The apples of my eye, Pawley and Maddie have been quite finicky with their provided diet as of late. Which I'm coming into terms that I need to change their diet to a raw diet for at least a week to give them a break from their Royal Canin brand dachshund breed dog food which don't get me wrong is great for them as it contains chondontrin and glucosamine for good joint and hip health. While organic chicken and sweet potatoes are in the slow cooker for this evening's doggie dinner, I'm looking through Pinterest dog treat recipes online and stumbled upon a no bake recipe with pumpkin puree as an ingredient. Below is my homemade modified version.
Remember, these are treats and just like candy for children, you must give these on rare occasions to prevent doggy dental problems, as Cynthia Maro explains.
Ingredients:
Baby carrots - One 16 oz. bag is plenty, but you will only need half a bag to make 1 cup of puree' carrots.
3 Cups of oats
1/4 cup of peanut butter
1/4 cup of milk - I personally used sugar free toasted coconut and almond milk (almond milk in moderation for pets are safe, I checked)
2 tbsp. of coconut oil
Preparing the puree' carrots:
Boil baby carrots for about 15-20 minutes. Drain almost all the water, leaving a small amount, pour into a blender, food processor or a mini-chopper. I personally used my Tupperware Power Chef System to dice and almost puree' my baby carrots to a mini dachshund digestable size. Add two tablespoons of coconut oil. I've read the many benefits of coconut oil is for dogs, as it acts as a natural toothpaste for your pets. I'm saving this diagram below for future reference on this blog post.
In a medium size bowl, add the puree' carrots and coconut oil mixture along with the peanut butter, milk, and oats. Use a small melon scooper to place these bite treats on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 1 hour to make it firm.
I wasn't planning on posting this recipe if it wasn't a true hit with Pawley and Maddie. They love it. It's made from raw ingredients and adding the coconut oil will not only bring them good oral health but it's quite economical too!
You can even take some to your local dog shelter if you want to show your support for those in need. If you want to help dogs via donating, then check out these K9s For Warriors reviews.
Thanks so much for reading!
~ marissa