how to make dog treats out of dry dog food

How to Make Canned Dog Food into Treats

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Update: I wrote this when Quijote was on a restricted diet and having a treats he could eat was a game changer! We are now introducing his regular foods back into his diet and will see how he does.

Since we adopted Quijote, hes had stomach issues on and off that vets couldnt quite pinpoint the cause of.

After a recent bout, a different vet scanned his history with fresh eyes. She had a theory about acid reflux and pancreatitis and Im a little fuzzy on the details, but, for the first time, we had a plan.

Thats the good news.

The bad news is that said plan involves at least a few months of exclusively feeding him that expensive vet-prescribed food theres a kibble (which hes not that into) and canned food (which seems to mostly be for making the kibble more palatable).

And it means all of his treats are currently off the menu. Which is kind of a big deal for him, as well as us. Because, before this, I think our treat game was on point. We had treats for training, for nightly teeth cleaning (his favorites!), for hiding pills, for stuffing into a Kong to keep him distracted when we went out for coffee or over to my parents house for dinner you get the idea.

A week or two into what he must think of as The Great Treat Famine of 2019, I asked the vet for suggestions. She said theres a way you can actually bake the canned food to give it a more solid, treat-like texture!She was a little fuzzy on the details of how to do it, but I was like dont worry. This is definitely a thing the internet has the answer to.

It had several answers, actually. A lot of them recommended techniques I couldnt make sense of until I tried them out myself. I used tips from various recipes, especially one I found onDog Treat Kitchen plus some trial-and-error.

DIY Dog Food Treats

Method 1: Freeze

Before I get into how to bake treats, Ill share a shortcut I stumbled on in the process: freezing them.

How to:

You just dollop some treat-size bits of canned food onto parchment paper or into ice cube trays and put it in the freezer.

Thats it.

Notes:

• Quijote has his own designated ice cube tray.
• Best for at-home treats, since they dont travel particularly well. (They thaw almost immediately.)
• Not good for hiding pills.
• Takes slightlymore time to chew upthan the baked treats- which is usually a plus.
• I freeze some in strips that are approximately the size and shape of the dental treats he loves. He doesnt get as excited, but what we call his fake dental treats are still a couple steps above regular food (even though I havent added anything).

If youre looking for something more portable or less cold, read on.

Method 2: Bake

To summarize: yes, you can DIY dog treats from canned dog food.

• Put bits of wet food on a cookie sheet.
• Bake at 350F/180C for 15 minutes or until theyve reached your desired consistency.

What Recipes Say + What Works

Because making treats is kind of an off-label use for dog food, its not as easy to work with as cookie dough or something meant for baking. So there are all kinds of weird tips that go along with the recipes.

1. The Slide

Recipes recommend: Slide all thefood out of the can in one solid cylinder (like its cranberry sauce at my great grandmas house on Thanksgiving).

Things I did:

• Tried unsuccessfully to slide the food out of the top of the can.
• Used achurch key can opener on the bottom of the can, in case that helped. (It didnt.)
• Made a big mess.

What worked?

• Giving up on the sliding-out business!
• Using a butter knife to dig maybe a third (or so) of the food out of the can at once and then pack it together into kind of a rectangular patty before slicing it up.

2. The Slice

Recipes recommend: Slice your cylinder (or patty) of food up with the edge of the lid.

Things I did:

• Sliced with the edge of the lid.
• Sliced with a butter knife.
• Scooped out little dollops with a spoon like it was cookie dough.

What worked?

• Technically, they all work but not equally well.
• Slicing it into little squares with a butter knife wasthe quickest, cleanest, and easiest way I tried.
• I didnt find an advantage to using the lid.
• My first attempt was the little cookie dollops. The wet food doesnt hold together or shape very well, though, and I think I ended up with as much stuck to my hands as actually on the baking sheet.

3. The BakeRecipes recommend: Baking for 30 minutes.

Things I did:

• Used the toaster oven set to bake, instead of the full oven.
• Various baking times.
• Foil and parchment paper.
• 350F/180C

What worked?

• The toaster oven has worked great for the small batches of treats I make!
• I flip them halfway through with a fork or popsicle stick.
• 30 minutes seemed like an insanely long bake time for such small treats, but it turns out thats about right approximately 15 minutes on each side forsmall (finger tip size) squares.
• Bake time will depend on how large you make your treats and how crispy you want them to end up.
• Using parchment paper for lining the baking sheet. I found the treats would stick to foil, even after being baked.

Some tips:

• Crispy treats seem to last longer outside of the fridge. Softer treats are better to hide pills in.
• The canned food Ive been experimenting with isRoyal Canin GI Low Fat other types may give you different results. (If so, please comment and tell me about it!) This is in no way an ad/endorsement/recommendation for that brand. Honestly, the jury is still out on how well its working. Its just what Quijotes vet wants him eating while we try to narrow down the cause of his tummy troubles.

