Pet Treat Recipe

We all love to give our pets a snack or treat from time to time. The key to any pet treat is to make it healthy and nutritious. Although most pets love table scraps and leftovers, they don't always provide the best ingredients for your pet, especially if they are over weight.

A little fat is good for most dogs and cats since it's a necessary ingredient and a natural component of a good diet. But giving large quantities of fat often will cause your pet long-term health problems. Obesity in household pets can shorten life spans and increase the chance of kidney and liver problems. Not to mention expensive Vet bills for treatment of these common ailments

Many of the commercial pet treats have ingredients like sugar, fat, animal byproducts that are not a good thing for your pets. There are a few that have started to make more healthy food and treats but can be very pricey. Look at the cost per ounce or pound the next time you go shopping, I'll bet you can get steak for less money.

An easy way to make sure your pet gets healthy treats and not break the household budget is to make them yourself. Here's a good and healthy Pet Treat Recipe that you can make for your pet:

Ingredients

1 lb of chicken wings, chicken liver and gizzards ground well (bones and all)
16 oz can of Mackerel finely chopped
1 cup of wheat germ
1 cup of powdered skim milk
1 cup of corn meal
4 cups of wheat flour
½ teaspoon of salt
4 tablespoons of vegetable oil or butter
3 cloves of minced garlic
1 quart of water

Combine ingredients and mix into dough. Knead until firm. Roll out to flat ½ inch thick, then cut into strips or use choice of cookie cutter. Place on cookie trays and bake at 350 for about 40 minutes or until crisp. Break into bite sized pieces for your pet. Store in airtight container and refrigerate if keeping for longer than 3-4 days.

If you want a less crunchy result, add 2-3 eggs. It will make it softer and easier for older animals to chew. I got this pet treat recipe from a country vet years ago. This mixture contains about 36% protein and 17% fat, which is a good mix for both cats and dogs.

All natural ingredients, no filler, and a good nutritional mix for pet treats. Cost is about 10% of same quantity of store bought treats witch have nowhere near the food and nutrition content. You could also use some chicken broth in place of the water to crank up the flavor.

This is a great activity for a rainy day with the kids. You can make cookies for the kids and treats for the animals at the same time. One batch lasts about 10 days around our house with a dog and two cats. We make some treats in the shape of dog bones for the dog and small squares for the cats.

Try out this Pet Treat Recipe and use these treats instead of giving table scraps or leftovers. The homemade treats are much more healthy and will not add on the extra weight like the leftovers. Our pets know when we are baking them and come sit and wait for the treats to be ready.