It’s a fruit! No, it’s a vegetable! It’s a … pumpkin and, believe it or not, it is good to feed to your dog. Although most people think of pumpkins as vegetables, they are really a fruit born from vine plants of the genus Cucurbita, part of the gourd family.

Pumpkins are rich in carotenoids, beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, fiber, zinc, iron, vitamin A and potassium. In fact, you can tell the pumpkin is rich in the antioxidant beta-carotene, just by looking at its bright orange color.

Pumpkin is really simple to feed to your dog too. All you need is canned pumpkin. Canned pumpkin is just as packed with nutrients as fresh pumpkin, according to the Mayo Clinic website. Canned pumpkin is a puree so it is easy to mix in your dog’s food, give it to your dog as a treat or use it as an ingredient when you make dog treats, such as these Pumpkin Paw Prints. Look at the back of the label to make sure you are getting 100-percent pumpkin and not pumpkin pie mix.

Can you feed your dog pumpkin seeds? Yes, but most recommend that you first roast them and then grind them up. Do not add salt.

You do not want to feed your dog the stem or leaves, which are covered in little, sharp hairs that will irritate your dog.

See your veterinarian if you have questions concerning dogs eating pumpkin. We never know how dogs will react to new foods, so only feed a small quantity at first to see if it causes your dog stomach upset, such as gas.

Pumpkin is also the pet owner’s go-to food when it comes to

Dog diarrhea and constipation: Pumpkin has high fiber and water content, which are good for correcting and preventing constipation in dogs, plus can help bulk up your dog’s stool. Start with feeding your dog 1 or 2 tablespoons of pureed pumpkin a day, depending on your dog’s size. Pumpkin may not help your dog with diarrhea or constipation if there is an underlying medical condition. Call your veterinarian for advice if the diarrhea or constipation persists.

Helping your dog lose weight: Some dogs needs to lose weight, but their owners don’t want them to feel hungry. Pumpkin is a great low-fat dog treat that fills a dog up due to its being high in fiber. The proper amount of pumpkin to feed depends on the size of your dog and dietary needs. Consult your veterinarian for suggested amounts.

If your dog suffers from confirmed allergies or intolerances, finding a commercial dog food that meets his needs can be difficult. Often the best means of providing for a dog with special dietary needs is cooking homemade dog food. Just use suitable substitute ingredients in place of those your dog’s allergic to in a basic dog food home recipe.

Determining the Allergy

Before you can create hypoallergenic dog food, you must determine the ingredients your dog is allergic or intolerant to. Your veterinarian may suggest an elimination diet, which will initially contain two ingredients, such as turkey and sweet potatoes. You feed this simple diet and watch for allergy symptom improvement. After a period, you and the vet will add ingredients, one at a time. With each addition, you monitor for allergy symptoms. When an ingredient triggers an allergic reaction, you’ve identified an ingredient you’ll want to eliminate from your pet’s diet.

Common Dog Allergies

According to Susan Wynn, former president of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, 10 percent of dog allergy cases are due to food. Symptoms include gastrointestinal issues, ear inflammation, diarrhea, vomiting and itchy skin. Beef, dairy, wheat, eggs, chicken, lamb, soy, pork, rabbit and fish are the most common ingredients responsible for dog allergies.

Ingredient Substitutions

Once you have determined an ingredient your dog is allergic to, seek suitable substitutions. If beef or chicken causes allergic reactions in your dog, use turkey or lamb instead. If dairy is an issue, look for lactose-free recipes. For wheat allergies, avoid recipes with flour, or substitute rice flour or rolled oats in its place.

Basic Recipe

For a basic recipe, add 1 cup of brown or white rice to 2 cups or water in a slow cooker. Add 1 to 2 cups of assorted vegetables such as sweet potatoes, green beans or carrots. Top with a pound of meat protein, such as two chicken breasts or a pound of lean ground beef. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 5 hours.

