It’s time for another round of dog treat recipes! Fire up the oven, ask your pet if they’ve been a very good doggo (the answer is always yes, obviously), and get cooking! In this article, we’re going to share our top dog treats that can help you combat some common doggy problems, like upset stomach and bad breath. Whether they’re staying with you or a quality Dog Sitter, your furry friend can reap the benefits of these treats. Let’s head to the kitchen!
Top Dog Treats for an Upset Stomach
You’re going to want treats that feature some stomach-soothing ingredients like pumpkin, oatmeal, bananas, and sweet potatoes. Ginger, in small quantities, can also be powerful in easing stomach pain in dogs. Luckily, there are plenty of top dog treats that use these ingredients, so you can easily help your doggo feel better with some homemade treats.
Gluten Free Ginger Dog Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
- ½ tablespoon of molasses or honey*
- ¾ cup of oat flour or gluten free flour, plus a couple of tablespoons for rolling the dough out
- ⅛ teaspoon of ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, and prepare a baking sheet with coconut oil or parchment paper.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the egg, oil, and molasses or honey. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients – flour, ginger, and cinnamon. Little bit little, add the dry ingredients to the wet until you get a dough consistency.
Sprinkle a bit of flour on the surface where you will roll out the dough. Roll the dough to about ½ centimetre. Cut into whatever shapes your dog likes best, and place on the baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes, then flip the cookies, lower the temperature of your oven to 150 degrees and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes until the treats are nice and crispy but not too dark. Allow them to cool completely on a wire rack before serving them to your pup. They’ll be good for about two weeks when stored in a sealed container.
*honey is only appropriate for adult doggos because of the risk of botulism
Pumpkin Banana Dog Treats
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of pureed pumpkin (from the can is fine)
- 1 banana, peeled and mashed
- 2 eggs
- 3 cups of whole wheat or oat flour
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and prepare a baking sheet with coconut oil or parchment paper.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, banana, and eggs. Add the flour a cup at a time until you get a workable dough. You may need to add a bit of extra flour, so add a tablespoon at a time until you’ve got a good dough.
Roll the dough out onto a floured surface to a ½ centimetre thickness and cut out the treats into bones or paws or circles (again, you pup’s preference.) Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until golden. Allow the treats to cool completely on a rack before feeding to your pup.
You’ll want to store these guys in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
Top Dog Treats for Minty Fresh Breath
There are plenty of natural ingredients that can help fight your doggo’s bad breath. Peppermint, wild mint, and spearmint are the obvious ones that can actually help your dog’s digestion while improving their breath. Some other more surprising bad breath-fighting ingredients include peanut butter, parsley, coconut oil, and cinnamon.
Here are a couple of dog treat recipes to fight bad breath!
No Bake Mint Treats
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup of fresh parsley, chopped
- ¼ cup of fresh mint, chopped
- ½ cup of coconut oil
Instructions:
Make sure that your coconut oil is softened or melted. Add to a blender with the parsley and mint, and blend well. You can pour the mixture into moulds (an ice cube tray works well), or scoop out into balls onto parchment paper.
Refrigerate for an hour before giving to your pup. Store the rest in the fridge.
No Bake Peanut Butter Cinnamon Treats
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup of coconut oil
- 1/2 cup of peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
Instructions:
You’re going to need a double boiler or glass bowl that can withstand heat when placed over a pot of boiling water (canning jars work well for this as well.) In the top bowl, put the oil, peanut butter, and cinnamon. Heat the water over medium heat until the ingredients melt, stirring constantly.
While the mixture is still warm, pour into a mould and place in the freezer. Once they’re set, but not totally frozen, you can feed these bad breath-busting treats to your pup. Store the leftovers in the fridge. They’ll last longer than the other treats on this list, for about a month.
Time to share your top dog treats with your furry friend!
As always, it’s important to monitor your doggo while they try new ingredients for the first time to make sure they have no food allergies. Also, feed your pup treats in moderation to prevent weight gain.
With these dog treat recipes, you’ll always have healthy, healing treats on hand to share with your furry friend. If you combine them with a robust exercise routine for dogs, your pooch will be in tip-top shape!
