These healthy homemade dog treats are the simplest thing to make and so good for your dog. Plus they are much cheaper than buying them in the store.
Check out all of my healthy homemade dog treats!
Well I’ve had a crazy summer. The best thing that happened was the addition of this cute little puppy we call Izzy. I was stressed out at first because so much was happening in our lives and I had never had a puppy before. I couldn’t believe how much work they are.
However this little sweetheart has taken over out house and our hearts. She has been so much fun to all of us that I can’t imagine not having her in our lives. Since I love to cook, I am on a mission to make healthy homemade dog treats for Izzy. My husband things I’m crazy (that’s nothing new there), but it’s fun for me.
Here’s a pic of both of my sweethearts, Max and Izzy. He has wanted a puppy for years and he is having a wonderful time with Izzy. It makes me so happy to see him playing with her. I was worried the novelty would wear off but it hasn’t.
Below is a list of 10 fruits and vegetables that you can feed your dog. I don’t like to feed our puppy scraps from the table (yet) but I do like to give her some of these every once in awhile as a treat.
I wish I had a video of her and the carrot. She would bark at it, back up, surge forward and bark some more. Well it was funny to us.
On to our treats. Since Izzy is just a puppy I wanted to give her something that she could chew on and keep her occupied for a bit.
I haven’t had much luck with the Nylabone puppy toys I’ve bought her and I’ve been told not to give her rawhide so I saw on Pinterest that you can make sweet potato leathers.
So I broke out my dehydrator and made some sweet potato and zucchini leathers.
I used my mandoline but made them a little thicker that I would for cooking. They are probably ⅛″ thick.
I set them on the racks and cooked at 135 degrees F for about 4 hours. You have to check them every once in awhile and take out the ones that are finished.
You want them chewy, not soggy or crunchy. The sweet potatoes take a bit longer to cook.
It’s surprising but Izzy likes raw zucchini. If I’m cooking with zucchini (something I’ve done ALOT this summer) I toss her a piece while I’m cooking. As I mentioned above, she doesn’t like carrots but she does like blueberries.
Healthy Homemade Dog Treats
This is what they look like after about 4 hours. Again remember to check them after two hours to make sure you get the right leathery type texture
The great thing about these treats is that they are all natural and they are very inexpensive to make. One sweet potato will make about a dozen treats.
I don’t give her more that one or two a day so this batch will last me all week. Also it’s extremely easy. Cut the veggies and dehydrate them. That’s all you do!
I keep them in the refrigerator because they still seem to have some moisture in them and I don’t want them to spoil. I haven’t tried freezing them yet but that might help with puppies teething.
So if you have a little puppy or smaller dog, I hope you give this healthy treat a try. And if you would like to share, I’d love to hear what you make for your dog! PS You might also like Homemade Dog Biscuits.
A reader gave me this tip: “I’ve heard that you should store them in a paper bag, like they do at meat markets when you purchase beef jerky. It helps them stay dry. I tried this and put them in the fridge as well. It worked well and the treats stayed crunchy (the way my dogs like them)!” Thanks Nikki!
You might also like these other homemade dog treat recipes – chicken jerky, coconut strawberry treats and biscuits made from baby food.
Healthy Homemade Dog Treats
Ingredients
- 1 sweet potato thinly sliced lengthwise (about ⅛th inch)
- 1 zucchini thinly sliced lengthwise (about ⅛ inch)
Instructions
-
Set your vegetable slices on a trays of your dehydrator.
-
Using your manufacturer’s setting for vegetables cook for 2-4 hours checking for desired consistency. You want them to be chewy and leathery not limp or crunchy.
-
Take out the ones that are finished and keep the others in the dehydrator until finished.
-
Store in a ziplock back in the refrigerator for up to a week.
-
A reader gave me this tip: Store them in a paper bag. It helps them stay dry. I tried this and put them in the fridge as well. It worked well and the treats stayed crunchy (the way my dogs like them)!
