Homemade Dog Treats

U.S. pet owners spent almost $7 billion on treats for dogs and cats in 2019 (market research firm Packaged Facts). In the 2020 stay-at-home COVID world, it will likely be even more. But what is in this mountain of store-bought treats? You may not want to know. The FDA is tasked with regulation and safety of all food, including pet food. But you don’t have to dig very deep to find some really disturbing information.

Coco Nutty dog treat ingredients

Keep it simple.

Humans obsess about our own diets. A recent survey found that the average adult will try 126 different diets in their lifetime. Information is everywhere. Variety may be the spice of life… for humans. But not for dogs. Find what they like and stick to it.

Coco Nutty Dog Treats Recipe

Sweet Potato Turkey Pet Treats Recipe

Peanut Butter Apple Soft Treats

Cheesy Carrot Apple Treats

Tuna Dog Treats

One commercial
dog treat.
32 ingredients.

Here is a simple rule for pets… and humans. If ANY processed food has 32 ingredients you probably should not eat it. Especially if some of those ingredients require a chemistry degree to understand. The FDA requires producers to list all the ingredients, but not where they come from or how they were handled. Many store-bought treats may also be very high in calories. That can cause weight problems, especially in older dogs.

Skip the uncertainty.
Make better
pet treats yourself.

Clip art, fish meat, fruit and vegetables

Since wolves are dog’s ancient ancestors, many pet owners think dogs are just meat-eaters / carnivores. Modern dogs evolved around humans and ate a wider variety of food scraps. But just because dogs will eat about anything, it doesn’t mean they should.

parallax
happy dog face

What's GOOD

Meats, chicken, turkey, carrots, salmon (cooked not raw), pumpkin, sweet potatoes (skin removed), egg yolk or cooked whole egg, apples, oatmeal, peanut butter (careful – NO xylitol sweetener – use only natural), bananas, blueberries, green beans, rice, mango, cantaloupe, garbanzo beans (plain – no hummus)

What's good for dogs
sad dog face

What's BAD

Avocados, alcohol, raw yeast bread dough, fruit seeds or pits, foods with caffeine, chocolate, cooked bones, grapes or raisins, macadamia nuts, garlic, onions, xylitol (artificial sweetener), milk, mushrooms, walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, potato skins, raw potatoes, salty foods

What's bad for dogs

A dog lover’s story

two huskies

Patrick makes dehydrated foods for his Siberian huskies, Conrad and Cara, using sweet potato and a combination of raw meats. Patrick dehydrates his homemade dog food until crispy and breakable, allowing him to snap off little pieces for his huskies when they behave. Plus, the crunchy treats keep Conrad’s and Cara’s teeth clean and plaque-free.

Patrick uses quality ingredients to fuel his dogs through hikes, adventures, and outback trips but still saves money compared to buying packaged treats. A helpful tip from Patrick: partially freeze your meats for easy slicing before dehydrating. This way you can make uniform thin slices for extra crispy jerky. Then strap a pack to your dog so that your canine can carry their own lightweight food. 

The Sahara Dehydrator with slices of apples

Dehydrating makes it easy

Dehydrating is a great way to make healthy and nutritious treats your pet will love. Easily turn meats, vegetables, and other simple ingredients into easy to handle treats you can carry in your pocket and require no refrigeration.

Meats can be raw or cooked. When using raw meat, follow the same guidelines as when making jerky for humans. Your pet will love you for it. 

Why SAHARA?

Sure, you could make dog treats in any food dehydrator, but why not choose a dehydrator that can do it all? The Sahara is the world’s first and only dehydrator that quickly folds to 1/3 its size for easy storage. Even with this convenience, nothing is sacrificed. With 700W of heat, Sahara powers through the biggest loads of jerky. The patented dual temperature sensors also control heat for drying of delicate herbs and even flowers. Sahara has two independent 350W heaters to kick start the drying process, but automatically switches back to one heater as the food dries – another industry first. And of course, Sahara looks great on your kitchen counter.

Dehydrating dog treats in the Sahara

Experiencea New World of Food

Customer Reviews

Based on 138 reviews
96%
(133)
3%
(4)
1%
(1)
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E
Emily S.

Gorgeous! Just as described. Five stars

B
Brian V.
Off the Charts Customer Service

I purchased the Sahara Folder Dehydrator some time back. I use it daily and for some reason the fan melted. Obviously a malfunction. I called Customer Service and they said to send it in and we would repair it at no cost. They sent me a prepaid mailing sticker.

Upon arrival at the Massachusetts office I was informed the glass door got smashed during shipping. No problem ... they replaced the entire unit and sent it me at no charge. In the whole process the only thing I lost was time, and gained a brand new unit. We usually never see Customer Service like this ... Kudos to Brod & Taylor ... ~bv

D
Dennis V.
Easy to use and even easier to store

I used the "Sahara" to make salmon jerky. It worked great. Cleanup was easy. And I really liked that I could fold the dehydrator and store it on a bookshelf. I plan more food dehydration projects. Thanks for an excellent design.

Salmon jerky sounds delicious, Dennis!

C
Cara M.
Great dehydrator!

I recently purchased this dehydrator to dehydrate fresh milled pasta. It works beautifully. Very well built and I love that it folds up and stores easily. Great quality! Brod and Taylor products are always such a joy to use in the kitchen!

Cara - What a great way to use the Sahara dehydrator!

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