2 Ingredient Dog Treats

Dog treats can get expensive, but neither your budget or you pup have to suffer anymore. You can create your own on the cheap with a very simple recipe that only requires TWO ingredients: flour and baby food. This simple, two-ingredient recipe can also be customized like nobody’s business, so get creative and have a little fun (all while pampering your pooch)!

Our 4 year old pug, Bentley, goes nuts for these. Seriously, we’ve tried every trick in the book and he simply refuses to learn. Tell him to sit? He’s just gonna cock his head and look at your like you’re crazy. Hold a store bought treat up and his butt’s hit the floor before you’ve finished the command. Just using a batch of these DIY dog treats? The hubs had him laying down and rolling over for them in less than 10 minutes! He may look all clam, cool, and collected now… but, that’s only until he hears us opening up the paper bag. Then it’s all “Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme before I lose my ish.’ What’s a better alternative than something healthy disguised as a treat?! I love them even more because it helps me sneak some more protein into his diet without resorting to a wet food supplement. This batch I made two different versions– apple/pumpkin and spinach/quinoa. And he goes equally nuts for either one. 🙂

Don’t have baby food or not interested in buying any? These treats bake up just as well using 1 cup of homemade vegetable puree as well.

2 Ingredient Dog Treats

 

recipe adapted from Daily Dish Recipes

 2 cups whole wheat flour
2 (4oz) jars of pureed baby food – beef, blueberry, sweet potato, chicken – whatever. Just make sure there are no onions/onion powder in it*.

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Mix the flour and puree together to form a stiff dough. Add extra flour or water as needed.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to about a 1/4 inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut into desired shape or a pizza cutter to make cubes or ‘sticks’.
4. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat and place the treats about 1/2 inch apart. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely before storing in a paper bag (storing in an air-tight container will make them soft, but they’re still edible).

Easy, right? Now this is where you can get creative. Consider including grated carrots or sweet potatoes, maybe a little bit of parsley (which supposedly helps with bad breath), some fresh fruit, or (for an added treat) some peanut butter! Got any other ideas? I’d love to hear them!

*Onions are toxic to dogs! If you’re unsure about what you can/cannot include, check out this list of toxic foods from the ASPCA. Techinically, not everything listed is toxic, but each one provides an explanation of why you may want to avoid it.

 

Shared at the Weekend Potluck Party

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Natural Flea Shampoo For Dogs

Dawn is well-known around the veterinary and shelter communities as a flea killer and flea deterrent. Vinegar removes oils from the coat and skin while leaving fluffy, irresistibly soft fur behind. Despite knowing these things, I’ve continued to pay for far more expensive bath products for Bentley (our pug), trying to combat his pheromone-induced ‘doggy’ smell. Not completely satisfied with any results so far, I decided to see if there was something more ‘natural’ out there that could answer my prayers. Yes, I love my dog so much that I include his hormone and scent issues in my prayers. Like an over-protective parent, I’m always worried about what others will think upon first meeting him. I couldn’t have any smell, especially when it’s not his fault, overshadow his radiant personality and his zest for life. I needed to make sure he had an equal opportunity at being loved by all who meet him. As he deserves. With this new concoction all mixed up, and approved by our vet, we set off for the bathroom.

If seeing is believing, consider me ‘blinded by the light’. Bentley looked positively radiant after his scrub down. I believe my exact words to him (in my best Billy Crystal accent) were ,”Dahling, you look mahvelous. Absolutely mahvelous.” Speaking of which, with his new luster, Bentley would look really cute with a pair of wings and a halo for Halloween this year, like a little angel. But I digress. He was clean. Not a single flea in sight. He was fluffy. No hint of oil or his ‘doggy’ smell. I actually carried him to each of my children, and my poor husband, and made them smeeeeell him. Not a little sniff, either. That just wouldn’t suffice. I mean nose in the fur, and a deeeep inhale. ‘See, not a whiff of anything!’ I don’t think they understood my elation. I may or may not have seen them exchanging looks, silently asking each other if Mom is OK. They just won’t understand until they’re older. Or so I tell myself. For virtually nothing on my part, I’d achieved groomer-level results. Or at least that’s how Bentley looked to me. I may be a little biased.

