by Kimberly Gauthier, CPCN | Dec 5, 2015 | Dog Treats | 23 comments
Keep the Tail Wagging is supported by pet parents. I occasionally earn a commission (at no additional cost to you) when you click through an affiliate link to one of my favorite products. Thank you for your support. Read More
I've had my Excalibur food dehydrator for more than a month and I love it. But I suck at making dog treats. In my mind, I thought that I'd toss things into the dehydrator whenever I had fruit or veggies and make fun things for our dogs. I was going to be dehydrating green beans, tomatoes, zucchini, and all kinds of squash.
So far, I've made some yummy, soft apple and pear chips, crunchy flavorless sweet potato chips, hard as a rock venison jerky, and some dried leaves that used to be kale. But I won't give up. Our dogs are going to eat and love all my healthy treats. Dammit!
So instead of winging it, I decided to look up some recipes. There are loads on the Excalibur food dehydrator website and they're ranked by users. And Mr. Google was helpful too when I asked him to show me some dehydrated dog treat recipes. Dammit!
This weekend, our dogs are going to enjoy some yummy treats. I think I'll have some too.
DepositPhoto/bhofack2
- Wash kale, remove stems, and tear leaves into large pieces.
- Massage olive oil (or coconut oil) into the leaves; be conservative.
- Sprinkle kale with salt (or other spices if you're more experienced).
- Place prepared kale on an Excalibur food dehydrator trays with a regular mesh sheet.
- Dehydrate on 105 degrees for about 12 hours.
According to SlimDoggy.com, Kale is “a great source of Vitamins A, C, and K as well as the minerals copper, potassium and iron to name a few.” Kale is also an excellent source of anti-oxidants, but I think that with any greens (spinach, greens, etc), these should be given in moderation until you know how your dog will do with them. I've read that some dogs struggle with eating greens. I know that our dogs love them.
DepositPhoto/bhofack2
- Peel, core and slice apples about 1/4 inch thick.
- Soak in a mix of lemon juice and water (to prevent browning).
- Remove apples from liquid and place on Excalibur food dehydrator trays.
- Dehydrate on 135 degrees for 6 hours (I was dehydrating our apples for too long).
Apples are a low calorie, healthy treat for dogs that's high in vitamin A, vitamin C, and dietary fiber. Just like with the humans, too much fruit can have an unwelcome outcome when it's on its way out (yep, I went there). Always rememeber that apples are chalk full of fiber – be conservative with this treat, because it is yummy.
DepositPhoto/bhofack2
- Wash and peel 2 sweet potatoes.
- Slice then thinly; I use a slicer, because it's easier and faster than using a knife.
- Soak the sweet potatoes in a bowl of water for 30 minutes; change the water and soak for another 30 minutes (this is the step that I missed)
- Drain the water and towel dry the sweet potato slices and lay flat on a cookie sheet.
- Drizzle each sweet potato slice with melted coconut oil.
- If the chips are for humans, sprinkle with sea salt; I leave them salt-free for the dogs.
- Arrange the slices on the trays of the Excalibur food dehydrator.
- Dehydrate for 12 hours at 145 degrees.
I've read that we shouldn't feed our dogs white potatoes; but sweet potatoes are the good potatoes. These are also fiber rich; they're also a great source of vitamin B6, vitamin C, beta-carotene, and manganese.
DepositPhoto/bhofack2
- Open and wash a family size pack of boneless chicken breasts or beef.
- I don't have a meat slicer, so I use a fillet knife (that I bought for cleaning fish – that so didn't happen), slicing 1/4″ thick slices from top to bottom.
- Place chicken slices on the Excalibur food dehydrator trays.
- Dehydrate for 3 hours at 140 degrees F and then check on them to see how they're coming along.
I like my jerky treats to be chewy. I made really hard venison jerky once and although the dogs ate them, they weren't gung-ho about them. They love the chewy jerky.
Tracyon April 23, 2018 at 9:38 am
My Wheaton loves these. So healthy! I use a dehydrator and mine is 20 yrs. old but it works like a charm. Slice chicken breast, put on dehydrator and forget for 11 hours. I also do sweet potatoe chips on the dehydrator. Wonderful option and cost effective too! Thanks.
Donnaon March 23, 2018 at 4:53 pm
The least ingredients the better, my parents dog has bad allergies & the vet said the ear infections go along with the allergies because the skin gets oily which make the wax build up in the ear canal, try giving him anything raw, have you tried raw carrots, my dog loves the crunch, I have dehydrated liver & chicken.
