How to Bake Dog Treats From Canned Dog Food

Healthy dog treats are easy to bake using canned dog food.

Maybe the treat cupboard is bare, or perhaps you just feel like giving your dog something different. There are lots of ways to make dog treats, and using canned food may not be the first thing to come to your mind. However, by using good quality canned dog food as a starting point, you can easily create a number of tasty and economical treats for your canine companion and include some of his favorite foods in the mixture as well.

Things You'll Need

• One 16-ounce can commercial dog food
• Can opener
• Three or four small bowls for mixing food
• Spoon
• Chopped or shredded ingredients of your choosing (apples, carrots, cheese, chicken, beef)
• Cookie sheet or parchment paper
• Vegetable spray
• Melon scooper (optional)
• Wax paper

Instructions

1. Place the contents of the can into the mixing bowl. Mix well with the spoon. Mash up any lumps that may be in the food.

2. Scoop the chopped vegetables, fruit or meat into the bowl and mix well. Set aside.

3. Prepare the cookie sheet by spraying lightly with the cooking spray. Drop the food mixture onto the cookie sheet by the spoonful, or use the melon scooper. Place each mound two inches apart. Continue the process until the cookie sheet is full.

4. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the cookie sheet on the top rack in the oven. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, taking care to adjust the time for the size of the treats. If you have made larger treats, allow a little more cooking time, and less time for smaller treats.

5. Remove cookie sheet from oven when the treats are browning around the edges and appear to be cooked through. This process is similar to baking cookies. Slide a spatula under each treat and place on wax paper to cool. Store the treats in a plastic container in the refrigerator.

Tips & Warnings

• Vary the type of treats by choosing different additions each time you bake.

• Use the added ingredients as a topping, rather than mixing them in.

• Do not use prescription dog foods.

• Do not include more than one or two additions to the dog food base at a time.

References

• The Whole Dog Journal: Healthy Homemade Dog Food Recipes
• The Dog Health Guide: Dog Food
• BalanceIT.com: Instantly Create Homemade Pet Food Recipes
• The Daily Puppy: Dog Nutrition

Resources

• NuttyPetLover.com