The recipes listed here are posted for the enjoyment of you and your pets. These recipes are meant to be fed as treats or for occasional meals. They should not replace your pet's regular diet or make up the bulk of your pet's food. Please do not overfeed your pet (remember, small pets have small stomachs!)
The use of some ingredients may be counter-indicated for pets with certain health conditions. If you are not sure if a recipe is ok for your dog, please ask your vet. While some recipes mention cats, please be aware that certain ingredients, such as garlic, should not be fed to cats.
If you have an overweight or small dog or a cat, you may want to check the calorie content of a recipe before feeding. There are websites where you can input a recipe and they will calculate the nutrition information for you.
Here is one website with that feature:
http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php
If you are looking for a good quality food to feed your dog, we recommend the Dog Food Analysis website for reviews and information on commercial diets, or DogAware.com's diet pages for information on different types of diets for dogs as well as feeding dogs with medical conditions.
Important Notes
Ingredient Substitutions
Some of the recipes listed here contain grains, wheat, corn or soy. Some pets are allergic or sensitive to these ingredients, or are on a grain free diet. My own dogs and cats generally eat grain-free diets, however I do sometimes make these recipes for them, and I feel ok about feeding them as it is a very occasional treat.
If your dog or cat is allergic to one of the grains in a recipe or is on a grain-free diet, you may be able to substitute an ingredient to make the recipe acceptable for your pet. Some options for substitutions for dogs who can't eat wheat or white flour are brown rice, barley, oat, quinoa, amaranth or rye flours.
If your dog is on a grain-free diet you may be able to substitute grain-based flours with grain-free potato flour, tapioca, or chick pea flour.
To substitute for flour, you may need to alter the amount being used. The following sites provide information on how and how much to substitute:
http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Using-Alternative-Flours/Detail.aspx
http://www.foodsubs.com/Flournw.html
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09329.html
Kong Filling Tips and Ideas
The recipes below in the Frozen/Cold Treats category can be used to fill a Kong or similar treat-dispensing toys, or placed into the center of a marrow bone.
Kong toys are a great interactive toy for dogs. They can be used to occupy an active dog, keep them out of trouble and prevent boredom. Kong toys are also useful for keeping a puppy quiet and are good for teething puppies. Frozen and cold fillings are especially good for teething puppies as they are soothing to the puppy's gums.
A Kong toy has a large hold at one end where the filling goes in, and a small hole at the other end. When filling Kongs with liquids or soupy fillings, you’ll need to plug up the smaller hole first so the liquid doesn’t pour out. If you find that your dog empties the Kong quickly, you can also plug the larger hole to make it harder for the dog to get the filling out. Some things you can use to plug the holes include: a cut piece of vegetable fruit (no grapes--they are bad for dogs), cheese, dog treats, peanut butter, veggies such as a baby carrots, or anything else that will fit. If your filling is liquid you may also want to place the Kong is a plastic cup to prevent dripping while you are freezing it.
If you want to keep your dog busy longer, you can also other foods to the Kong by mixing them in with the soupy filling or creating layers. Adding solid foods will make it more difficult for the dog to remove the filling and they will be occupied longer. You can add dog biscuits, fruit, veggies, bully sticks, kibble or whatever your dog likes to the Kong along with one of the recipes below.
