Pumpkin Dog Treats

This recipe was inspired by Simmer til Done

I never leave my dogs outside when I leave my house because one, I don't trust my fence, or my dogs for that matter. They're very sneaky, sneaky! Two, because I live in New Mexico and it is so hot, I don't want to leave them out in the heat where I don't have that much shade.

SO! what I do is I have them in one of my guest bedrooms in roomy cages, where they have air condition and they get a treat every time they go in there. 

Well, problem with treats every time they go in there is that it isn't good for them to get so much! So I do a lot of shopping around and try to get the best for them like dental sticks and whatnot. But this time I tried something different. 

Pumpkin puree is EXTREMELY good for your dog! 

If your dog has eaten something from getting into the trash or finding some junk outside and now have an upset stomach or diarrhea and even for constipation, give them some pumpkin puree!! 

 Do not, I repeat, DO NOT give them the canned pumpkin that has all the extra stuff and all you have to do to make a pie is add eggs. If you're going to do this, give them strictly pumpkin puree. I cannot emphasize that enough!

Pumpkin is rich in fiber, low in saturated fat, sodium and cholesterol. 

Even by adding in a few teaspoons (depending on the size of dog) to your dogs breakfast can help him/her's digestive system. 

So, getting back to these dog treats. Most dog treats out there have peanut butter and/or garlic oil in them. Both can be given to your dog, but in small, monitored amounts. You can read more about the effects of garlic on dogs HERE. Because I don't want my dog to have too much of something that could be harmful, I made these very healthy treats!

One more thing: I added Brewers yeast to my dog treats and I actually feed the powder to my dogs once a week into their food. Brewers yeast is a great source of B Vitamins including Biotin, which is great for hair and nails. It also strengthens dogs immune system. The main reason why I give Brewers yeast to my dogs is because it is thought to make their blood bitter, resulting in fleas and ticks to not want to bite and cling onto them. This last bit of info has been debatable. There haas been a few studies confirming and a few denying it. All I know is that not only is it good for them, but if it works on fleas and ticks, great! But in my experience, my small dog, Cocoa, has NEVER had fleas or ticks. EVER! My big one is still new to this family, but he's never had any as well. 

Ok, so what you need:

2 eggs

1/2 cup canned Pumpkin Puree

2 tbsp Milk

1/2 cup Brewers Yeast

2 1/2 cups Brown Rice Flour 

(I added a bit more since I actually put milk in instead of powdered milk)

So:

Preheat your oven to 350.

Mix your wet ingredients in a bowl and your dry together in another bowl. 

Slowly fold in the dry ingredients with the wet.

Once the dough is no longer sticky, place on a floured surface to knead. 

Once rolled out, cut your treats into whatever shape you desire. I went with a traditional doggy bone. 

Cut them all out! 

Bake for 20 minutes, flip them over then bake another 20 minutes. 

This will make them nice an crunchy. 

 You don't have to, but if you'd like poke them in the middle with a fork for decoration.

Flip em! 

Ta ddaaaa!

I let them cool for a while before I let my doggies try them. 

I wish I had a photo of them trying it, but I don't. 

They loved them though! They didn't last long in this house! 

If you do bake these I would love to see yours! 

leave me a comment back to your blog or photo!

Sources:

Simmer till Done

Raising Healthy Dogs

Bunk Blog

and

ehow.com