Considerations

When making homemade dog food, it is essential that you meet your dog’s nutritional requirements. Discuss your recipe ideas with your veterinarian or a canine nutritionist to ensure your dog meets his nutritional requirements with your home-cooked diet. Armed with your recipes and knowledge of your dog’s dietary needs, your trusted vet will advise you on serving size, supplements and other tweaks.

What do you get the love of your life when he has four paws? How about making your two- and four-legged family and friends a tasty snack they can enjoy together? Cut your holiday baking (and mess) in half with cookies that everyone will love.

The recipe was provided Harvey Morris, creator of the Baked Chicago blog. Harvey first created this recipe over 10 years ago for his black pugs, Buddy and Rhoda. It was one of their favorite dog treats. Harvey was inspired to use human-grade ingredients because he wanted to feed his dogs unprocessed foods that were good for them – and he had 13 nieces / nephews who were (at that time) under the age of 18. Many of the toddlers were known to share their treats with the Pugs and even drop them on the floor when they were no longer hungry. If that happened with the biscotti, it didn’t matter if a dog or another kid picked it up and ate it!

Peanut Butter-Banana Biscotti, with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese-Yogurt Icing

For Biscotti:

4 cups all-purpose flour (we used gluten free flour and it worked great too)

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 cup crunchy peanut butter

3 bananas, pureed

1 cup water

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1 tablespoon vanilla

For Icing:

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

2 tablespoons plain yogurt

8 ounces cream cheese

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Steps to Make Doggie Biscotti

Preheat oven to 325F.

Place flour and baking soda in large bowl. Make a well in the center.

In another bowl, blend egg, vanilla, peanut butter, oil and banana together. Add into the well of the dry ingredients. Start combining together. Add water, one teaspoon at a time as needed.

Knead by hand on table until mixed thoroughly. Form into logs approximately 2″ in diameter. Flatten so that log is 6″ – 7″ wide by 1″ high. Place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes. Slice into 1/2″ slices. Place on baking sheets and continue to bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely before icing.

To make the icing, mix the peanut butter, yogurt and cream cheese until smooth. Mix in one tablespoon of flour at a time until you have the consistency and texture you want. Drizzle the icing lightly on the biscotti and let set.

Deviled eggs are a classic party snack for any occasion, but are always popular for football because of their resemblance to a football shape and of course are always a hit at Easter. With a few small adjustments, deviled eggs can quickly become doggie delights. Filled with protein, they make a healthy and grain-free treat for you and your furry friend. As with any treat, you will want to feed in moderation, especially if it’s your first time feeding a particular snack.

Ingredients:

Eggs – as many as you like!

Plain, Unsweetened Yogurt – 1 Tbsp for every 2 eggs

Directions:

Hard boil your eggs. You can use any method you like, but this one worked for us

Put eggs in a pot and cover them with an inch of water.

Put a cover on the pot and bring the water to a boil.

Once boiling, remove the pot and let sit 15 minutes.

Run eggs under cold water and place in refrigerator to cool.

Once eggs are cooled peel and slice in half the long way.

Remove all of the yolks and place them in a bowl

Add yogurt (approximately 1 Tbsp for every 2 eggs) and mix until you get a creamy consistency.

Scoop mixture into the eggs, or if you want to be fancy, scoop mixture into a plastic bag. Cut the tip off of the bag and squeeze egg mixture back into the egg whites.

For Humans: The eggs are tasty on their own and the yogurt adds a nice tang, but if you want them to be spiced up for human consumption, set aside a set of yolks for the dog and mix according to the recipe above. In the human mixture add salt, pepper, paprika and a touch of red pepper to taste. Just be sure to label clearly which is which to avoid a mix-up! While people will appreciate the added flavor, dogs won’t know the difference and don’t need the sodium and spice.

The vitamins and minerals a dog needs are necessary for many complex chemical processes in the body. They deliver nutrition from food, regulate and affect many of the thousands of nervous system processes. AAFCO-approved dog foods are formulated to contain all the right vitamins in the proper amount for your dog. Each vitamin plays many roles in maintaining healthy function. A few are listed her:

Biotin: Aids in enzymatic processes

Choline: Helps maintain the nervous system

Folic acid: Works with vitamin B12 and helps form red blood cells.

