HOW TO DRY TREATS FOR DOGS
Dehydrators are cheap to buy and even cheaper to run! I’ve been wanting one for ages so I decided to just jump in and get one. I’ve been really impressed with this new toy and recommend any dog owner that enjoys baking homemade dog treats for their dog to buy one. Jerky treats are ideal for me as they are clean, dry and ideal for shoving in my pocket while out dog walking and dogs go crazy for it!
IMPORTANT READING
While researching how to make jerky for dogs I see that there’s recipes out there on the web that place raw meat including chicken on the dehydrator while on other websites they tell you to precook the meat first to kill pathogens. A dog becoming sick from such things as Salmonella is rare as their digestive tract is very small so bad bacteria usually gets killed before it can harm the dog. But note that the top temperature of a dehydrator is usually around 70c (160f) which is not enough to kill such pathogens as Salmonella and E. coli. Therefore after drying raw meat I always put it in the oven for 10 minutes at 150ºC to make sure all pathogens are killed.
Oregon state University researched how to make homemade jerky safe and they say that:
“Jerky can be considered “done” and safe to eat only when it has been heated sufficiently to destroy any pathogens present and is dry enough to be shelf-stable. Shelf-stable means the the jerky can be stored at room temperature and will not support microbial growth. Oregon state University’s method for destroying pathogens: “Post-drying heating. Placing dried meat strips on a cookie sheet in an oven preheated to 257ºF [126ºC] and heating the strips for 10 minutes effectively eliminates pathogens. This method produces the most traditional jerky.” So after drying any raw meat I place the jerky in the oven for 10 minutes just to be sure. It doesn’t change the jerky in any way and gives me peace of mind. Many recipes (mainly for human consumption) use salt or vinegar soak to deal with pathogens in raw meat but both can cause stomach problems in dogs and I want to keep these treats pure and simple.
HOW TO DEHYDRATE DOG TREATS
- Always wash your hands before you start.
- Food that has less fat lasts longer as fat can’t be dried and will spoil the food faster, so if you’re planning to store the treats for long term then trim any fat off the meat before you dry it out.
- Drying times vary a lot. Temperature, thickness’s of food, amount on trays and different machines all affect timing. Your user manual will help and you’ll soon get to know when it’s done by texture, look and from general experience. The above dehydrator is cheap and perfectly good and what I use but if you want the ‘Rolls-Royce’ of dehydrators check out Excalibur.
- Place dehydrated jerky in the freezer (no defrost required) but you can learn more about storing jerky here.
- Cut meat as thin or as thick as you want but the thicker it is the longer it takes to dry.
- A very sharp knife makes life easier.
- You’ll be surprised how much food shrinks when dehydrated. Just remember that it’s concentrated food and don’t give too much – it’s a treat!
DRYING RAW PIG EARS
Dried pig ears are expensive to buy but if you can get raw pig ears then they can cost around a third of the price or less. Stick them on the dehydrator and once done you wont be able to tell them apart from the ones you buy in pet shops (except that they may be a lot larger!). They are easy to buy raw online if you have trouble getting them locally.
All these pig ears cost just £5!!
Place on dehydrator and dry for 16-24 hours. I filled 4 racks! Once dried I place in oven at 257ºF (126ºC) for 10 mins.
And they are done. Identical to what you buy in the shops. They have cost around 30p each. Great value!
Flo just adores her homemade pig ears!
HOW TO DRY CHICKEN FEET
I first bought dried chicken feet in the pet shop 3 years ago for my new puppy Flo. It’s her all time favourite treat. If you ask a local butcher you may able to get raw feet for free else you can buy them raw and by the kilo on this website. Raw chicken feet take ages to dry so there is no point just drying off a dozen or so. To make the drying time worthwhile I’m gonna be drying off 2 kilos worth of feet which will take around 4-5 days at 70ºC.
The first thing I'll do is give the feet a wee rinse.
The feet have nails and they are quite sharp so I don't want the dogs eating these when they are dry and brittle...
So I chop them off!
2 kilos will give me around 60+ feet which will fill 4 racks
I'll be drying these for 96 - 120 hours, but the timer only goes up to 48 hours, so I'll be resetting the dehydrator 3 times. I'll know when they are done when there is no flex in the feet, especially the skin and the padded parts. I want them dry and hard.
Nearly 120 hours later and they're done! No need to place in oven afterwards.
They look great! I'm really happy with how this went!
Really tasty and all the dogs loved them.
DRIED PIG SKIN
Every super market sells pig skin it and it’s very cheap to buy. Dehydrating pig skin makes a great treat for dogs especially a treat to keep the dog busy – of all the foods here this one will last the longest. Pig skin dries a little different than pig ears and completely different than my doggy pork scratchings. It’s much harder to break down and isn’t as brittle as the ear, it’s more like rawhide and the dogs just go crazy for it. And like rawhide dogs should be supervised when eating it. When prepping this recipe, cut the pig skin into the sizes you want before you dry as it’s too difficult to do it after – it’s very, very tough.
Place the skin on the dehydrator. Remember to cut to the size you want before you dry. Dry at 70ºC for 24 hours.
