Balancing Corporate & Homesteading Lifestyles
Delight Your Dog With A Natural Treat
As dog owners become more aware of their dog's nutritional needs, they increasingly recognize the advantage of providing their dogs with natural dog treats.
Natural dog treats contain no added chemical preservatives or fillers, leaving your dog with straight nutritional value, nothing more. Natural treats also use the highest grade of edible products and processing techniques to ensure they're even fit for human consumption (and who knows, this might help if you ever get stuck in a survival situation with your dog!)
Let's examine a few commercially-available natural dog treats, and then a few treats you might stumble across in your own backyard.
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Commercial Natural Dog Treats
As odd as they sound on first blush, pig ears are a natural favorite for many of our furry friends. They contain a reasonable amount of fat, and dogs find the flavor irresistible.
Much like some humans and their love for pork rinds. Pig ear treats should be baked instead of chemically processed, and should have no added preservatives or coloring agents. Check your package label carefully.
Greenies are another favorite dog treat -- a unique variety that uses chlorophyll to naturally freshen your dog's breath. Greenies contain no preservatives, artificial flavors or extra coloring. Surprisingly enough, dogs love them, and owners swear by them when it comes to sweetening the breath in a safe and healthy way. Chewing these treats has the added benefit of helping to clean your dog's teeth.
Our Recommendations:
We recommend Dr. Becker's Bites if you are looking for some amazing organic treats. They offer unmatched liver quality from three different protein sources... Bison, Venison and Beef. All three are free-range, grass-fed organic livers free from steroids, antibiotics or growth hormones... the purest form of meat/liver you can find. Our pups love them!
Eco Kind treats & chews: 100% natural, limited ingredient dog treats and chews that contain no chemicals or preservatives, are easy to digest, and are safe for dogs of all ages, breeds and sizes.
Mother Nature's Own Natural Dog Treats
You might be surprised to realize that natural dog treats exist right in your refrigerator, or in your garden. Carrots, apple slices, and celery are all terrific natural dog treats, providing vitamins without added chemical enhancers.
Just give these treats a wash before giving them to your dogs.
For an extra-special treat, chop up your fruits or veggies, and mix with a dab of peanut butter and a teaspoon or two of raw oatmeal.
Whether commercially manufactured or straight from the garden, natural dog treats are a great way to give your dogs a dash of extra nutrition without any mysterious extras.
My dogs love their little frozen treats. We use organic baby food, pumpkin, peanut butter, yogurt and a variety of pureed veggies and meats for a perfect frozen treat. This is a cute dog bone mold that I use for both frozen and baked treats (not pictured).
Easy Peanut Butter Dog Treat Recipe
Another very easy recipe! And what dog doesn't love peanut butter (not many!)
INGREDIENT
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
- 1 cup skim milk, or 1 cup hot water (not boiling)
- 1 egg
DIRECTION
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the whole wheat flour and the baking powder. Add the milk, or hot water, the peanut butter and the egg. Mix well, until all the ingredients are blended completely. If the dough is too dry, add some milk or water depending on what you’ve chosen for the recipe.
- I use my silicone mold for the cookies but you may use a cookie cutter if preferred.
- Bake your cookies for 20 minutes or until they are slightly browned.
- Set aside to cool completely and serve.
- Store in airtight container (we use a mason jar) in the fridge.
To learn more about healthy feeding, check out You Shouldn't Be The Only One Eating Healthy and Understanding The Fat To Protein Ratio In Dog Food.