Vitamin A: Helps maintain vision, bone growth, tissue and reproductive processes

Vitamin B1 (thiamine): Aids in normal growth, appetite and energy production

Vitamin B2 (riboflavin): Aids in growth

Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid): Helps produce energy and metabolize protein

Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine): Helps metabolize protein and form red blood cells

Vitamin B12: Helps synthesize DNA and aids intestinal function

Vitamin C: Helps form tissue, heal skin and maintain bones and teeth; may help support healthy joint function as well as immune function

Vitamin D: Helps use calcium and phosphorous to maintain bone and cartilage

Vitamin E: Important for muscle function and normal reproduction; protects muscle cells from damage due to oxidation in the body

Vitamin K: Facilitates proper blood clotting

Dogs also require some of the same minerals humans require. The following are the most important of these minerals:

Calcium

Magnesium

Phosphorous

Sulfur

Calcium and phosphorous work together to strengthen bone. Magnesium helps with cell action and nutrient metabolism. Sulfur helps the body synthesize protein and protects joints.

Dogs don’t just need these minerals, but in the correct amounts. For example, insufficient calcium can result in muscle, nerve, bone and blood problems, but excessive calcium can cause bones to grow too quickly and lead to future orthopedic disorders such as hip dysplasia.

Dogs also need trace minerals, such as:

Iron

Zinc

Copper

Cobalt

Selenium

Manganese

Iodine

Cobalt

Mineral requirements differ slightly for different dog breeds. Check with your veterinarian to be sure the food you have chosen has the correct nutritional profile for your individual dog.

A versatile cooking herb, iron-rich parsley adds more than just flavor to dishes for people and their dogs. The compounds found in this super plant mimic the hemoglobin that carries oxygen on red blood cells. Its natural astringent, cleansing, and deodorizing properties mean it also leaves the breath fresh and clean.

Try these pup-pleasing, parsley dog treats!

Ingredients:

1¾ cup lukewarm meat or vegetable broth

1½ teaspoon dry yeast

1¾ cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

½ cup yellow cornmeal

¼ cup fat-free powdered milk

1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Dissolve yeast in lukewarm broth and let stand until foamy (about 10 minutes)

Stir in dry ingredients and fresh herbs

Roll the dough out to ¼-inch thickness

Cut shapes with your favorite cookie cutters, and bake on a greased cookie sheet for 45 minutes

Turn off oven, and allow biscuits to finish hardening 10 to 12 hours. Recipe makes 20 to 30 biscuits, depending on the size and shape.

Parsely and many other herbs can easily be grown in your home and can provide endless options for enriching your life and your dog’s.

 

Want to make any easy dog-treat that you and your dog can both enjoy? Try our easy recipe for Pup-tato Skins using only a couple of ingredients. Whether you are “tail”-gating, making Irish Nachos for St. Patrick’s Day or just looking for an easy treat to try, these dog-friendly spuds are sure to be a crowd-pleaser. As with any treat, feed in moderation, especially if it’s your first time feeding a particular snack.

Ingredients:

Fingerling or small yellow or red potatoes

You can also use full size russet potatoes, but you will need to cut them into smaller pieces.

Make sure they are an appropriate size for your dog so that they do not pose as a choking hazard.

Olive oil to lightly coat potatoes

Shredded cheese (1 tsp per potato)

Directions:

Lightly coat potatoes with olive oil

Place potatoes on a lined sheet pan

Bake at 450 until fork-tender; about 45 min depending on the size of your potatoes

When potatoes are cool, cut in half lengthwise

Scoop out some of the potato to create a small well in your potato

Place potatoes back onto the baking sheet and sprinkle cheese into the well you have created

Bake again at 450 for 7-8 minutes or until cheese has melted

For Humans: The potatoes are good as is, but if you like a little more salt in your snacks, salt the potatoes before baking them. You can also add a little bacon and sour cream to impress your human guests.