Hello Lovelies,

First let me start by saying, that I am no expert, this is based on my own research and public information.  In looking at the different types of dog treats and dog food, I’ve found that just like our food labels, not all ingredients must be displayed on pet food. There is a lot of pet food out there is either overpriced or has just as much gimmicky marketing and hidden truths as our own human food supply. There is a common hidden ingredient (among many) most pet parents never think about.  That ingredient is MSG. Now there are a ton of undisclosed ingredients, but MSG and bi-products I want to stay away from.  It is like us eating a McDonald’s hamburger versus making our own.  They disguise this ingredient with advertising that the product contains “natural flavors or natural flavoring.” MSG goes into most pet food as hydrolyzed protein.  It is super scary to know that additives can also create MSG in processing or are named something else like protein isolate or hydrolyzed yeast.  Their treats are laden with sugars, bi-products, and nasty stuff.  If I won’t eat it, my pets won’t either.  By making your own food and or treats, you know exactly what is in them, save money, but they are really healthy too!

I’ve started my little 6lb bunny rabbit wannabe, who is a year old, on homemade dog food and treats. The best part is, it is using things I always have in my pantry.  I make my own stocks and broths, so it makes the treats even healthier. Let me tell you, he kept spinning and jumping as they were baking!  They are crispy, crunchy, and have the consistency of hard biscuits.  I used bacon fat as I had some on hand.

You will Need:

1. 3 cups whole wheat flour (do not use white)
2. 3 tablespoons of olive oil, bacon fat, or other healthy fat
3. 2-2 1/2 cups veggie, beef, or chicken broth preferably homemade and this amount will change depending on the consistency of the dough

Mix all of the ingredients together until it forms a dough that is not really sticky. Roll out the dough on a floured surface and cut out in shapes.  Use cookie cutters, a canning lid, or anything you wish to make the shape of your cookies.  I kept mine simple and used a pizza cutter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes on parchment paper.  Shut off the oven and allow them to sit in the oven until the oven cools. This will further remove moisture and allow them to crisp up.

This does make a lot of cookies for a small to medium sized dog, larger dogs it will make about 2 dozen or so.  My cookies were freehand and about 1/2″x 1/2″ to 1″x 1″ in size.

Mix up the cookies with different oils, broths, and stocks to adjust the flavor or use up what you have on hand. Enjoy!