I’ve been getting a lot of feedback/comments on my homemade doggie treats lately. But the best endorsement I can get is this: Indy adored those Snickerpoodles so much, its almost indecent. He went insane everytime he saw the container they were in, and when he wouldn’t eat his food all you’d have to do is crumble one up on top of it and it’d be gone in seconds flat. Not that he exactly turned up his nose at the pupcakes… as you can see here. But anyway I’ve been getting a lot of comments on them, and I decided to try something new.

By the way, I’ll be donating some pupcakes or homemade dog biscuits to be raffled off (along with a dog blanket handmade by Yoyo at Topstitch) at the 2nd annual Just For Fun Dog Show this September 12th in Seaford on Long Island. If you’re an Etsy seller who creates canine clothes/collars/etc or if you own a dot com pet supply shop and you’re interested in donating something, please let me know. I plan on creating a basket filled with the ‘cakes/cookies and the blanket so I’ll have room for other things. If you’re a blog owner who’s crafty or if you just want to donate something, feel free to also let me know via e·mail. And I’d appreciate it if you could spread the word!

So I found a recipe at the White On Rice Couple blog, but adjusted it and changed it a bit to meet my needs & use what I had on hand, so I renamed it, since its not the same exact biscuit, and actually… its really pretty different. Also, you may need to add more flour/cornmeal or water when making it. I made a wetter dough and just made rough shapes of bones, but if you desire a firmer dough for cutting out shapes with a cutter you can do that as well. The blueberries aren’t necessary either. I didn’t let mine get too dark brown (although the second batch did come out darker than the first) mainly because my recipe isn’t exactly like that on White On Rice Couple so I wasn’t sure if it would just burn or get dark. But feel free to experiment and let me know how they work out for you. You can use wheat germ instead of a cup of flour or the cornmeal as well, or add other things your dog likes, like apple or carrot.

Making your dog homemade treats is fun and saves money, but please, before adding anything, if you aren’t 100% positive if its okay for dogs to eat, ask your vet. Especially if you have an older dog or one on medications for certain diseases or digestive problems or a dog under 6 months.

GOOD DOGGIE! BLUEBERRY FLAX SEED DOG BISCUITS

First you gotta get:

• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup ground flax seeds
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 3-4 teaspoons whole Flax Seed (optional)
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1 cup water

Then you have to:

1. Combine wheat flour, ground flax seeds, cornmeal, salt, brown sugar, and whole flax seed in mixing bowl. Stir in eggs and vegetable oil.
2. Mix blueberries in, and then add water in.
3. Mix to form a firm dough that is smooth and workable (or you can keep the dough wet and form balls using a spoon or mold it into bone shapes as I did). Adjust by adding a little extra flour or water as required.
4. Roll the dough out to 1/2″ (1.2cm) thick (if making firm dough). Cut out biscuits using a bone-shaped cutter 3″x1.5″ (7.5×3.7cm). or whatever cutter you like. Place the biscuits on sheet pans lined with baking paper, or well greased. Or, if making wetter dough, just plop palmfuls of dough on pan and mold into desired shape, be it cookie-like circles, bones, hearts, whatever. You can also use some more flax seeds* to decorate if you wish, or, omit them from the dough and just use them on top.
5. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for approx. 40 minutes or until biscuits are browned and, more importantly, rock-hard. Let biscuits cool, then store in a covered container five to six feet off the floor (guess why!). Use as needed to reward your four-legged friends.

Taste test results: Two paws up!

Obviously, these were a hit. Be sure to feed them to a dog in an area where they won’t stain anything valuable- blueberries are notorious for leaving behind stubborn stains. But any self-respecting dog won’t drop a bit of biscuit, let alone blueberry.

Store these in the fridge, because flax seed oil can go bad quickly. I doubt they’ll last that long though. And yes, the small amount of brown sugar in these is okay for them to eat. Never feed a dog sugar substitutes- here’s a handy list of foods to avoid from the ASPCA.

*You may see whole flax seeds in your dogs, uh, *cough* poop. That’s fine and normal. The ground flax seed is excellent for them and so is the seed, but sometimes they go undigested. Flax seed not only adds fiber to your dogs’ diet, but also flax seed oil (which comes out when flax seeds are ground) can improve the coat and skin of pets. Also, the lignans contained in flax seed oil may have anti-cancer benefits. The blueberries are also excellent, providing antioxidants but should only be used if FRESH. Blueberries are found in many organic dog treats and food products, and are an exception to the rule of “no fruits for dogs” along with apples. Never feed a dog grapes or raisins, though, they can cause stomach upset, diarrhea and vomiting.

By the way, if you’re into those newfangled social networking sites- don’t forget to add Cupcake Rehab as a friend on MySpace, follow me on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook!

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