Donnaon March 23, 2018 at 4:43 pm
I have dehydrated liver for my dog, she loved it , I got it fresh from a friend who butchered their cows.
Tammyon January 12, 2018 at 1:53 am
How is your pooch doing this year. Have you removed the cause?
Kimberlyon November 22, 2017 at 8:39 am
Thanks, Denise. I’ve never heard of this tip and it would explain why using my oven didn’t work for me.
Deniseon November 21, 2017 at 5:50 pm
If you are dehydrating in your oven you need to prop your oven door open slightly to reduce moisture and keep air circulating. I used a silicone pot holder.
Anyone ever try slicing pumpkin in a food processor before dehydrating? I found it very difficult to slice the pumpkin thin enough.Kimberlyon October 25, 2017 at 8:36 am
Hi Terri
Thanks for sharing this. My oven only goes to 200, can I do the same at that temp, maybe reduce the time to 2 hours only? And does your entire house smell like liver?
Terri Watjinson October 25, 2017 at 2:28 am
I make beef liver dehydrated in my oven. Set at 170 for about 2-3 hours. I sometimes flip them over once. My dogs like them chewy not brittle so I watch the drying time closely. I use scissors to cut into bite size treats after they cook.
Lindaon October 13, 2017 at 1:31 pm
Could you give dehydrated raw treats ? I give those to my dog as well as dental beams made out of fish from Pet Club. Other dog stores may have that product. My dog had a really bad rare yeast problem where she licked her feet until they were bloody, so I took her off all treats with grains. I only give her the dheydrated raw treats and fish treats. I always read the bags before purchasing anything. I am pretty picky about what I feed her. I had been feeding raw only a short amount of time. See if there are more holistic dog stores in your area instead of the food chains. That would make it easier to find something healthier. I want to try making my own treats also ! Linda 😀
Kimberlyon October 3, 2017 at 7:53 pm
Thank you for the tip.
Jackie Bennetton October 3, 2017 at 4:45 pm
Once your dog treat is dried but it into a 300 degree F oven for 10 minutes, this will make sure all parasites are killed and you can then keep for months with out any worry.
Kimberlyon September 18, 2017 at 8:26 am
You can always make your own treats. I give my dogs limited ingredient treats. Mostly protein. Here is a link to a list of the treats that I like best for my dogs: https://keepthetailwagging.com/2016-ultimate-guide-to-healthy-dog-treats/
Tammyon September 16, 2017 at 7:53 pm
My 12 yr. old co*ckerSpaniel has food allergies really bad along with bad ear infections and yeast problems so I am feeding him a semi raw all organic meat and veggie diet. Is there any kind of snacks I can make for him because I feel terrible that I can’t give him any kind of snacks any more.
Kimberlyon July 14, 2017 at 6:59 am
I haven’t tried liver treats in my dehydrator yet. I did it in the oven and it smelled up the house so when I do liver treats, I’ll set the dehydrator outside on a nice day. I do the same for bone broth and it works out well.
Sue Jon July 10, 2017 at 5:04 am
Kimberlyon June 28, 2017 at 11:30 am
Thanks for the tip, Kim
Kim Conoveron June 27, 2017 at 9:55 am
FYI- If you partially freeze the chicken or beef before you slice it, you will be able to slice it thinner and it’s a whole lot easier to slice, in general.
Kimberlyon May 5, 2017 at 7:57 pm
It’s Fahrenheit. Thanks for asking.
Hannieon May 5, 2017 at 2:10 am
Hi, may I know 140 degrees F or C?
Debbieon March 27, 2017 at 10:09 pm
I prepare all my dogs food and have always wanted to make his treats. I buy fresh kangaroo meat from a pet butcher so I’m going to give it ago and make Roo Jerky … thank you for all your comments I have enjoyed reading the all.
Maggieon December 5, 2015 at 5:12 pm
Those sound great! I think I’d eat those first two, too!
Forest Poodleson December 5, 2015 at 2:09 pm
I got a dehydrator this autumn too, but so far have only used it for human treats. The poodles really love pumpkin, I wonder if there are any pumpkin dehydrated treat recipes for dogs!? Quite frankly, all these recipes sound good for dog and human! Win, win!
Charlie's Pet Corneron December 5, 2015 at 12:32 pm
It never crossed my mind to use my dehydrator to make awesome dog treats! Thanks for the tips!
