By Ron and Lisa Beres for KnowMore.tv
Dogs live in the same toxic world that we do--they breathe in, ingest and absorb the same chemicals. But because they spend so much more time on the floor, where nasty things such as fire retardants, grease-proof chemicals and plasticizers tends to accumulate, dogs actually have 40 percent higher levels of chemicals in their systems than people do, according to a study by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). To minimize their exposure to chemicals, it's extra important to give your pets nothing but the best whenever possible.
You can start by making your own organic dog treats, which will be free of the animal byproducts commonly found in commercial pet foods, not to mention corn and wheat, which are known to cause allergies in certain pets. Of course you'll also avoid byproducts, chemical preservatives, antibiotic-fed protein or added growth hormones, chemical additives, dyes and preservatives.
Ready to bake your own pet treats? They're dog-gone good!
Dog Biscuit: Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Crisp Biscuit
Yield: 30 medium sized treats
Ingredients
• 1 organic apple, cored, peeled and cut into cubes
• ½ cup water
• 1 ½ brown rice flour
• ½ cup buckwheat flour
• ¼ cup water
• 1 organic apple, cored and coarsely chopped
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 °F.
2. In small saucepan, boil apple cubes in ½ cup water until soft and tender. Puree boiled apples along with the remaining water from the saucepan to make apple sauce.
3. Transfer apple sauce into a large mixing bowl; add buckwheat flour, water, cinnamon and vanilla extract and beat well. Add 1 ¼ brown rice flour ¼ cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Knead in coarsely chopped apple, then knead in remaining ¼ cup brown rice flour. If dough is a little wet, knead in a little bit of brown rice flour until dough is easy to work with. When dough comes together and no longer sticky, form into a flat disk.
4. On a flat surface, roll the dough out into a round of 1/4-inch thickness and cut out shapes using cookie cutters, an overturned cup or a knife. Arrange biscuits in an ungreased cookie sheet. Gather scraps of dough together and re-roll and cut out more biscuits.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Turn biscuits over half way through baking. Let biscuits cool completely on the cookie sheet.
Pupcakes: Peanut Butter Banana Pupcakes
Yield: 12 pupcakes
Ingredients
• 1 ¾ cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ cup skim milk
• ¼ cup honey
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 ripe organic banana, mashed
• 4 tablespoons organic peanut butter (all natural, low sodium, less sugar)
• 1 tablespoon flax seeds
• 1 tablespoons sesame seeds
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line cupcake pan with paper cupcake cups.
2. In a large glass mixing bowl, beat together the mashed banana and peanut butter.
3. Add all of the remaining ingredients and mix together with a wooden spoon, then beat until well blended.
4. Spoon the batter into cupcake cups, about ¾ full. Sprinkle tops with flax seeds and sesame seeds.
5. Bake 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pupcakes comes out clean. Let cakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Paws Up From the Critics
Do these treats sound tasty? Don't take our word for it. Here's what the canines had to say:
"Holly and Roxy really loved the pupckes! They thought that they were delicious!"
--Sister-in-law
"Diamond gobbled up the pupcake and biscuit!"
--Neighbor
"Leila and Sade are crazy for the pupcake and biscuit!"
--Glenda Potts, friend
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