Recipes

Meaty Treats

500 grams ground raw poultry (bones, skin and all)

200 grams grated sweet potato, skin included
300 grams offal (chicken or turkey livers, hearts or gizzards)
½ tsp ground ginger
1 clove garlic (use in every second batch)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves
Optional: up to 1 cup left-over cooked rice
                ½ cup cooked or frozen spinach

1. Blend the sweet potato, offal, ginger, garlic and basil with the spinach and/or rice (if using) until liquidized. Mix into the raw meat mix.
2. Spread onto a non-stick sheet (or a large piece of cling film) until about a quarter of a centimeter thick all over. An easy way to do this without handling the mixture is to cover it with a sheet of cling film and roll it flat with a rolling pin. Peel the cling film off once you get it to the right thickness. This amount will make two trays worth.
3. Place in a dehydrator at a low temperature (~115 °F/46°C) for 5-6 hours or until the mixture is completely dry.
4. Cut into strips or 1 cm squares and pack in an air tight container. When needed, just toss ’em to your dog or let your dog nibble at the strips.

Scotti's Dried Egg Treats

10 eggs
Pinch of salt
1 tsp dried parsley or 2-3 sprigs of fresh
200 grams chicken or turkey livers (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 150°C. Separate eggs. Whisk the whites with salt until stiff enough for peaks to form.
2. Liquidize in blender the parsley, egg yolks and livers (if using).
3. Fold the yolk mix into the egg whites until just mixed.
4. Pour onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper and let spread, DO NOT flatten.
5. Turn the oven down to 100°C and bake for 10-15 minutes until the mixture rises a little like a soufflé. It should be firm to touch.
6. Let the cake cool before slicing it into strips about half a centimeter thick. Lay these on a baking sheet (or a dehydrator tray) and return to the oven until they dry out further (another 15-20 minutes). 
7. Remove from the oven and slice each strip into treat sized pieces. 
8. Turn your oven to its coolest temperature (or set the dehydrator at 40°C) and dry the pieces out slowly until all the moisture is gone. 

Drying Meat for Treats

Liver and Kidneys

1. Slice the meat into strips of an even thickness - about ¼ centimetre. 
2. Lay the strips on a drying sheet and place in the dehydrator at 115°F-46°C until the slices are completely dried out. You want these pieces to snap apart when broken. If there is any moisture at all in the slices they will begin to go moldy.
3. Snap the pieces into bite-sizes and store in an air-tight container. Use liberally with all your training.

Heart or Muscle Meat Jerky

1. Use beef or lamb heart, the muscle meat of any animal so long as it is lean and fat free.
2.  Cut away all visible fat from the meat. Slice meat into strips about a ½ centimetre thick. The thicker the strips the more chewy they will be. 
3. Place in a dehydrator at 115°F-46°C for 5-6 hours turning them after 3-4 hours to make sure they get evenly dried. The strips will bend rather than snap but should still be well dried out. The thicker the strips the longer they will take to dry.
4. Cut into bite-sized pieces (about a centimetre square) and store in an airtight container. Enjoy, your dog will love them.