Megan-simple turkey dog treats, for the gluten-free pups

Guest post by aaronanderin

Megan-simple turkey dog treats, for the gluten free pups

These are so ridiculously easy to make. They’re great for squishing pills into, which is why I make them (just make sure to shred them really small so you get the right consistency or else the finished treats will fall apart). My dogs love them, and I love knowing exactly what they are eating. Here’s how I make them…

Ingredients:

  • ½-¾lb shredded carrots
  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon of guar gum (a gluten free binder to keep from having to use flour)

You can also substitute or add any other dog-friendly vegetables. I’ve used green beans and broccoli before.

Megan-simple turkey dog treats, for the gluten free pups2

Instructions:

  1. Mix them all up in the blender and put on a cookie sheet.
  2. I squeezed them out into logs-like shapes with the jerky gun, but you can also just plop them on a cookie sheet with a teaspoon like cookies.
  3. Cook for 30 minutes at 375 degrees for softer treats, or 1 hour 15 minutes at 300 degrees for slightly dryer more dog cookie-like treats.
  4. Chop them up into bite-size pieces after cooling and store in the refrigerator.
making super simple turkey dog treats for my gluten free dogs

I’ve kept them in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, although they’re usually gone before that.

Comments on Megan-simple turkey dog treats, for the gluten-free pups

  1. Can dogs have gluten sensitivity? I’m curious because my parents’ dog has frequently displayed IBS-like symptoms, for which the vet has recommended they put her on a diet of rice and ground beef (which does appear to settle things down). For treats, they use freeze-dried liver, but I think I’ll pass this recipe on to them in the interest of variety. Thanks for sharing!

    • OMG! My puppies are famous! Ok, sorry for the outburst. Yes Erin (other Erin, hehehe!), I think dogs can have gluten sensitivity. My dog (the fluffy one above) used to get itchy scabs all over his body and ear infections, so the vet told us to switch to grain free food. That mostly helped. Every once in a while he would get itchy again and have to get antibiotics, but not nearly as often. We recently switched him to a food with no grain and no rice and it seems to be working even better. The vet said that foods like that (we get Blue Buffalo Freedom) are really low in fiber so we now put some chopped up carrots and green beans on top of his food. Can we say spoiled dogs?
      I guess dogs are like people and gluten affects everyone differently. There’s some interesting info here:
      http://www.petwave.com/Dogs/Basics/Gluten.aspx
      This article says that it is particularly well documented in Wheaten Terriers, which my dog is half, so that make sense. Hope you parents pup enjoys the treats! 🙂

      • Oh my goodness, your poor doggie! That sounds terrible. 🙁 I’m glad he is better now with the diet!

        Thanks for the link; I’ll go check it out and send the info along to my parents. 🙂 Their dog is a whippet, and seems to have always had a sensitive tummy (and picky eating habits! The cat is less picky than she is, haha), so perhaps some more info would help improve things further, particularly since she’s getting old now.

    • My dogs are siblings. One of them does fine with wheat products, one gets TERRIBLE gas if we give her wheat. It’s awful, so we just avoid wheat for both of them.

    • I had a mal-nourished Rescue Dane with awful dandruff & itchy skin. I switched her to a Wheat-Free & Egg-free diet and WOW! Also gave her vit E/ Borage oil (Brand name – Derma Caps) We used “Wellness” brand kibble, she did well on that.

      So, yes, dogs can have food sensitivities/ allergies. : )

  2. These treats seem like a great idea! I especially like the lack of rice–a known allergy trigger for my Shiba Inu. I find it incredible that a Japanese breed can’t handle rice!

  3. Your pups are so cute and well-behaved!

    I love having gluten-free (and grain-free in general) options for our dog because, even though she isn’t gluten intolerant, dogs don’t need grain the way humans do and they don’t digest it well. We noticed a huge difference when we switched our dog from regular kibble to a raw meat diet. She’s more energetic, her coat is healthier, and her poops are smaller and better-formed than when she was eating kibble.

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