DIY Dog Treats: Made With Love For Your Pup
If you don’t want to give your dog the traditional Milk Bone-style treats that you can pick up at the store for a couple bucks, there’s no reason to start making your own at home. It’s easier than you might think, it doesn’t take longer than it would take to make a batch of cookies, and you don’t need any hard-to-find ingredients. What’s more, you’ll know exactly what goes into them, so you can avoid any ingredients your dog might be sensitive to, like corn or wheat. Why DIY? Whether you’re looking to create a great gift for a dog owner in your life or you just want to give your dog the very best foods, making things in your own kitchen is always going to win out over store-bought treats—it’s the same way homemade cookies work! Aside from making treats with great ingredients to your dog’s dietary preferences or restrictions, homemade dog treats can be less expensive overall—sure, the ingredients will cost more upfront, but you can make a LOT of dog treats for that cost. Past these benefits, making your own dog treats is a good way to create new and exciting flavors for your dog to eat. After all, most dog treats come in the same four or five varieties—if your dog particularly loves carrots or bananas, for instance, you won’t find dog treats with those ingredients. With homemade treats, the sky’s the limit—you can bake your canine BFF the treats of their dreams. How to Make Dog Treats Creating homemade dog treats is pretty easy. It can be as simple as slicing up some sweet potatoes and putting them in a food dehydrator (or a 125-degree oven on a cooling rack for 6-8 hours), or you can go all out and mix up some “cookie” dough. Look online for a recipe that includes things like vegetable puree or even bacon fat as the binding ingredient, peanut butter, bananas and whole wheat flour. In the fall, make pumpkin-peanut butter treats, or for Christmas, make turkey and ham. The options are limitless, so if your dogs like apples and cheddar, you can do that. For optimal ease, combine your favorite flour or flour substitute with a jar of baby food! If you feel like seeking out unique ingredients, brewer’s years can give the treats a distinct smell that your dog will love. Remember Not to Go Overboard One catch about homemade dog treats is that they will go stale or mold faster than store-bought options. For that reason, it’s important to moderate your dog’s treat consumption and resist temptation to give them more treats in order to avoid wasting treats before they go bad. You can always freeze treats once they’ve been baked (or make a big batch of dough and freeze them in small amounts, to be baked off when you run out), but one thing’s for sure—your dog will love to eat these up, so be sure that your pet doesn’t overindulge!
What to Know About Getting a Large-Breed Dog
If you’re thinking about getting a dog soon and you prefer larger breeds, you probably know that they come with their own special needs—and we don’t just mean the extra-jumbo size bags of food, either. It’s important to be prepared for everything that might come your way with larger dog breeds, so we’ve put together a short list of some important things for you to expect. They May Need Different Food With large and giant breed dogs, it’s important they do not get too much fat or too much calcium in their diet. High fat/caloric intake can cause rapid weight gain, and if the dog’s bones and muscles aren’t developed enough to support the extra weight, they can injure themselves. Likewise, excess calcium can cause an increase of skeletal problems. Ask your vet what food is recommended for large dogs before you commit to a certain brand. Large breed puppies have specific nutritional needs, and it’s important for their development that they get the right amount of food and the right kind of food. In the same vein, it’s important to know how much food to feed your dog. Make sure you’re feeding the dog the right amount of food—not too much. Vet Bills Might Be More Expensive In addition to needing to buy more food for your Bernese Mountain Dog than you would need for a Chihuahua, the vet bills may also be more costly for the same reason—you need more of the product. Things like rabies shots and flea treatment may need to come in higher amounts or stronger doses to be able to account for the dog’s large body, and that can add up over time. Additionally, some large dogs can be predisposed to certain health issues like hip dysplasia, which can be expensive to treat. Talk to a vet about what you might expect from a certain breed over its lifetime. They Need a Lot of Playtime Big dogs need a lot of room to stretch out and a lot of exercise to maintain good health. If you live in a studio apartment, a Great Dane might feel a little cramped. Look into local dog runs, dog parks, or dog walkers, and ask around to different doggie day cares if that’s something you might consider for your dog. Ensuring that you large breed dog gets enough exercise is not only good for their health and wellness, but their temperament as well—exercised dogs are generally calmer and less aggressive than dogs who have a lot of energy but nowhere to use it. They Have a Shorter Lifespan It may seem like everyone’s got a story about the 20-year old Mastiff that grew up on their block with them, but the reality is that large and giant breed dogs live shorter lives than their purse-sized counterparts. Their bodies do more work than smaller breeds just to keep them awake, and over the course of their lives, this means more stress is put on their organs. Large breed dogs have a general lifespan of about 8-10 years, whereas smaller breeds live to be 12-14 years old, typically. Of course, this isn’t something you need to immediately worry about—it’s just something to be aware of for your future. A bigger dog is thought to be a senior dog after the age of six, so diet and health should be more closely watched thereafter. Big dogs are great breeds for a lot of people—just make sure you do your research and know what you’re getting into before adopting the biggest one you can find!
March Dog of the Month is…
OSCAR! Breed: Boston Terrier Age: 7 years old Where I live: Bucktown, Chicago Joys in Life: Snuggles, tummy rubs, sniffing & licking, long walks on warm days Cruisin’ Canines Chicago Dog Walker: Mike Chicago Dog Walking Buddies: Francie, another Boston, is his pal!