Maeby Not, Maeby So: Quick & Easy Homemade Doggie Treats

Meet Maeby. She is my furry little companion/ball of cuteness. She came into my life quite unexpectedly. I went to Wal-mart for toilet paper between classes one day and came home with a puppy; which I bought from someone’s trunk in the parking lot. I guess you could say it was a bit of an impulse buy, but who could resist that face?

I used to get squeamish when people would start going on about their pets so I’ll spare you the agony.

Lately Maeby and I have been having an issue. You see, she is very finicky about her food. I’ve consulted with the vet numerous times about this issue and they say she’s healthy, but coaxing her to eat is sometimes quite a chore. I’ve tried so many different dog foods it’s ridiculous. I’m finally to the point where I’ve decided to dabble in making her food. I’ve been reading about it lately to make sure it’s safe and so far I have found many sources that say it is. Rather than diving directly into making the food, which seems a bit complicated, I’ve decided to start with handmade treats.

This brings me to my first topic in the Maeby Not, Maeby So series: Quick and easy dog treats. If Maeby and I both approve of the treat it will get a “Maeby So!”, if we don’t like it a “Maeby Not”. I found basic recipes for treats on a site called Bullwinkle.

Easy Homemade Doggie Treats

1. Peanut Butter Puppy Poppers rating: Maeby So!

The original recipe makes a very large batch, so I cut it in half, still yielding plenty of treats. I also cut the cook time down by about half as well. In the end, the treats turned out nicely and Maeby really enjoys them. I am in no way an expert on this, so you should really know how your pet will react to each ingredient before feeding it to them. I found out that some dogs are allergic to peanuts, just like adults. So please use your discretion :)

1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375’F. In a bowl, combine flour and baking powder.

In another bowl, mix peanut butter and milk.

Then add to dry ingredients and mix well.

Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness and use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes. I didn’t have a cookie cutter so I used a small jar flipper upside down. This worked nicely.

Bake for 11 minutes on a greased baking sheet until lightly brown. This will vary based on the power of your oven. The original recipe called for 20 minutes. Maeby has trouble with very crunchy food, so I’m glad I opted for less time.

Cool on a rack, then store in an airtight container.

Please make sure you know how your pet will react to each ingredient before feeding it to them!

2. Doggie Dots rating: Maeby Not.

I created this recipe, but it is a modification of this. This one is so super easy. Maeby really likes them, but I don’t. Since the treat is frozen Maeby could not eat it right away causing it to melt and stain the couch. I would consider this after a walk on a hot day or to take outside.

1 small jar baby food (I used chicken flavor)
1/2 cup plain yogurt

Simply mix yogurt and baby food together.

Pour into an ice cube tray.

Freeze and pop! I found this great little ice cube tray that makes the Dot-like shape. The bottom of the tray is a flexible silcone making it very easy to press the treats out.

So that’s that! I’ll be covering more pet related issues in the future, but for the time being if you have any knowledge on this topic or suggestions for more recipes I’d love to know!

-BL