Zesty Zucchini Dog Treats
Lynn is co-founder of a small-batch homemade pet food company that uses organic, local, and sustainably sourced ingredients.
What better way to help use up the bounty of this familiar garden vegetable than with a treat that is not only low in calories and nutritious for your dog, but easy to make and freeze? Slightly crunchy on the outside and soft inside, these cookies make an especially great snack for dogs that cannot chew hard food.
Ingredients
- 240 grams (2 cups) organic brown rice flour
- 240 grams (2 cups) whole oats (I prefer whole-grain steel-cut oats, though you can use quick oats in the recipe)
- 450 grams (1 cup) grated zucchini (about one medium)
- 15 ml (1 tablespoon) raw honey
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 177° C (350° F). Grease a cookie sheet, your work surface, and hands with coconut oil.
In a mixing bowl, combine zucchini, raw honey, and 240 ml (1 cup) water. In a separate bowl, combine brown rice flour and whole oats. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir to combine thoroughly.
Spread the batter onto your work surface and roll or work it with your hands to about one-inch thickness. Using any shape cookie cutter, cut shapes from the batter. Feel free to poke the batter shapes with a fork for decoration if you like. With a spatula, transfer cookies to the baking sheet.
Bake the cookies until they become slightly brown, 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool before serving to your pet. These treats will look a little rough given the whole oats and shredded zucchini. Not to worry; I’ve never known a dog to inspect these treats before inhaling them.
Double or triple the batch if you have an abundant crop and freeze the treats as you would any cookies for people. Zesty Zucchini Dog Treats make a nice gift for friends with pets, too.
Did You Know?
Many vegetables can be served raw as an occasional treat, however some dogs find raw fruits and vegetables difficult to digest. Introduce these edibles in small amounts and carefully observe your pet’s response. To be on the safe side, steam all vegetables. Steaming retains and sometimes improves the nutritional value of vegetables. If you are preparing your pet’s meals in full, all vegetables should be finely chopped or pureed and cooked. This applies to raw diets as well; if you feed your pet a raw diet, leave only the meat uncooked. Note also that not all “people food” is good for pets. In addition to grapes, raisins, onions, chocolate, and other familiar foods, click here for a list of foods that are toxic to pets.
Lynn Felici-Gallant
Lynn Felici-Gallant is an organic gardener, writer, and communications consultant with Indigo Gardens. A former associate editor with Fine Gardening and Leaf magazines, Lynn is also the co-founder of Paul’s Custom Pet Food LLC, a small-batch homemade pet food company that uses organic, local, and sustainably sourced ingredients. She lives with her husband, Paul, and Golden Retriever, Hunter – a canine cancer survivor – in the Northwest region of Connecticut, USA. She may be reached at lynn@paulscustompetfood.com.
Courtesy photo
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