At the end of the day, you just have to figure out what works best for you and your pup.

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Make a Homemade Dog Food Treat

Make a Homemade Dog Food Treat

You may wonder, why use your dogs everyday food for a dog food treat, especially when there are so many recipes for making your own homemade dog cookies?

Well, three reasons include:

• Prescription Diet - Your vet may prescribe a certain diet due to your dogs health, age or recent surgery. You are probably limited to what treats, if any, can be given.
• Picky Eater - Other times it is a self imposed limitation because your dog is a picky eater. If that is the case, using their own preferred food should go over very well.
• Easy Recipes - Making treats from your dog's food is quick and simple. You are also guaranteed to have the ingredients on hand.

Will You Make Me aDog Food Treat, Please?

You don't have to fall into one of the above categories to make these easy dog food treats. If you are looking for easy dog treat recipes,try one or two of these and see how happy you can make your dog.

Recipes & Ideas:

1. Toy Stuffing - You can use dry and canned food for this option. Fill a dog treat dispenser 1/2 to 3/4 full with dry food. Then top with wet food. Freeze until solid. Give to your dog in a safe area to play with and eat as the treat thaws and becomes more edible.
2. Microwave - Open a can of wet dog food. It's best to use a kind that is not overly moist or chunky, more loaf like in texture. Cut the roll into 1/4" slices. Then cut those slices into bite sized pieces for your dog. Microwave them on a microwave safe plate for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes (keeping in mind that microwave wattage differs, so you may need more or less time). The texture should be chewy and crispy. Cool completely before serving to your dog. Store the treats in the refrigerator for one week.
3. Oven - You can use the above directions, but instead of microwaving, place the bite sized pieces on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes. Cool completely before serving to your dog. Store in the refrigerator for one week.
4. Freezer - Roll small balls of canned wet food and place on a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Place in the freezer until solid. This alternative, as well as other recipes for frozen dog treats, are appreciated during warm weather.
5. Dry Food - Place 2 cups of dry food into a blender or food processor. Grind to a powder consistency. Pour the dry powder into a medium mixing bowl and add 1 1/4 cup of water. Stir until a dough forms. Using a table spoon or small cookie dropper, drop dog cookies onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes. Cool completely before serving to your dog. Store in the refrigerator for one week.

For more information on how to storehomemade dog treats be sure to see our tips and techniques.

All dogs deserve treats. So if your dog is on a restricted diet or a picky eater, dog food treats are a fabulous way to make her feel special.

What's Your Dog's Tastebud Feedback?

Have you made this recipe? What was your experience? Did your dog gobble it up or take a polite sniff and walk away?Share your dog's Taste Bud Feedback with other dog treat bakers.Share photos of your dog, or your dog eating this homemade dog treat, or how the finished dog treat looks! :)

Dog Treat Bakers Experiences:

Click below to see what other dog treat bakers are saying...

Healthy Dog Treats You Can Make at Home

Homemade Treat Recipe

Yield: approx. two dozen treats

Using canned food:

1. Open the can and shake the loaf of food out of the can.
2. Cut the loaf into 1/4" thick slices, and then cut the slices into bite-sized pieces.
3. Bake the treats in a microwave oven on high for approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Store baked treats in the refrigerator and discard leftovers after 5-7 days.
5. Homemade treats should not exceed 10% of your pet's total daily intake because heat alters the nutritional characteristics of the food.
6. Do not freeze homemade treats.

For a conventional oven, follow the instructions above and place the bite-sized pieces on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until crispy.

Using Dry Food:

1. In a blender, add 2 cups of dry food and grind into a powder.
2. Pour powder into a mixing bowl and gradually add about 1 to 1 cups of water, stirring until it forms a dough consistency.
3. Shape into individual "treats" or "cookies" and flatten the dough using the back of a spoon (the cookies will not flatten like standard "people cookies" do.)
4. Place treats on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until crispy.
5. Store baked treats in the refrigerator and discard leftovers after 5-7 days.
6. Homemade treats should not exceed 10% of your pet's total daily intake because heat alters the nutritional characteristics of the food.
7. Do not freeze homemade treats.

Cookie cutters make treats fun to make and serve. Only Prescription Diet a/d Canine/Feline food, Prescription Diet n/d Canine and Prescription Diet s/d Canine foods cannot be made into homemade treats using the above recipe. However, you can use the following recipe for homemade treats for these foods:

• Roll the canned food into little balls and place in the freezer to serve later as a frozen treat. Since it is not possible to bake n/d Canine into treats, this is a great alternative. Also, this is refreshing to pets during the hot summer.