PawsGo Baking Healthy Treats for Your Dog

The holidays are upon us, so don't forget your best friend!  What better way to treat your dog than with homemade treats?  And what a thoughtful gift for the dogs of your friends, co-workers and neighbors!  Making your own dog treats is easy, inexpensive and fun!  Do it on your own, or make it a party like we did!

My dogs love treats, and truthfully, I give them more than I should.  Treats are rewards, treats are expected, and treats can quickly diffuse an annoying situation.  Treats are a part of our day.  But are treats healthy?  Maybe, but probably not in the volume that my dogs coerce me into giving them. And, they get expensive.

So, PawsGo set out to create healthy treats that we could make at home.  With the help of Kari Faherty, of True Health and Wholeness
http://true-hw.com/ in Arlington, Virginia, we hosted a dog treat cooking class (party). The idea was to create treats to share with dogs and their friends.

Kari developed two very easy recipes.  One with peanut butter, the other with parsley (because who can't use a little breath freshener).  All ingredients were found at our local grocery story and cost $11.73 -- what a deal!  The end result can be consumed by both humans and dogs.  All ingredients and steps are outlined below -- thank you Kari!  (and yes, we served wine)

 

 

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

 

Breath Freshener   Ingredients: õ  1 Banana õ  3 tablespoons peanut butter õ  1 egg õ  1 cup oat flour õ  2/3 cup rolled oats õ  1 - 1½ cup chopped fresh parsley and/or mint   Recipe: 1.     In a large bowl, mash the banana 2.     Add the peanut butter and egg. 3.     Add the oat flour and rolled oats.  Allow the dough to sit. 4.     While the dough is sitting, finely chop the parsley.

Peanut Butter Flax   Ingredients: õ  1 Banana õ  3-5 tablespoons peanut butter õ  1 egg õ  1 cup oat flour õ  2/3 cup rolled oats õ  ½ cup flax meal (plus more, if needed)     Recipe: 1.     In a large bowl, mash the banana 2.     Add the peanut butter and egg. 3.     Add the oat flour and rolled oats.  Allow the dough to sit. 4.     Add the flax, enough to make the dough moldable.

peanut butter base
 

 

grinding oats for oat flour

chopping parsley

5.     Divide the dough into 24 balls, then press them flat into disks.

6.     Lay the disks on the baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes, depending on the desired texture.

 

Notes on Baking and Storage:

 

õ  If your dog prefers soft treats, bake the treats a shorter time.  For crisp treats, bake the treats longer.

õ  If your dog is small, make smaller disks.  Smaller disk will need less baking time.

õ  Softer treats will spoil faster than crisp treats.  To extend the shelf life of the treats, no matter how they are prepared, keep them in an airtight container.  Keeping the treats in the fridge will extend the shelf life even longer.

õ  If your dog eats treats quickly, you can make a whole batch and store the treats in an airtight container at room temperature.  

õ  If your dog eats treats slowly, you can make a half batch, or freeze the treats after baking.  Just make sure they are thawed before giving them to your dog.

 

The finished product

 

Even the cat liked them!

Our final product, ready for gift giving.  We'll be ready for next Christmas!
 

 

 

PawsGo Baking Healthy Treats for Your Dog

The holidays are upon us, so don't forget your best friend!  What better way to treat your dog than with homemade treats?  And what a thoughtful gift for the dogs of your friends, co-workers and neighbors!  Making your own dog treats is easy, inexpensive and fun!  Do it on your own, or make it a party like we did!

My dogs love treats, and truthfully, I give them more than I should.  Treats are rewards, treats are expected, and treats can quickly diffuse an annoying situation.  Treats are a part of our day.  But are treats healthy?  Maybe, but probably not in the volume that my dogs coerce me into giving them. And, they get expensive.

So, PawsGo set out to create healthy treats that we could make at home.  With the help of Kari Faherty, of True Health and Wholeness
http://true-hw.com/ in Arlington, Virginia, we hosted a dog treat cooking class (party). The idea was to create treats to share with dogs and their friends.

