We just got an amazing new puppy, Hercules, which we are raising naturally. I’m just as concerned with what Hercules is eating, as I am with what we eat. I’ve looked into several different brands of “natural” dog treats but none really fit ideal I had in mind.. So I’m making my own! These are so easy and are much less expensive than the packaged ones at the store.
When I say these are easy, I’m not kidding. And they are so simple, there really isn’t even a recipe to share.. nothing to measure, nothing to mix. Just dehydrate meat pieces!!!
Meat – I made 3 versions, Hercules likes them all equally…. Venison (Deer), Beef Liver and Chicken. As with any animal protein, always stick with organic, free range, grass fed, local, etc… And when you are making dog treats feel free to get the least expensive cuts available. Cut your meat up into bite sized pieces….
Dehydrate – Just spread out your meat pieces in a single layer in your dehydrator and let it work it’s magic!! How long they need to dehydrate depends on how big your pieces are and how full your dehydrator is… We like our Nesco Dehydrator and use it for lots of dehydrating (not just dog treats).. herbs from our garden, mushrooms, beef/venison jerky, etc… Even used it to fix my iphone when I accidentally took it swimming (yes, it was completely submerged and after overnight in the dehydrator it worked perfectly!!) We also bought extra trays for it so that we can dehydrate lots of stuff at once!
Since Hercules is just a little puppy, we’re doing lots of treat-based training.. I keep a small jar of these out for easy access and then keep a big jar in the freezer, since I made up a big batch.
If your dog has been eating processed treats and you want to switch him/her over to these awesome natural treats.. mix up the old treats with these new treats in a jar/baggie.. let the smells/flavors combine.. then gradually phase out the old treats!!
This post is great! We made our pup some beef liver and need to do it again now that I have some grass fed liver in the freezer. He went crazy for them! We were able to break up into small pieces for training and still get a big reaction from him.
I just made some salmon jerky in the dehydrator for us humans but Louie loved when we shared a little with him too.
Found you from Butter Believer’s facebook post.
Hi! I was wondering if you had any suggestions for how to clean dogs teeth naturally? I really want to switch our 3 dogs to raw food, but my husband doesn’t think we can afford it, but I feel like their food now is taking a toll on their teeth. Can you help me?
Thank you!!
Lauren
Here’s my thoughts on this whole dog-dental care business… and I think that’s really what it is.. a business. in all seriousness, for all the years dogs have been on this earth, why have they needed dental care????? FYI they really don’t, in my opinion. dental issues are the result of a poor, un-natural diet. You follow???? Max, our previous dog-child, was 13.5 years old, 125+/- pounds of love bug.. he was not fed raw, but was fed grain free 75% of his life. He always had access to chewies and real bones. When his time came (suddenly) the vet that did the deed (in the back of our jeep while I was holding him, no doubt) was SHOCKED at his bright white teeth and said she could tell he was well cared for – in reality he hadn’t been to the vet in 7 years, and never had any dental treatment what-so-ever.
With Herucules.. He went to the vet 2x right after we got him.. Once for his eye and once for his rabies…. that will be it until he NEEDS vet care or possibly a neuter after a year if we decide to go that route.
He eats a 8ounce raw patty ever morning, has 1,2 or 3 raw chicken feet, a raw chicken head or two and a raw beef bone every day. They are all frozen when I give them to him – which slows him down. He also has access to usa produced rawhide chewies in his toy box…. after 8 months we’re doing great (he’s fed 60% of his suggested diet in raw “food” the rest it bones, heads, feeds.. OH and our homemade treats for staying on our property and going outside to do his business!
Am I at all worried about dental care? Heck no. He has bones which “brush” his teeth… he’ll be fine!!!
Wow! Thank you! I would love to switch our dogs to a raw diet. They currently eat Natural Balance’s sweet potato and venison, but I’m thinking that’s probably not the best for them. We have 2 min pins and a Doberman Shepard mix what bones and raw food would be safest for them?
I Lauren – I’m by no means a expert on Raw Dog Nutrition, however I can only share what works for us 🙂
Hercules gets a variety of raw animal products in his daily diet along with a balanced raw dog food patty (click HERE for the one we buy) and about 2T coconut oil