their shoulders when they eat.

The purposes of elevated bowls are two-fold.  1) The dog ingests less air, so they don't get as bloated.  This was Maeby's problem before the elevated dog bowls.  She would regurgitate her dog food frequently after eating.  2) It takes less stress off of the dogs joints.  Would you like to stay standing in a squat the whole time you eat?  I wouldn't!  This was to help Kingsley, who is predisposed to joint problems.  I highly recommend it for your doggy.  Dog diners come as short as 3" and as tall as 18."  If you would need a shorter version, Ikea also has a Lack rectangular shelf that would work perfectly!  I've actually seen people mount them to the wall at whatever height is appropriate for their dog and cut the holes in it for their dog's bowls.  It's very doggy chic when done that way, however you would have less color options.


I have seen some very good deals for dog diners that you don't have to build yourself.  I have to share a favorite of mine I found on Etsy.  How cute are these?!  Sold by ModPet, they are very unique!  If I had the space for multiple doggy diners, one for each of my dogs, I would do it!  They are only $38 - $48 depending on size.  ModPet also makes some very modern chic dog furniture.  You'll have to check them out!

There are plenty of other awesome doggy diners out there.  I just wanted to show off ours, really.  =)  I hope you check them out for your dog.