What better way to celebrate the dog’s big day than with a big, tasty cake? However you can’t just bake a normal human cake – it’ll be too rich and is likely to upset the dog’s digestive tract – and that’s the last thing you want on the dog’s birthday!
So here’s a recipe for a healthy doggy birthday cake that will put a smile on the dog’s face, and won’t cause trouble.
To make a cake big enough for 3 or 4 dogs, you’ll need:
· 250g beef mince
· 1 grated carrot
· 75g Oatmeal
· 75g flour
· 30g butter
· 3 eggs
· Yoghurt
· 2 rashers bacon
Method
1. Fry the mince until brown, add in the grated carrot and continue to cook gently for a few minutes.
2. Mix together the flour and oatmeal and rub in the butter. Beat in the eggs to form a sticky paste, and then add in the mince and carrot, complete with any juice from the pan.
3. Mix the mixture together and press it into a well-greased cake tin.
4. Cook for 30 minutes in a moderate oven and then turn out and allow to cool.
5. Grill the bacon until crisp and then cut up into small pieces. Cover the cake with yoghurt and sprinkle on the bacon pieces.
The content of this article should not replace the advice given to you by your vet. If you are in any doubt, please refer back to your pets veterinary surgeon
The ideal way to celebrate Easter and the coming of summer is to cook up this delicious rabbit casserole for the dogs.
Rabbit is a healthy, lean meat, and the potato dumplings provide plenty of energy for a long walk or two.
You will need:
· 1 rabbit, chopped up
· A little flour
· 1 carrot
· 1 parsnip
· 1 can vegetable soup
Method
1. Toss the rabbit in the flour and brown it in a saucepan with a little oil. Add in the chopped carrot and parsnip and continue to fry for about five minutes. Then pour in the soup and the same quantity of water. Turn down the heat and simmer with the lid on.
Meanwhile, you can quickly make the dumplings:
· 250g mashed potato
· A handful of dog kibble (optional)
· 1 egg
· Flour
Simply mix all the ingredients together and form into walnut-sized dumplings.
When the casserole has been simmering for half an hour, drop the dumplings in and continue to cook for a further 20 minutes, adding more water if necessary.
Let the casserole cool right down and then carefully take out all the rabbit bones.
The marrow and flavour from these bones will have been absorbed by the stew, and eating cooked bones can be dangerous for dogs, so make sure none are left in.
The content of this article should not replace the advice given to you by your vet. If you are in any doubt, please refer back to your pets veterinary surgeon
This is a really quick and easy recipe for a cracking Christmas dinner for your dog, which is really tasty but also much more healthy than feeding scraps from your Christmas dinner.
It only takes about 20 minutes to prepare, and about half an hour in the oven alongside your turkey.
You will need:
· 250g turkey mince
· A couple of medium potatoes (around 350g)
· 1 good sized carrot (around 200g)
· A handful of sprouts (about 250g)
· ½ teaspoon of Marmite (or similar yeast extract)
· 1 teaspoon cranberry sauce
· Gravy from your Christmas dinner
Method
1. Firstly, boil the potatoes and sprouts for 10-15 minutes until well-cooked. Then drain them and set about them with a masher until they form a rough and sticky mash.
2. Meanwhile, heat up a frying pan and gently brown the mince. You don’t need any oil as there is plenty of fat in the meat. Once the mince is cooked through, mix it into the mash, add in the cranberry sauce (great for urinary health), and finally, just to add a healthy dose of B vitamins and a bit of extra meatiness to the flavour, stir in the Marmite (don’t worry, dogs aren’t like humans – they all love yeast extract!)
3. While the mixture is cooling down, grease a baking tray - and then it’s time to get your hands dirty! Form the sticky mix into walnut-sized balls and smooth them off, before placing them on the baking tray.
4. Pop the tray into a moderate oven for half an hour or so – until the balls are nicely crisp and brown – and then take them out and let them stand for at least twenty minutes to cool down. Then arrange them in the dog’s bowl, pour over a little gravy and serve.
The content of this article should not replace the advice given to you by your vet. If you are in any doubt, please refer back to your pets veterinary surgeon
If the romantic day should come around and there’s no-one to share it with this year, why not treat the dog to something truly special?
It’ll certainly bring you love – but perhaps not quite the kind of love you were looking for! Still, a slobbery kiss from the dog is better than nothing!
To make your dog’s Valentine dreams come true, you need to get:
· One lamb’s heart
· 1 carrot
· 1 leek
· 100g rice
Method
1. Take the heart and cover it with boiling water in a medium-sized saucepan. Add in the chopped carrot and leek and let it all simmer for 15 minutes.
In the meantime, cook the rice according to the instructions on the packet and allow it to cool down.
2. When the heart has finished cooking, drain off the water, and carefully slice it into thin strips. Put the cooked carrot and leek into a blender and reduce them to a thick puree.
