Dogs have been on my mind lately, for one thing because of a dog problem solved. I found to my surprise that all I need to do to quiet the neighbor’s distant but annoying barker is stand on my back step for a minute or two so the pooch knows I’m watching him. If only the answers to all of life’s difficulties were so simple!
Besides this happy dog experience, I love to pamper my son’s sleek, well-mannered Vizsla-pointer when we dog-sit, and he loves pumpkin, so I gave this recipe a try. We tested one on a friend’s dog, and he seemed to enjoy it.
Why should pet food be gluten-free? For one thing, dogs can be gluten intolerant. More important, an owner who’s gluten-intolerant might not want to have gluten-containing pet food in the house.
Why pumpkin? Pumpkin has vitamins and roughage, helps digestion, and is low in calories. Many dogs, my “grand-dog” included, love it. The flax meal has healthy oils to help a dog’s skin and coat.
The recipe is adapted, with permission, from the fun gluten-free blog Simply Sugar & Gluten Free by Amy Green.
| Pumpkin Dog Biscuits (gluten-free) | Print |
- 2-1/2 cups brown rice flour
- 2 tablespoons flax meal
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup cold water, or just enough to make dough hold together
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine brown rice flour and flax meal.
- In a medium bowl, mix eggs and pumpkin together until smooth.
- Add pumpkin mixture to brown rice mixture in two parts, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula. Dough will be shaggy. Add water, a teaspoon or two at a time, until the dough comes together. Then use your hands to press the dough together.
- Roll dough between two pieces of waxed paper to about 1/4 inch thick or desired thickness. Remove top piece of paper, flip dough onto rice-floured counter or cutting board, remove waxed paper, and cut biscuits with a cookie cutter. Re-roll scraps and cut, repeating until all dough is used.
- Place biscuits on parchment-lined baking sheets. If desired, make a row of holes in dog-bone shaped biscuits by piercing the dough with the tines of a fork and moving the fork back and forth gently to enlarge the holes.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the tops are completely dry. Flip biscuits over, rotate pans, and bake another 20 to 25 minutes or until biscuits are completely dry.
- Cool on wire racks. Store in airtight container.
Thanks so much, Amy!
My Bella Jeanne will stop barking if she knows I’m looking at her too. Patch & Perry could care less what I’m doing and Gatsby rarely barks. We call him the ‘Sweet Dog.’ The other three are rotten. 🙂
They love these treats and are so glad that your friends dog likes them too. I know I said this on your Examiner.com page, but I am still admiring your treat making skill. You’re talented. I could learn a thing or two from you.
Hugs!!
Amy