Janice Bucholtz says
Your chicken jerky, vegetable chews, and dog biscuits are just what I’ve been looking for. Scout was recently diagnosed with insulin dependent diabetes. He has had to give up many of the cookies he loves, and finding treats that are appropriate for him has been a struggle. Those that I have been able to find are unnecessary expensive. Although some of the veggie snacks are not good for diabetic dogs, there are still plenty to choose from. The chicken jerky and dog biscuits are a godsend. Thank you very much for making this journey a wee bit easier on both of us.
Denise says
Good luck to you and Scout. I’ve been wanting to make my own dog food for awhile now and just haven’t figured it out yet. We all want to take the best care we can of our fur babies.
Scott says
A good thing to read/skim through.Can’t afford store treats so I make my own and am always looking for ideas.PS they say dog owners & their pets tend to look alike,it’s true.You guys are basically twins,very cute.
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! About how fast do dogs get through one?
Denise says
Hi Vanessa,
Pretty quickly. I think you could make them thicker and thus more chewy and they might last longer but I made mine pretty thin. Hope that helps!
Vanessa says
This looks great! How long does it take for a dog to get through one of these?
Denise says
Hi Vanessa,
I have a cockapoo and she’s only 15 lbs or so and she got through one fairly quickly as I recall. I haven’t made them in a while to be honest. The sweet potatoes get more chewy and are more sturdy than the zucchini though if that helps at all.
Madge says
When using seeded veggies should the seeds always be removed? I am very eager to try something new for my 2 Yorkie girls. Thanks so much for sharing your recipes and techniques @
Denise says
Hi Madge, I would say that depends but you can always as your vet. Take zucchini for example. If the seeds are very tiny like they would be in a regular size zucchini I would say that they are fine. However if you are using a gigantic zucchini where the seeds are rather large I would take them out because you don’t want your pups to choke on them. If it’s something like a butternut squash or acorn squash or even pumpkin I would definitely take out the seeds as they are always have larger seeds.
Hope that helps!
Suzanne says
Thanks for sharing! I haven’t heard of using a zucchini to make the chews before.
Sharon says
I have a 10 year old Chubb, chihuahua and pug that has become a diabetic. I have to be very careful what veggies I give her. I will try the zucchini but she cannot have sweet potatoes. I may try cucumbers, green beans and broccoli. There are so many vegetables with a lot of natural sugars that I cannot give her.
Denise says
Oh that is a shame. The sweet potato works well because of the starch. You might want to try turnips too. Really any vegetable would probably work in the dehydrator. Just find ones like those you mentioned that have less sugar. Good luck!
Sara says
Theses treats look nice for dogs
Denise says
Thank you Sara!
Nikki says
I’ve heard that you should store them in a paper bag, like they do at meat markets when you purchase beef jerky. It helps them stay dry. I tried this and put them in the fridge as well. It worked well and the treats stayed crunchy (the way my dogs like them)!
Denise says
Hi Nikki. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your wonderful tip! I’ll have to put that in the recipe.
Kimberly Guysick says
Once we dehydrate the yams, we put them in a cookie jar. I know for sure they are good for at least 3 weeks. If they last that long.
Denise says
Thanks for commenting Kimberly and for that tip!
Alesha says
Hi! Thanks for posting this; what a great idea! I like to give our dogs the healthiest treat options available, and bake most of their treats, and have even done some dog food for them in the slow cooker! Question for you though: can these be kept in the freezer? If so, for about how long?
Thanks!
Alesha
Denise says
Hi Alesha, I have never done that. I kept them in the refrigerator for quite some time but I think the freezer would add moisture so I’m thinking it wouldn’t work. You can try a few and see how they go. Let me know if you do. If it works I would say you could do it for a few months, just like you would any frozen vegetable. Hope that helps!
Anne says
Can u dry them in an oven, have no dehydrater
Denise says
Hi Anne, of course you can make them in the oven. I would put it on the lowest setting possible and check them often. For the dehydrator I had them at 135 degrees for about 4 hours. So if you oven’s lowest setting is 200 degrees start checking at 3 hours until you think they are done. I would also line the cookie sheet with parchment paper if you have it. Hope that helps! Let me know how it goes.
