Healthy dog snacks can be purchased in the store, or you can make them yourself and know exactly what is in them. Here is a recipe for what I call "Doggie Bagels", you can adjust the size for the dog you will be feeding...again, you have complete control.
Ingredients:
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 cup Unbleached White Flour
1 Package Yeast or 1/4 ounce
1 cup Warmed Chicken Broth
1 tablespoon honey
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Combine the whole wheat flour with the yeast in a large bowl.
- Add 2/3 cup chicken broth and honey and beat for about 3 minutes.
- Gradually add the remaining flour. Knead the dough for a few minutes until smooth and moist, but not wet (use reserve broth as necessary).
- Cover the dough and let it rest for about 5 minutes.
- Divide the dough into about 15-20 pieces, or whatever quantify the size of dog you are making the snack for dictates, rolling each piece into a smooth ball.
- Punch a hole into each ball with your finger.
- Carefully pull the dough so the hole is about an 1/2" wide depending upon the size of your bagel, and it doesn't have to look pretty as they rise when cooking.
- Place all the bagels on a greased cookie sheet and allow to rise 5 minutes.
- Bake for 25 minutes.
- Turn the heat off and allow the bagels to cool in the oven...but be careful that they do not continue to overcook.
Now test them on your dog...if you have a dog that eats anything, you'll do fine, if you have a fussy dog, like I am, you may have to do a little experimenting with recipes.
We'll be adding more recipes over time, this is the first. When more are added at a later date, you can look at them all by clicking on "Dog Treat Recipes" for treats, and soon we will have a category for "Dog Food Recipes".
It seems that as the years go by, a dogs skin gets more and more sensitive to allergies, dry skin and other uncomfortable conditions. I have always been sensitive to grasses and pollens...we're not sure exactly which ones, but the rashes and dark blotchy spots seem to come out in the warmer weather. At first we thought it was because of the flea treatment, but it's not.
At first we thought that washing me was the best thing to do to get the allergens off and to clean my skin. We are learning that this is not such a good idea, depending upon what shampoo you use. We thought baby shampoo would be a good idea, but over-washing with certain shampoos removes the natural oils from the skin, making me even more itchy and my skin even more scaly in spite of the fact that I smell so good.
We have read that using aloe based shampoo will help, so we are considering this...not shampoo that contains aloe, but is actually aloe based. Another idea my owner has is a rinse with aloe vera juice. Oatmeal and Aloe Shampoo
is supposed to help, and we are going to try a Hydrocortisone Spray with Aloe Vera
for the extra itchy spots.
What have you done for dry skin for your dog? We are open to suggestions and will let you know how we do in treating my dry skin.
Updated 3/18/13 - We have been using the shampoo and the spray mentioned since we originally posted this, and it has been helping quite a bit. We rarely have to use the spray. Diet also seems to affect my skin. If we try something new, and I have a flare up, I don't eat that food again.
