Making Homemade Treats from Meat Cans

With homemade treats, you can be sure what they are made of and that they are fresh. Dried meat is still one of the best variants of dog goodies but also homemade treats might be healthy. And don’t worry, it’s not difficult. They’re ready very fast and you’ll see how much your dog likes them.

I have been baking my dogs some goodies for years, mainly at Christmas and other holidays so they don’t feel left out and we wouldn’t feel the urge to share our unhealthy treats with them. I have several favourite recipes but recently I (and mainly my dogs) have come to like those from meat cans. You’ll create many kinds from one recipe, depending on the type of can you will pick. And it also comes in handy when there are leftovers in a can for some reason.

Of course, you can bake carrot, beet, apple and similar cookies but with cookies from meat cans you can be sure your dog will love it. The base is formed from ground oat flakes which are mixed with approximately the same amount of meat from a can and 1 egg (for 1 kg of dough). You can also add ground flaxseed or some herbs. I usually put oat flakes with meat and an egg to a blender and let it work. If a can contains more water, I remove it or add oat flakes until the dough doesn’t have the consistency suitable for processing.

If you have some two-legged young individuals at home, you can bake this as a healthy treat for them as well. But without meat, of course. It can either contain only oat flakes or you can use some vegetable. However, I recommend not to feed children together with dogs, it might lead to bad habits on both sides (sharing a meal, begging...).

Also, I will share a recipe for an unbaked dog cake you can also have in a few minutes. Use dog biscuits as a base of the cake and put them into a baking form with baking paper. I usually replace these with the above-mentioned cookies or in other words, I bake one large, purely oat cookie directly in the baking form. Instead of some cream, mix a meat can with cooked rice and put it onto the base. To get better consistency, I usually overcook the rice a bit and mash it with the contents of the can using a fork.

And what about dog filling? You will need a mixed can of 500 g, cca 180 g of cooked rice, cca 300 g of spinach, 2 diced carrots, 1 egg and a spoon of quality oil. Properly mix it all together, put it into an oven dish and bake. When I remember, I also add fresh parsley.

Well, and if you don’t want to bake, take your furry friend to a dog cake shop or pastry shop you can find more and more often nowadays. You will enjoy it there both or you will at least have a good coffee. However, you can also order dog treats and cakes using the Internet.

Do you prefer to buy treats in a pet shop or do you prepare them at home? In any case, do not forget your dog can’t overeat even healthy treats. It is not a balanced, complex diet.