24 hours later and it's dry and very tough. There may be a little grease on the inside so lay the dried skin on some kitchen towel to soak up any residue.
One of Flo's favourite treats. This will keep her busy for a good 20 minutes.
TRIPE JERKY
I’m using white tripe (dressed) cause it’s easier for me to get than green tripe (undressed) – although I do plan to try green tripe in the future. Green tripe is very smelly which is why dogs love it, so be warned when drying it indoors! Every dog owner at one point has bought this treat in the pet shop, now you can have some fun by making tripe jerky at home.
Half a kilo of white tripe I bought from the butchers.
Wash tripe and then gently pat dry.
Cut into 1 inch strips and place on tray.
I'll be dehydrating for around 14 hours at 70ºC (158ºf) followed by a quick 10 minute heat in over .
Tripe done! I'll bung it in the freezer for when I need it.
Ruby loves her homemade tripe jerky!
BEEF JERKY RECIPE FOR DOGS
If you buy jerky for dogs it’s usually either chicken or beef. It’s rare to get in this pure high quality form, it’s usually very processed and nasty but here we can make a beef jerky treat worthy of our dogs.
Freeze for an hour and then slice your lean beef 1/8th of an inch thick.
Evenly lay out beef strips on dehydrator tray and make sure no strips are touching each other. Check user instructions for cooking meat. For my dehydrator I'm advised to use the highest temp of 70ºc (158ºf). I will dry this batch for about 7-8 hours. I'll know it's ready if I bend it and it cracks without breaking.
After 7-8 hours drying and 10 minutes in the oven they are done!. Freeze and reward dog when necessary.
SALMON JERKY
Salmon super-food, but a bit oily and wont last as long. But you know what? That oil is super healthy 🙂
Freeze for 1 hour to firm salmon. Like the beef slice your salmon into strips about 1/8th of an inch thick.
Place salmon on tray while making sure they are evenly spread and not touching. Check user guide for drying instructions. These will be dried at 70ºC (158ºf) for 8-10 hours or until they are hard and dry all the way through followed by 10 minute stint in the oven.
Salmon jerky done!
HOW TO DRY LIVER FOR DOGS
A great alternative to dried liver treats cooked in the oven. Hardly any smell and very clean to handle. You’ll want to cut thin strips of liver to reduce dehydrating time.
Liver is washed, patted dry and sliced in thin strips.
Space evenly on tray. I will dry this for around 10-12 hours followed by a 10 minute stint in the oven!
Liver jerky done! A real doggy favourite!
SEA BASS JERKY
I found two boneless fillets of Sea Bass going very cheap in the local market. Because of it’s low fat content Sea Bass is ideal for drying, packed with flavour with a strong fishy aroma. Yummy and a real winner with dogs. I couldn’t stop eating the stuff. Yummy
Put in freezer for an hour to firm fish then slice into strips.
Place strips on tray and dehydrate. These took about 9 hours to dry then I put them in the oven for 10 mins.
Sea bass fish jerky dog treats done! Delicious!
HOW TO DRY CHICKEN FOR DOGS
I’m using a couple of chicken breasts for this recipe. I’ve trimmed off any bits of fat.
Wash hands, wash chicken, pat dry and cut thin strips.
Place chicken strips evenly and without touching on dehydrator tray. After around 8-10 hours they are dry and placed in the oven for 10 minutes at 150ºC (300ºf) to make sure it’s completely safe and free from any bacteria.
Chicken jerky dog treats done! Place in freezer for when you need them. No defrost required.
RABBIT JERKY
I bought a rabbit from the butchers but because it’s just so boney I’ll boil it first, take all the meat off the bone and then dry it.
Lovely fresh rabbit! I'll bring it to the boil and then simmer for 2 hours.
Once cooled I take all the meat of the bone!
6-8 hours in the dehydrator and it's done!
DRIED HEART SLICES
Heart is ideal for turning into jerky because it’s just pure muscle and apart from a little bit of fat on the outside it’s very lean. Because it is so lean and dense make sure that strips are cut thinly to reduce dehydrating time.
I bought a pack of Lamb hearts from the supermarket.
Wash strips, trim fat, pat dry and place on tray. I'll be dehydrating these for around 12 hours. (Time varies on thickness of strips) followed by 10 mins in the oven.
Heart jerky dog treats done
KIDNEY CRISPS
Using Ox kidney you can make great crisps with a real crunch. Cheap to buy and they smell like bacon – dogs love them! In Ox kidney there is a large bit of fat in the middle, cut that out if you plan to store.
I freeze the kidney first so I can cut very thin slices.
Place 'crisps' on tray. I'll dehydrate for 12 hours and then heat in oven for 10 mins afterwards.
Kidney crisps done! A real winner with the dogs!
DRIED PIG SNOUT
Just for fun I bought a pig snout when ordering a delivery of fresh meat for the dogs. Very high value, the dogs go crazy for it. Lots of yummy meat. I dried it for 24 hours. Huge success but drying pig snouts aren’t practical as they are not easy to get but fun and totally delicious.