3. Once everything has cooled down, serve the heart on a bed of rice and top with a spoonful of the vegetable puree.
The content of this article should not replace the advice given to you by your vet. If you are in any doubt, please refer back to your pets veterinary surgeon
Ideal for a doggy birthday, this tasty pizza is healthy thanks to the layer of spinach which provided iron and vitamins, and the low-fat turkey mince on top.
The base is made from your dog’s normal dried food, so it’s got all the goodness he normally gets every day as well as the extra tasty topping.
For one medium dog-sized pizza, you’ll need:
· 100g dried dog food
· 75g plain flour
· 30g butter or margarine
· 100g spinach, finely chopped
· 100g turkey mince
· 50g grated cheddar cheese
Method
1. Firstly, you need to grind up the dried biscuits into a fine powder using a blender. Then moisten the kibble powder with enough warm water to make it into a really moist and gooey mess. Leave it to stand for ten minutes, and add more water if you need to, as the kibble absorbs a lot of water.
2. Next, add in the flour and slightly melted butter, and mix it all together to form a thick dough. It should form up into a nice dry ball which you can roll out on a floured surface until it’s about ¼ inch thick.
3. For the topping, you need to fry up the turkey mince for five minutes or so and then mix it together with the finely chopped spinach. Cover the base with this mixture and finally, sprinkle on the grated cheese.
4. Cook in a moderate oven for 20-25 minutes – until the top is golden brown. Allow to cool thoroughly and then slice into wedges before serving.
The content of this article should not replace the advice given to you by your vet. If you are in any doubt, please refer back to your pets veterinary surgeon
This is a great recipe for really special occasions – perhaps your puppy has just had his vaccinations or passed out of puppy training school.
Whatever the occasion, he’ll love you for baking these crispy bones which are full of meaty goodness.
For 4 small bones, you will need:
· 50g butter or margarine
· 75g rolled oats
· 75g flour
· 1 egg
· ½ teaspoon Marmite
· 2 small leeks
· 125g beef mince
Method
1. Rub the butter, oats and flour together to form a crumbly mix. Then beat in the egg, mix in the Marmite and gradually add just enough hot water to make a sticky but firm dough.
2. Roll this out thinly on a floury board and cut it into 4 rectangles.
3. Next, take both leeks and remove the outer layers until they are about ½ inch thick all the way along. Coat them with a good layer of butter, and then roll two squares of the pastry around each one, leaving a gap in between. You should now have two leeks, each with two sections wrapped in pastry.
4. Lay these on a greased baking sheet, and cook them in a moderate oven for 25 minutes. Then take them out and carefully cut the leeks in half, in between the two sections of pastry. You should then be able to slide the leeks out from the pastry, leaving four firm tubes of pastry. Put these back in the oven to cook for a further ten minutes before letting them cool.
5. While the pastry is cooking, fry the mince until cooked through, and then stuff the bones with the meat, and voila, you have four delicious and healthy bones that your puppy will love!
The content of this article should not replace the advice given to you by your vet. If you are in any doubt, please refer back to your pets veterinary surgeon
Now, this might sound pretty unpleasant to you, but puppies will go mad for this shake.
It’s full of the goodness of liver, and the fresh vitamins you can only get from fruit such as banana.
Either serve on its own or pour over his dried dog food – either way, he’ll lap it up.
For enough for 2 or 3 puppy drinks, you’ll need:
· Small piece of liver (about 100g)
· 1 banana
· ½ pint milk
Method
1. Place the liver in a large bowl and cover it with boiling water.
2. Leave it to cook for ten minutes and then drop it into a blender with the peeled banana and milk.
3. Blend everything together (remember to put the lid on the blender – a mistake I’ve made once…) and serve straight away.
The content of this article should not replace the advice given to you by your vet. If you are in any doubt, please refer back to your pets veterinary surgeon
As you know - chocolate is a BIG no-no for dogs - but that doesn't mean that they have to miss out!
Here is a really easy recipe for you to make your dog their very own dog-friendly Easter Egg!
You Will Need
Mini Easter Egg Mould
300g of Carob drops
Pyrex Bowl
Saucepan (needs to be slightly smaller than the bowl)
Method
1. Place the carob drops into a heatproof bowl.
2. Fill the saucepan about a third full with water and place the bowl on top. Warm the water gradually and stir the carob until it's all melted
3. Spoon the melted carob evenly into each egg mould
4. Place in the fridge until set.
5. Once set - remove from mould.
Now repeat steps 1 - 3 to make the other half of the egg
6. Once you have filled each egg mould for the second time - place a set egg half on top of it.
7. Put in the fridge to set once again - for at least an hour.
8. Take them out of the fridge and remove from their moulds.
If you wrap the eggs in cellophane or foil please ensure that you remove before feeding to your dog.
These tasty biscuits are an ideal treat or snack for a hungry puppy.
Use them to help with training by rewarding good behaviour – but make sure you don’t overdo them as they are quite rich and fatty.
One or two treats a day as part of your training schedule is ideal.