Kari developed two very easy recipes.  One with peanut butter, the other with parsley (because who can't use a little breath freshener).  All ingredients were found at our local grocery story and cost $11.73 -- what a deal!  The end result can be consumed by both humans and dogs.  All ingredients and steps are outlined below -- thank you Kari!  (and yes, we served wine)

 

 

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

 

Breath Freshener   Ingredients: õ  1 Banana õ  3 tablespoons peanut butter õ  1 egg õ  1 cup oat flour õ  2/3 cup rolled oats õ  1 - 1½ cup chopped fresh parsley and/or mint   Recipe: 1.     In a large bowl, mash the banana 2.     Add the peanut butter and egg. 3.     Add the oat flour and rolled oats.  Allow the dough to sit. 4.     While the dough is sitting, finely chop the parsley.

Peanut Butter Flax   Ingredients: õ  1 Banana õ  3-5 tablespoons peanut butter õ  1 egg õ  1 cup oat flour õ  2/3 cup rolled oats õ  ½ cup flax meal (plus more, if needed)     Recipe: 1.     In a large bowl, mash the banana 2.     Add the peanut butter and egg. 3.     Add the oat flour and rolled oats.  Allow the dough to sit. 4.     Add the flax, enough to make the dough moldable.

peanut butter base
 

 

grinding oats for oat flour

chopping parsley

5.     Divide the dough into 24 balls, then press them flat into disks.

6.     Lay the disks on the baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes, depending on the desired texture.

 

Notes on Baking and Storage:

 

õ  If your dog prefers soft treats, bake the treats a shorter time.  For crisp treats, bake the treats longer.

õ  If your dog is small, make smaller disks.  Smaller disk will need less baking time.

õ  Softer treats will spoil faster than crisp treats.  To extend the shelf life of the treats, no matter how they are prepared, keep them in an airtight container.  Keeping the treats in the fridge will extend the shelf life even longer.

õ  If your dog eats treats quickly, you can make a whole batch and store the treats in an airtight container at room temperature.  

õ  If your dog eats treats slowly, you can make a half batch, or freeze the treats after baking.  Just make sure they are thawed before giving them to your dog.

 

The finished product

 

Even the cat liked them!

Our final product, ready for gift giving.  We'll be ready for next Christmas!
 

 

 

Bone Broth, a Healthy Trend for Humans and Dogs

Bone broth is super trendy.  All the hot restaurants are selling steaming cups of it at a premium price.  Our local farmer’s market is selling it and our local butcher said the bone broth craze has chefs and butchers VERY excited!  Scraped bones have been given a second life and are now sellable.

I had read about the human health benefits of bone broth – everything from helping joints and digestion to reducing cellulite – yup, that’s the one that had me heading to the butcher for my first batch of bones!

Armed with my slow cooker and 2 pounds of grass fed, hormone free beef knuckle bones, I followed a very easy recipe –

 

1)      Season the bones

2)      Roast the bones – 400 for an hour

3)      Combine the following in a slow cooker

a.       Roasted bones

b.       2 chopped carrots

c.        2 stalks of celery chopped

d.       2 garlic cloves chopped

e.       I small/medium onion chopped

f.        A splash of cider vinegar

 

 

4)      Cover everything with filtered water and cook on high until it boils or bubbles

5)      Turn heat down to low and let it cook down for 24 hours

6)      After 24 hours, strain it and, refrigerate it or freeze it

 

 

I put kale in mine and have a cup as an afternoon snack.  For optimum health benefits, you’re supposed to have a cup a day.  It can keep in the fridge for 5 days, or you can freeze it.

If it’s healthy for us – what about dogs?  A quick google search and bingo – it’s good for dogs too!  Same health benefits, with the exception of  cellulite reduction, that wasn’t referenced.

I was especially interested to see if it would help Kacey’s joints.  She has a bit of arthritis.  I am always looking for ways to enhance her quality of life – bone broth seemed like a good bet.

Because I have read that dogs should not eat onions or garlic, and I figured they didn’t need seasoning – I opted for making their broth with just bones, cider vinegar and filtered water.

Here’s my recipe for Bone Broth for Dogs

1)      Roast 2 pounds of grass fed, hormone free beef knuckle bones

2)      Place in a slow cooker and cover with filtered water and splash of cider vinegar

3)      Cook on high until it boils or bubbles

4)      Turn down to low and let it cook down for 24 hours

5)      Clean any bits of meat off ones, discard bones, skim fat and save broth and meat bits for doggies.