Also, as a friendly reminder,  no children, pugs, or husbands were harmed in the making, usage, or smell-checking of this recipe.

This dog shampoo really does work. Let it help remove those pesky hitch-hikers, keeping your fur baby(ies) flea free, and leaving your pet with a scent-free, fluffy coat to boot.

Natural Flea Shampoo For Dogs

• 1 cup liquid Dawn dish soap
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1 quart warm water

Directions

1. Mix the three ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Transfer to a leftover squeeze bottle (like an old shampoo bottle). Give it a little shake to make sure it is mixed.
3. Apply to your doggy just as you would normal shampoo. It is best if you can massage it into the fur and let sit for 5 minutes.
4. Rinse your doggy thoroughly with warm water. Towel dry.

Copy-Cat ‘Frosty Paws’ Frozen Dog Treats

On a hot summer day, there’s nothing better than a nice cold and frosty treat to help keep cool. Think of a glass of ice-cold lemonade, or a frosty popsicle fresh from the freezer. While we all have our own favorites and readily use them as part of our summer arsenal to stop the heat’s oppressive assault, pets are often left out of this kind of treat. ‘Frosty Paws’ offer an ‘ice cream’ type treat for your K-9 friend that’s perfectly safe for their consumption. However, even though our Bentley is very near and dear to my heart, I couldn’t bring myself to continue to pay the high costs just for a bag of frozen dog treats, especially when I read the ingredient list and realized how simple it would be to make my own. It was simple, easy peasy. Now Bentley is happy, healthy, and not nearly as hot after a romp outside. These are really versatile as well, and easily adaptable. While the recipe I’ve given you today is how I make them most often. I have made these with finely ground chicken & chicken broth, and I’ve also included pulverized egg shells as a calcium supplement with great success.

Copy-Cat ‘Frosty Paws’ Frozen Dog Treats

•  32 oz yogurt (I’ve used plain, strawberry, and vanilla before)
• 1 mashed ripe banana, or 1 babyfood jar of fruit
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 2 tbsp honey
• ice cube tray

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients in a mixer or a blender until evenly combined. 
2. Spoon the batter into the ice cube trays.
3. Freeze.
4. Pop out and store in a zip locking bag in your freezer.
5. Give your fur-baby a treat!

All-Natural Flea And Tick Spray for Dogs

We have an almost 4 year old pug named Bentley. Bentley, ever the rebel, does not ever stop. Contrary to the accepted pug ‘stereotype’ he is not fat or lazy, but instead full of muscles and hyper-activity. He, literally, goes until he can’t go anymore, falling over in a heap of exhaustion for a cat-nap that, at most, will only last 5 minutes. While we all enjoy watching him frolic through the grass, chase bugs, fetch sticks and so on, all this play time outside meant he was a constant tick magnet. Literally, he set one paw outdoors, he had already attracted at least four of the little blood suckers. We used to buy over the counter products to help keep him bugger free, but aside from the expensive costs, we had another reason to seek out an alternative remedy. With our toddler, and other young children always in and out of our home, we just couldn’t risk the hazards of any one of them loving on the dog, and then ingesting harmful, toxic chemicals when those chubby baby hands went straight in their mouths. I tried several recipes, but this version was the immediate, and obvious winner. When applied to Bentley once a day and rubbed lightly into his coat, we haven’t seen a single tick. Not one! There’s also been no scratching that would indicate any other unwanted squatters trying to take up residence. I don’t have to worry about the little ones wanting to love on, and give kisses to, the dog. Make up your own batch today and serve an all natural, affordable eviction notice to the bugs.

All-Natural Flea & Tick Spray for Dogs

• 1 cup of water
• 2 cups of distilled white vinegar
• 2 tbsp vegetable, or almond, oil
• 3 tbsp lemon juice, citrus oil, or peppermint oil
• spray bottle

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a spray bottle.
2. Spray onto your pet’s dry coat, staying away from sensitive areas including eyes, nose, mouth, and genitals.
3. When outdoors for an extended period, spray this solution on two to three times per day. When pets are outdoors generally to use the restroom only, spray the solution onto the animal’s coat once per day.