For enough treats to last a couple of weeks, you want:
• 250g whole wheat flour
• 150g grated cheddar cheese
• 50 g butter
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 beef stock cube • Milk
Method
1. Mix the flour and butter together in a large bowl and run the fat in until it forms a crumbly mixture.
2. Then add in the grated cheese, crushed garlic and crumbled stock cube and mix well.
3. Slowly add milk to the mixture until it forms a very sticky dough.
4. Flour your hands and start kneading the dough until it forms a single firm lump.
5. Then turn it out onto a floured surface and roll it out to about ½ inch thick.
6. Cut the dough up into puppy-sized biscuits using a small pasty cutter – or if you don’t have one, try using the end of an apple corer – this cuts out the dough into just the right sized little rounds.
7. Then place the biscuits onto a greased baking tray and cook in a moderate oven (180 C, Gas Mark 4) for 15 – 20 minutes, until they are golden brown.
8. Allow to cool and then store in an air tight container.
The content of this article should not replace the advice given to you by your vet. If you are in any doubt, please refer back to your pets veterinary surgeon
Something of a treat, this recipe is packed full of wholesome nutrients – carbohydrate from the rice, protein from the meat and calcium from the milk.
It takes a while to cook, and the recipe makes enough for several meals - but you can keep it in the fridge for a few days – or better still, invite a few friends with puppies around and have a puppy party!
To make enough for a puppy party, you will require:
• 125g rice
• 750ml milk
• 150g beef or lamb mince
• 1 teaspoon Marmite
Method
1. Simply mix all the ingredients together in a large oven-proof dish.
2. Pop it in a moderate oven (180 C, Gas mark 4) for about 75 minutes.
3. Stir frequently for the 45 minutes and then leave alone for the final 30 minutes.
4. Leave it to cool for at least an hour before serving.
The content of this article should not replace the advice given to you by your vet. If you are in any doubt, please refer back to your pets veterinary surgeon
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There’s not a puppy in the world who wouldn’t love this dish.
Don’t make the dog feel left out the next time you have a children’s party – make him his own jelly so he can join in the fun!
This recipe even manages to be quite healthy, as there’s none of the sugar you’d get with a normal jelly – just lots of tasty meat juices and chunks of steak!
You will need:
• Makes approx 1 pint of jelly
• 1 small piece of stewing steak (about 150g)
• 1 small carrot
• 1 stock cube
• 1 tablespoon gelatine
Method
1. Chop the steak and carrot up into small pieces and drop them into a pan of boiling water (at least 2 pints/ 1 litre).
2. Add in the stock cube and simmer for about half an hour, and then remove the carrot and meat from the water and put them to one side.
3. Pour about 100ml or ¼ pint of the broth into a mixing bowl and add in the gelatine, mix thoroughly and then top up to a pint (450ml) with the broth. Then allow the mixture to cool before pouring a little into the bottom of a suitable mould (cat-shaped perhaps?).
4. Put the mould into the fridge and wait for it to start to set (this may take an hour or more).
5. Then add in a few small pieces of the meat, and cover with another layer of jelly liquid. Repeat this, allowing the jelly to set as you go, until you have filled the mould(s) and used up all the meat.
6. Put back in the fridge to set completely and serve with some Frozen Nutty Yoghurt.
The content of this article should not replace the advice given to you by your vet. If you are in any doubt, please refer back to your pets veterinary surgeon
Cheesy Bites For Dogs
These easy to cook treats are made with strong parmesan cheese which will appeal to most dogs, and also contain healthy turkey mince and sweet potato and oats for carbohydrate.
You will need:
• 225g turkey mince
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 small sweet potato
• 1 cup quick oats
Method
1. Boil the sweet potato and mash when done. Then mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and form it into walnut-sized balls.
2. Bake these in a moderate oven for about 20 minutes and voila – your house will smell of cheese, but the dog will have a smile on his face!
3. Store these treats in the fridge for a couple of days or freeze them if you don’t use them up.
The content of this article should not replace the advice given to you by your vet. If you are in any doubt, please refer back to your pets veterinary surgeon
It might surprise you, but in the wild dogs would eat quite a lot of fruit. This comes from eating the remains of other animals who have themselves eaten fruit, and from picking up windfalls. It provides a great supply of energy in the form of readily available fruit sugars, as well as all the vitamins and anti-oxidants we associate with fruit.
So this recipe, which is stuffed full of the goodness of raw fruit, is one of the healthiest in the book and the addition of a bit of yoghurt also adds to its healthy qualities and makes it more palatable.
Some dogs will lap this up on its own, but for the average, fast-food loving hound, you might need to pour it over his everyday dinner to get the goodness down him.
You will need:
• A banana
• An apple
• A few strawberries
• An orange
• 1 small pot of yoghurt (125ml)
Method
1. Put the peeled banana, apple and strawberries into a blender and whiz them up until they are well and truly pureed.
2. Pour into a bowl and add in the peeled and chopped up orange.
3. Finally, mix in the yoghurt and give it a good stir.
The content of this article should not replace the advice given to you by your vet. If you are in any doubt, please refer back to your pets veterinary surgeon
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