I have been feeding my dog Brie the BARF diet (Bones and Raw Food) for nearly her whole life. Early in her life she came down with a digestive problem requiring medication and a friend suggested that I check out BARF. Research ensued and from the first day that I nervously watched her crunch through a bowl of raw chicken wings I have never looked back.
Some things just make too much sense to ignore, despite what the mainstream tells us.
For a long time I made my own dog cookies too but I have become complacent and for this part of Brie’s diet I just buy what appears to be the best commercial option. As she approaches her 14th birthday though I have been tweaking her diet and doing a bit of research to see what other improvements I could be making for my very senior pooch.
The post of another blogger got me inspired recently to pull out the stand mixer and bake up some really great quality, grain free, dog treats. Grain free is the tough part as pretty much all dog food and treats are made with grains, a food that dogs are unable to digest well at all.
I came up with this version, using coconut flour, eggs, meat and pumpkin. Brie loves them (she loves ALL cookies!) but the coconut flour makes them a bit on the delicate side and left me wishing I had a slightly heftier bone shaped cutter. I started off with little stars just because a smaller treat is good for a dog who is always looking for them, then I did some with my classic bone shaped cutter but after having a few break on me I resorted to just shaping them into little balls and flattening them out. After all, the shape thing is for me, not for her.
The ingredients in these cookies are all top notch for a dog.
Brie’s birthday is on Christmas day, or at least that is what the clever farmer who sold her to us told us. Maybe I’ll bake her up a cake.
Um, prolly not.
Ingredients
- 1 C canned pumpkin
- 1 small jar beef and broth baby food
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp kelp
- 1 Tbsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 3/4 C coconut flour
- 1/4 C coconut oil melted if solid
Instructions
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Mix all ingredients in a medium sized bowl until well distributed.
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Divide dough into three portions and carefully roll out onto a pastry board, silicone baking mat, or parchment paper. Roll to about 1/4" thickness. You'll have to be quite careful as this dough lacks flour to bind it together and it is both sticky and crumbly at the same time.
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Use a cookie cutter to cut shapes, or if you prefer (your dog really doesn't care), just roll into balls and flatten with your fingers.
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Bake in a 350° oven for about 45 minutes. You want the cookies to be pretty dry but not overly browned.
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