When going with a natural raw food diet – or even if your not – a healthy homemade dog treat recipe is essential. It helps ensure your canine companion will be completely free of ingesting harmful additives.
It is not uncommon to forget that dog treats are just as full of chemicals, preservatives and other dangerous additives as commercial dog food. Even if they are only eaten on occasion, it can still be enough to cause your dog problems in the long run. Luckily, there is a recipe that is made of one simple wholesome natural ingredient that your dog already loves.
Healthy Homemade Dog Treat Recipes – Tasty Liver Treats
Ingredients:
Liver (any type) sliced thinly to a width of 5 to 6 millimeters or ¼ inch
Implements:
Dehydrator or use your home oven
Extra rack for oven drying
Sharp knife
Scissors
Air tight container
Directions:
To make this homemade dog treat recipe, slice the liver you have chosen into extremely thin servings of five to six millimeters- or ¼ inch- in width. Slices thicker than this will not dry properly.
If using a dehydrator, place the slices on the drying trays and follow the manufacturer’s directions for your unit’s make and model.
If using an oven for your easy homemade dog treats recipes, place the slices on an extra rack in your oven that will expose it to maximum air flow on both sides. A pan can be used as well; however, this tends to expose only one side of the sliced liver to dry air at a time. While it is still possible to dry the liver in this way, you will need to be vigilant about turning the liver regularly to make sure each side dries evenly.
Set your oven to its lowest possible temperature which should be approximately130-150 degrees Fahrenheit- or 50-60 degrees Celsius. A temperature higher than this will cook your healthy homemade dog treat recipes rather than draw the moisture out.
Opening the oven on a regular basis will be a necessary step as it ensures moisture can escape and the drying process can be completed in a reasonable amount of time. This may also be necessary if your oven’s temperature does not go below the 200 degrees Fahrenheit mark.
You will know your dog treats recipe is done when the liver is dry to the touch and reasonably firm. Using scissors or a sharp knife, cut the jerky like treats into manageable pieces for your dog’s size. If the pieces ooze any moisture at all, return them to the oven. Dry them long enough to remove moisture but not long enough to make them overly rigid. This will make them a choking hazard for your dog.
Since there are no preservatives added, you will need to store your healthy dog treat recipes in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Extra treats can also be conveniently stored in your freezer.
Your homemade dog treats recipe can be used during training exercises or taken with you when out on walks. If you use the treats as part of a raw dog food diet the treats should be counted in the organ meat totals in your dog’s daily diet. This ensures your dog’s diet will stay balanced on weeks when treats are used extensively due to training needs.
Watch the full step by step video demonstration below for this homemade dog treat recipe.
If you’d like to know more about the raw food diet for dogs get my free report below.
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