Donna says
Do they need to be peeled beforehand?
Denise says
Hi Donna, I don’t peel them. There are a lot of nutrients in the peels and they don’t bother my pup. Hope you like them!
Condoleeza says
I make sweet potato jerky all the time. It occurred to me after buying packages of them for $12 each for 2 years that I could probably do this! A quick google and I found them on an SPCA website. I slice them with the mandoline (a little thicker as noted). I put them on a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper. I cook them at 275 for about 2 hours-ish. I turn them over periodically and also take out some when cooked. I like to have some leathery and some crunchy (mainly for me – they are soooo delicious). In the oven, the natural sugars come out and they are actually a bit carmelized.
Denise says
Hi Condoleeza,
Thanks for leaving a comment! I’m sure lots of people would love to know how to make these in the oven.
Julie says
Thanks for this because I don’t have a dehydrator so this is great news, my pups love the green beans!
Phyllis says
I was just getting ready to ask how we would do this in the oven as I have no dehydrator. Thanks for answering my question for me.
valerie says
Your pup is too adorable!! I’ve tried making the sweet potato treats in the past and had the worst time slicing them with a mandoline. Any tips to make it easier? Would hate to lose a finger.
Denise says
Hi Valerie,
I know what you mean about the mandolin and I’m sorry I don’t have any tricks. I’ve sliced 3 of my fingers over the years so now I’m ultra careful. Some people make them thicker and therefore you could just use a knife. You would just have to dry them longer in the dehydrator. Thanks for the compliment about my pup! She’s our first dog and she’s a just a joy to all of us!
Tina says
When I use my mandolin I wear a oven mit, it works…….I cut my finger really deep when I first starting using it. So I decided had to find a solution to this problem. And a nice thick oven mit was the solution and it really worked for me. Hope this helps you.
Denise says
Tina,
That is seriously an excellent idea! I will do that from now on because I live in fear every time i use it.
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment!
liz says
Izzy is absolutely adorable!!! I also have a small white and black pup with one black eye, he is called Baci and is a maltipoo. What type of dog is Izzy? I am definitely going to make these veggie treats as Baci does not like any of the nyla bones or other chew type toys, but he does love sweet potatoes! Thanks for sharing this recipe. Also, Baci had the same tear staining as Izzy. I did so much research and tried so many different products to stop it,, but none really worked or were unsafe. I finally found a holistic powder (no antibiotics) made in the UK. I purchase it from a breeder in the US who is able to import it. Happy to share the info for it – just send me an email.
[email protected] says
Hi Liz, Izzy is a Cockapoo and she’s about 6 months. We were told that staining was a result of the our water. When we get her groomed you can’t really see it at all and while we try to clean it, we decided to live with it. Thanks for stopping by and I hope Baci likes the treats!
Karen Rose says
I have Maitipoo that have same problem with eyes staining. Could u please put me in contact with the vet that sells the powder fro the UK? I have him on distilled water with no results .I mean he eyes every day with just warm water. Need help
Rebecca says
For the tear stains try the miracle tear and face scrub from Hownd in the Uk. It works so well and is 100% natural & vegan. Amazing range of products
https://dogslovehownd.com/product/miracle-face-scrub-natural-tear-stain-treatment-250ml/?v=68caa8201064
Alice says
If you want to avoid eye staining, try feeding raw. I had a Japanese Chin girl with a lot of white on her face and she’d get terrible staining when I fed her kibble. When I transitioned my girls to raw a few months later, within a couple of weeks the staining was entirely gone. After that, the only time her face was stained was when I’d leave her with her breeder when I went on vacation. He fed Chicken Soup and her face was a mess. That happened twice, a couple of years apart.
I have a new Chin boy now and he gets staining under one of his eyes. I was being lazy and feeding him a combo of kibble and frozen turkey patties. It’s time this boy went raw.
Sue Davison says
CAn you tell me about powder for tear staining? Do you apply it or feed it to them? Thanks!
Gourmet Getaways says
What a great story, I love getting out and about.
Thanks for sharing.
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
[email protected] says
Glad you enjoyed it Julie!