MeMe Heads: Homemade Dog Biscuits

I must give my guy Max credit for this recipe.  While trying to get him on a better diet as to control his blood sugar, I came up with this recipe. 

Max was diagnosed with diabetes when he was five years old.  Max did well with his new diet.  Maybe a few times a week he would bag his bowl against the wall, as if to say "I want more, food!".

Max was around ten years old when his sugar was getting harder to control after he ate.  I could not cut back on any more of the amount of slop I was giving him, so I had to find another solution.

Just as it is with us humans, so goes it for (most) dogs, a high protein, less carb diet, with a lot of fiber.  Biscuits came to mind but, I was hesitant to start buying him biscuits after that pet food recall.  The one that caused so many deaths of Folks pets.

I went to the best (no not, next to) source, me and I came up with a great biscuit that would add what he needed, so he was not banging his bowl against the wall wanting more as much and he was a more contented guy.  Because our Max aka Memehead just loved to eat.

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Ingredients
12 Ryvita crackers
2 cups old fashion oats
1/2 olive oil
1 cup water
1 cup brown rice flour
2 eggs
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Do not use the ryvita crackers with sesame seeds, sesame seeds are not good for your dog.  Also, use natural peanut butter, no sugar added stuff.  Even if your dog is not a diabetic, why even give them sugar, no reason.

MeMe Heads

Place your ryvita crackers in your mixing bowl, I crumble them as I add them to the bowl. Then with the bottom of a coffee cup and also using your cup.

I mean,why take the food processor out and dirty it and actually, this would be a great task to have your kids do.  Also in having them help, they will learn how to take care of 'their' pet.

Once the ryvita crackers are broken down in a course flour, add your one cup of water and allow the crackers and water to sit for 30 minutes.

Adding the water and allowing it to sit, will help break up the crackers a bit more and make for a better texture with your dog biscuits.

Add & Mix

To your Ryvita and water mixture, add your eggs, peanut butter, olive oil and vanilla, mix well.

While keeping your mixer on low, add your rice flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the rice flour is incorporated.

Then start adding your oats.  At this time, if your dough is a little dry, then you need to add more moisture, I go for the olive oil, instead of the water. One tablespoon at a time.  Olive oil is great for their skins and overall health.

You want your dough to resemble playdoh but, a bit on the oily side.  You should be able to pick up a handful and form a ball that will hold together.

So Kid Friendly

Section your biscuit batter out into twelve balls of dough.

Place the balls of dough on your cookie sheets.

Press the dough down with the heel of your hand to flatten and then form them into round cookies.

Max was a big dog so I made big biscuits, you can make them the size you want.  This is a very easy dough to work with.

Also, unlike their human family members, they are not so particular with their food, they do not care if the dough might be a bit tough.  Actually, they prefer it.

If you have a smaller dog and want to make smaller biscuits, no problem, just make them smaller.  You might have to adjust your cooking time but remember, you want them to be cooked all the way through.

Place in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes.  400 degrees.

MeMeHeads

Well this is the biscuit recipe I came up with for our diabetic dog Max aka MemeHead.  Max was also allergic to wheat, so this recipe was perfect for him.  I have also found through my research, corn is not good for dogs either, diabetic or not.  It has been stated that, 70% of dogs are allergic to wheat and/or corn.

I basically used the same formula (high protein/high fiber/low carb) as mama used, she also was a diabetic.  Yes I treated Max basically as if he was a human, when it came to his diet, keeping in mind though,'not all' people food is good for our pets.  Max eating smaller meals throughout the day, also helped with controlling his sugar, as it also did for Mama.

Max lived past his life expectancy, even though he was an insulin dependent dog for the last 7 years of his life.  Even though Max did go blind when he was 10 years old, this guy loved his life to the very end.

Next Generation

I have served these biscuits to my dogs ever since and I have also came up with other varieties, those you will just have to wait for.  Bugg was 7 months old when I shot this photograph, we had just lost our friend Max just a few weeks before.  Though I miss this guy, this recipe and Max's aka Memehead's memory will live on, in more ways than one.

Other than these treats, I also make my dogs food, we call it slop.  For my slop recipe please visit...

Bugg's Dog Slop


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All photographs are the property of Denise O.  Do not use unless you get 'my' written permission. All written material is owned by Denise O, it will not be 'used' (sharing my article is different, it is acceptable and appreciated) without 'my' written permission.  Just keeping it real folks.:)