I mix a healthy spoonful in with their food reach morning and they get a frozen treat every evening.  To say they like it is an understatement.  It’s too early to tell if the both is having an impact on their health, but if nothing else they are getting a healthy treat.

 

This is a great article on the health benefits of bone broth for dogs – note the entry on liver detox. 

http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/reasons-your-dog-love-bone-broth/

 

 

A Winter Trip to Virginia’s Dog Friendly Wineries

Spring, summer and fall are perfect times to load the dogs in the jeep and head out to Virginia’s wine country for a day of sips, walks, shopping and lunch on a dog-friendly patio.  But the cold wet winter months are a bit more challenging.

Undeterred by the freezing forecast -- my husband, friend Alyson (visiting from California), Boomer, Kacey and I took the 50 mile drive from Alexandria to Delaplane, Virginia.

Our first stop was Barrel Oak Winery (www.barreloak.com ).  Upon arrival, there is little doubt that Barrel Oak is dog-friendly.  We are immediately met by dogs leaving the tasting room, or just taking a potty break.  To say that Barrel Oak loves dogs would be an understatement.  The tasting room is filled with owners and their dogs.  The gift shop has great dog-inspired items, and their wines pay homage to canines, such as their Chocolate Lab Dessert Wine.  A quick look at their events calendar and I see two dog-focused fundraisers in the month of February.

It’s hard NOT to have fun at Barrel Oak.  There is a buzzy welcoming vibe – everyone is happy! Friends and families are picnicking on the fire pit heated patio.  Kids and dogs are getting lots of attention.  We slide up for a tasting and quickly realize that we are standing next to a couple and their dog Tucker from our neighborhood!  Wine and dogs are great conversation starters!

We purchased a couple of bottles from our server Nate, and then headed to our next stop – Aspen Dale Winery (www.aspendalewinery.com ).

While Barrel Oak has the buzzy festive atmosphere, Aspen Dale is closer to a cool coffee shop (but with wine and in an old barn).  Dogs are also welcome in the tasting room which is warm, hip, and relaxed.  A soloist on guitar plays “coffee shop” music.  There is a fire in the fireplace.  Dogs relax on the floor and owners sit on comfy couches, at café tables, or stand at the tasting bar.

Aspen Dale provides a small plate of “pairings” to go with the wines – a piece of apricot, a bite of sausage, a bit of chocolate – all perfectly paired with each wine.  We loved it!  We loved it so much we purchased a bottle of their Parris Country Red Blend (yum), some pheasant sausage and sage cheese for a little snack.  Aspen Dale is one of those special places where you could easily spend the entire afternoon.

Pairings at Aspen Dale

                                                                       



From Aspen Dale, we wandered a bit, but thanks to iPhones and GPS, we eventually found Cobbler Mountain Cellars (www.cobblermountain.com ).  Located on a hill off of a couple twisty gravel roads is their lovely tasting room.  Like Barrel Oak and Aspen Dale, it’s also in Delaplane, but it's the youngest of the three wineries. 

 

 

 

The Cobbler Mountain Paw Wall

Cobbler Mountain is very friendly.  We immediately felt welcomed and the dogs were appropriately gushed over!   Given its location – far off of a main road, dogs can actually go off leash in their yard.  An entire wall in their tasting room is covered with paw prints and the names of their dogs and dog clients. 

 

Cobbler Mountain Cellars often hosts groups of dogs and their owners for special events – there was a recent gathering of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and in the summer and early fall, Cobbler Mountain holds weekend camping and hiking trips for owners and their dogs.

New friends at Cobbler Mountain

 

We left Cobbler Mountain with a bottle of Vidal Blanc and a promise to return. 

Our winter outing to Delaplane, Virginia wineries was great fun.  Boomer and Kacey got plenty of attention in three very different and welcoming wineries.  We got to taste and purchase great wines in a variety of settings – winter was the perfect time to visit Barrel Oak, Aspen Dale and Cobbler Mountain – but we’ll go again in the spring!

There are currently 253 wineries in Virginia and MANY are dog friendly.  Only California, New York, Oregon and Washington have more wineries than Virginia.

 www.virginiawine.org, lists all wineries and their regions.  You can also filter by varietals and if the winery is pet friendly.