Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with dogs and treats

Making old bones new again

mireille — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:08:20 -0800

I often give my dogs roasted beef "soup bones" straight from the butcher, the kind with marrow in them. After an evening's worth of undivided attention, they are stripped down to the bone and empty inside. What can I do to turn the hollow bones back into treats? I have all these bones, and while the dogs still enjoy chewing on them, it's not like getting a good "treat". At the moment there's the better part of a cow scattered across my house. Rather than buy new bones, there has to be some way to transform them into something awesome. Boiling them in something flavored? Stuffing them with something? They're not like a Kong, where you can pour in a liquid and freeze - they're open on both ends. If there's something I can stuff them with and then dehydrate so it's harder to get at and won't go bad overnight, then that would be ideal. If I can stuff and freeze them so that I can make up a big batch at once, that would be great too.

As for flavors, the dehydrated sweet potato slices and liver that I make are big hits, but they really love anything even remotely edible.

Ideas?

(Required pics: Belle, Maia, and both)

Something to Chew On (for my dog)

lirael2008 — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 22:06:44 -0800

What are good dog treats that are long-lasting chews? I want something that is relatively healthy (i.e. no gunk like food coloring) and preferrably available for a reasonable price in bulk.

My beagle just chomps tendons and even bully sticks in almost no time and I want something to keep him occupied for a bit longer!

I have tried cow hooves and deer antlers too, but it seems he's more eager to devour the "consumable" treats.

Montessori for pups?

thatbrunette — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 13:18:05 -0800

Petafilter! Toys for the dog brainiac, but preferably not food-related. Treat-toys are fine, but whole-meal toys not so much. Suggestions? I will be bringing home the new dorglums very soon, and as he's a breed that loves to think and wants a "job", I want to have occupational toys on hand for when I need to leave him alone for a couple of hours. This has been asked before, but I'm a special snowflake. I know about the freezing a kong, and about some of the other food-dispensing toys, but those won't work as well in my situation. For one, I intend on feeding the little fella raw, and with one feeding a day it would be too easy to overfeed the little guy with a toy stuffed with kibble.

Secondly, I'm crate training, so toys that require a lot of rolling around are fine as suggestions, but it would be great to see some toys that use less space. Perhaps something that tastes good, but doesn't dispense a lot of food? He'll be fed in his crate, so I know ripping apart half a chicken will be entertaining for a while, but I'd love to find some non-edible/light edible playthings that will keep him having fun as well.

Examples: I'm planning on getting this. I know it's a cat toy, but I once watched a puppy happily chase that little ball around for a good 40 minutes. What toys do you use to keep your smart little pups thinking?

Wanted: Super pain in the neck non-allergen dog treat needed. Apply Within.

magnoliasouth — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 09:30:06 -0800

Help! I need an easy inexpensive dog treat/cookie recipe without any common allergens. Is this really as impossible as it seems? I have a multi-allergy Lab/GSD mixed dog. Her diet excludes poultry, beef, nuts and any grains (wheat, corn, oats, rice, etc.) at all. I've had dozens of dogs throughout my life and she is the first one with any allergies at all, and she came with a boatload! Two ear surgeries and over $1,000 later, we finally at least know what was causing the problem.

That said I simply cannot afford specialized treats (there is nothing left now, after the vet bills) and besides, I don't trust the manufacturers anyway.

I also cannot afford (nor even find) specialized health food flour alternatives. I've heard about soy flour and something about tapioca flour, but try finding that in the swamps of Alabama. You can't. I could buy online, but then my eyes began burning in their sockets when I saw what the prices were. No thanks!

I am aware that I can dehydrate foods like bananas, sweet potatoes and pumpkins, but they either turn out too hard (and she ends up just unsafely swallowing them) or they turn out too moist (and go bad in a day or so).

Refrigeration is out too. She won't eat them cold (yes, she is a princess) and I'm not going to heat each and every treat I ever give her for the rest of her natural born life. I love her so very much, but I won't.

Surely there is a cookie-like recipe out there, with somewhat common ingredients not excluded from her diet, that do not require chef like skills nor the wallet of Bill Gates.

I've Googled this until I'm literally dreaming ingredients. Can someone, anyone, help me?

Dog Treats

about_time — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 17:28:23 -0800

My dog loves dried sweet potato chews. They go for $20 a bag in the pet store even though the only ingredients are potatoes. It must be that I can make them at home for the cost of a potato. Do I need a fancy food dehydrator or can I just cut the potatoes up into thick pieces and put my oven on 200F for a many hours? Anyone have a specific recipe or experience making them? I didn't find any recipes on line. Thanks for your help.

Nom nom nom woof

mudpuppie — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 14:04:43 -0800

Weird foods do dogs like to eat? A friend and I are considering selling gourmet dog treats at the local farmers' market. We're especially interested in incorporating unusual ingredients (fruits, nuts, veggies, popcorn, etc.) that will appeal to their owners. Problem is, neither of us have a dog. (We're thinking of doing taste tests at the local SPCA.)

Help us get started. What are some weird things that you've known dogs to eat, and that aren't unhealthy? (In other words -- suggestions like rubber bands and ink pens and socks and the like aren't all that useful.) And what are some non-weird things that you've seen dogs absolutely flip for?

Also, what about common supplements? Are they palatable to dogs? We know that garlic and nutritional yeast are often used as flea repellent, but do dogs like stuff like that? Which ones seem to be the tastiest?

Thanks.