Pet Pleasers
12 Mar 2014
A treat is the surest way to a pet’s heart. But with tainted treats and poisoning scares, consider making healthy treats from scratch with these recipes.
By Ruthanne Johnson
Beagles are known for their love—scratch that, obsession—with food. And Kerry Karamian’s dogs are no different. Adoptees from the Longmont Humane Society, Joey Bagel and Addie are constantly on the hunt for food. But while Joey’s need to nibble has meant an ongoing battle of the bulge, Addie’s food fixation irritated her sensitive stomach, causing her to vomit and lose weight.
The solution for Joey’s weight problem was easy: less food, fewer treats. Addie’s health issues were more complex. Puréed, high-calorie meals twice a day simply weren’t enough. But store-bought treats—meant to provide extra calories—were rough on her digestion. Joey Bagel reacted badly to the treats, too. “He’d scratch and scratch underneath his arms until it was raw and almost bleeding,” says Karamian, who was washing Joey Bagel with allergen-free dog shampoo. “So I knew it was something else.”
She researched dog-food ingredients and found that many commercial treats are chock-full of fat, sugar and low-grade ingredients. “A lot of them are nothing more than gut fillers,” she says. “If I wouldn’t eat it, then my dogs shouldn’t have to eat it.”
While quality pet treats exist on the market, news reports of pet-food recalls and poisonings from tainted food are far too common. In 2013 alone, dozens of pet foods were recalled due to salmonella and other contaminants, including jerky treats with ingredients sourced from China that caused the death of nearly 600 dogs and sickened thousands more. The FDA issued a warning about the deadly jerky treats, but has not forced a product recall. After the poisonings, The Humane Society of the United States issued a statement calling for stronger regulations to protect the safety of pet food and treats. (Visit petrecall.com for pet-food recall information.)
Ingredients regularly used in commercially produced pet foods can also trigger allergic reactions, and the high calories in some treats can contribute to pet obesity. While most dog treats range anywhere from 10 to 50 calories apiece, one large Milk Bone dog biscuit has 115 calories! According to a 2010 study by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, approximately 53 percent of cats and 55 percent of dogs in U.S. homes are overweight or obese.
Homemade treats can be a healthy alternative to commercial products, says Jennifer Bolser, chief clinic veterinarian for the Humane Society of Boulder Valley. They help pet owners know exactly what ingredients and how many calories their cat or dog is eating, and they can prevent food allergies. Making your pet’s treats can also be a fun, cost-saving activity.
To keep her two retrievers fit, Bolser bakes homemade kale chips (see her recipe below) and cuts up fresh veggies. Occasionally, she’ll make diet doggy biscuits. “Substituting traditional pet treats with foods such as carrots, green beans or a homemade low-calorie treat is a simple way to help reduce caloric intake for our pets,” she says. Around the holidays, she indulges her dogs’ taste buds with mini cinnamon bun bites drizzled with cream-cheese frosting (see recipes below).
[accordion title="Treat Me Right Recipes" close="1"]These homemade dog and cat treats will get your pooch or puss begging for more.
