DIY Pumpkin Dog Biscuits




If there is one ingredient every dog owner should have in their cupboard, it should be canned pumpkin. Keep in mind that when I say canned pumpkin, I do not mean pumpkin pie filler. That item contains ingredients that are toxic to your dog. I mean the 100% canned pumpkin. Or, if you want to get fancy, you can roast your own pumpkins and freeze them for later use. Adding a bit of pumpkin to your dog's diet is great for their health. A bit of canned pumpkin helps with both diarrhea and constipation. And, it's loaded with nutrients. Specifically, fiber and beta-carotene which the body converts to vitamin A. You do want to make sure you do not feed your dog too much pumpkin. Too much Vitamin A can be toxic to your furry family member. The right dosage is about a couple teaspoons per day for a smaller dog and a couple of Tablespoons per day for a big dog.

Pumpkin seeds are also a great addition to your dog's diet. They are filled with protein, amino acids, fiber, iron, copper, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, zinc, potassium, folic acid and niacin. PLUS, they act as a natural deworming agent! Pumpkin seeds contain an amino acid called cucurbitin which paralyzes and eliminates worms. According to Dog Naturally Magazine,you should give your dog raw, organic pumpkin seeds that are not salted. Some dogs will eat them whole, but if your dog will not, you can grind them up and add them to their daily food. As a dewormer, you should feed your dog about 1/4 tsp per 10 lbs of body weight once or twice a day until parasites are gone.

Now that I have you all amped up to add pumpkin to your dog's diet, it is time to have a bit of fun with the pumpkin! You can do a lot of fun, creative things to keep the monotony at bay. Like baking biscuits. These biscuits are really easy to make. They have four ingredients (five if you count water). All you need is:


2 c. of pureed pumpkin
1 tbs. of canola oil
5 c. of flour
1/3 c. dry milk powder 
approx. 1/3 c. water
  
 


Step 1: Throw all your ingredients into a bowl.

 

Step 2: Start by mixing with your spoon. Eventually, this will become difficult and you will need to work it together with your hands. You should end up with a ball that looks something like this: 



If your dough is not forming together, you may want to add a bit more water. Only add SMALL amounts at a time. Remember you can always add more, but you can't take it out! Too much water and you'll have a sticky mess. Don't worry if you have a few crumbs in the bottom of your bowl:



Step 3:  Flour your surface and start rolling out your dough.



Step 4: Take your favorite cookie cutter, cut out shapes and place them on a greased cookie sheet. 


Step 5: Bake at 350 for approx. 10-15 minutes, or until they start to turn golden brown. Once golden, you can either take them out of the oven or turn off the oven and leave them in until the oven cools. Leaving them in the oven will result in a crunchier treat. 



But, that's not all! For more pumpkin treat ideas, check out these recipes:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

8 DIY Enrichment Games for the Canine Mind

Image
As winter continues on, we all try to ward off the winter blues by taking our handful of vitamin D daily and watching endless hours of Netflix. Sometimes, we take hikes in the winter wonderland...or there is skiing...or ice climbing.  But let's face it, winter is a time of hibernation and cabin fever can take it's toll. A dog's mental health can suffer. While you can go skiing and ice climbing, a dog can't. They get bored when mental and physical exercise are not consistent. And a bored dog equals a mischievous dog. Luckily, humans are also a creative species and below I have found a bunch of DIY enrichment games for dogs. So start crafting away the winter canine blues! What you see above is a "snuffle pad". You can purchase these or make them. The picture above is a snuffle pad from an Etsy store: FleeceBeWithYou . The price of these mats vary depending upon size and weight ($9.00- $50.00) Snuffle pads are also fairly easy to make, but can b...
Read more

DIY Enrichment Games For Your Dog

Image
Because we have a great Enrichment Program , I thought it would be fun to post some enrichment games you can make for your dog at home:  Image: Yes Missy The Muffin Tin Game is somewhat like Hide-and-Go-Seek, but with treats instead of humans. It's pretty simple and easy to put together. You just grab a muffin pan, and place a few treats in random indentations in the pan. Then, place tennis balls over all the indentations. You dog needs to A) figure out how to get the balls out and B) figure out which indentations hold the treats. A full tutorial can be found here: Yes Missy . Image: The Nerd's Wife This enrichment game was found on The Nerd's Wife and will keep your dog entertained for hours. I do want to write a little disclaimer: The Nerd's Wife tutorial on how to make this enrichment toy also endorses Purina Beyond Pet Food. Though Bark City thinks this is an awesome idea for an enrichment toy, we are not endorsing Purina Beyond.... Because, well... ...
Read more

Dog Collar Safety In Daycares

Image
At Bark City, we have a "No Collar Rule" while the dogs are in the daycare. When two dogs are playing and have collars on, they can quickly become entangled. Teeth, jaws and feet can get caught.  Once the entanglement happens, things can escalate quickly. A dog can start to panic: twisting, turning and pulling to get free. This can result in an injury to the area of the body that is trapped. In addition, there is the risk of the twisted collar on the dog cutting off the oxygen supply resulting in asphyxiation. Outside of a dog care facility, collar safety is a must for owners as well. There are three basic types of collars: Each collar serves a different purpose and should be used at the appropriate time. I am using examples found on 2 Hounds Design , simply because they had images of the three types of collars I am want to discuss: This type of collar is called a Martingale Collar and is often used with dogs that have a smaller head than neck. Owners often use the...
Read more