One pig snout placed on dehydrator. I'll let it dry for 24 hours at 70ºC. It's just pure delicious meat!
24 hours later and its hard and ready to give to dog.
Ruby loves her dried pig snout!
NON MEAT IDEAS
Dehydrators are also excellent for drying fruit and vegetables so things like bananas, apples and sweet potatoes can be dried to make dog treats. For me I prefer to use meat simply because my dog prefers it.
Try these dried banana dog treats
What about drying apple slices?
Sweet potato (blanch first)
What temperature and time for chicken necks for the dog?
Will the length of dehydrating hours affect the chewiness of the pig ears? I dehydrated it for almost 24 hours but it comes out chewy, if I want to make it more crunchy do I need to dehydrate them longer?
Yeah they are still not fully dried, the dryer they get the crunchier.
Hello, thank you for these ideas and directions. When dehydrating an ingredient, how much does the weight reduce by ? For example, how much does 1 kilogram of fresh liver reduce to when dehydrated?
Oh, I’ve never bothered to weigh… but I reckon around 70%+ reduction in weight. Most food is mainly water.
I BOIL LAMB HEARTS FOR ABOUT 2 HOURS AND THEN WHEN COOLED PUT THEM IN DEHYDRATOR FOR 10 HOURS DOES THIS SOUND LIKE IT IS OKAY AND SAFE TO STORE
Yeah that’s fine. Just place on dehydrator soon after cooking.
Hi Jamie
I’m so happy I came across your website about recipes for dogs, I’m definitely going to purchase a dehydrator to make my own beef jerky etc!!
Have a nice day
Jo
Thank you so much for all these recipes. I was looking for instructions for drying salmon for my dogs and this is a great help!
Nice recipes! We cooked up a batch of various livers, heart and kidneys today. One question though….howndo you store them? In the fridge?
I’m looking for a recipe for dog cookies.. Wheat flour, quinoa, peanut butter? Sort of recipe. Had one can’t find it!
Good info on dehydrating pet treats for those just dabbline in that area! I make dehydrated treats for pets for my small business, Piggyback Treats Company. I dry everything I make to CRISP! Nothing will have residual moisture, and can then be kept indifenitly at room temperature if stored properly away from sunlight or condensation. I prefer glass jars without airtight rubber seals. It allows for some airflow. I have dehydrated heart, tongue, liver, chicken giblets, fish skins, kidneys, various fruits and veggies and i’m Always testing new meat byproducts, too! For anyone wondering… just slice your meats thin and remove excess fat. Tongue, for instance, is fatty. Keep that in mind and monitor it for spoilage, though I have NEVER envountered it! Typically, I make new batches every couple of months, so I haven’t had to store for longer than that. (Cats love the dehydrated meats! Don’t forget to treat the felines!)
We have our own jerky company for humans that we are working on getting USDA rating now. We also cut it super thin to make it crisp!! We have talked about adding a pet line also. Do you also put in the oven after dehydrating???
What about dehydrating beef aorta? I bought a box and didn’t realize how hard it would be to deal with… dehydrating it seems logical
Sure, that sounds like a pretty good idea for a treat. I’ve never tried it, never even heard of it till you mentioned it and I googled it. Personally, I’d stick a few on the dehydrator until they were dry and crisp. I’d love to hear how you get on and see some pics!! 🙂
Thanks Laura
Enjoyed reading the recipes, great ideas for treats.
I’m wondering if you any recipes or hints on dehydrating chicken necks for dogs.
I did consider trying it.. and had some in fridge but the bones just put me off. If you wanna try it, just place it on at the highest setting (70C) and see how it dries. You could just dry it till the meat seems dry… It’s the bones that worry me.. are dried bones the same as cooked bones?.. not sure… give it a try and let me know how it goes.
Thank you for such an informative website. While I’m still learning many dehydrating tricks, my biggest fear is improper storage.
If you have a page or can refer a good one regarding proper storage, if be grateful.
Thanks again!
Dogs stomachs are pretty tough. Daily I see them eat mud, poo, drink from stagnant water, eat weird stuff. For peace of mind put everything you dry in the freezer.
I just bought some chicken feet and just purchased a 10 tray digital Excalibur….thought It would be easy to find a recipe…not….any suggestions would be awesome.
Hey Rebecca, chicken feet have now been added to the guide. 5 days to dry, but around 4-5 days in general.
When I did my course on food preparation for child-care, we were taught that common food pathogens including salmonella could not reproduce between 4-64°C (39.2-147.2°F), and would die above 64°C.
Interestingly, salmonella is one of our many ‘healthy’ gut-bacteria and is common in many foods, especially fresh chicken eggs. The problem arises when the quantity is out of balance with the other gut flora. Other than clostridium botulinum (which causes botulism and can be fatal), there is no ‘bad bacteria’, only imbalance. And c.botulinum can only be found in an already infected animal, which is rare in our modern Western society, and is usually picked up at inspection at the abattoir. Like any bacteria (except for the ones which live at the bottom of oceans next to volcanic vents, which we will never come close to), c.botulinum also dies at 64°C. The problem arises almost exclusively in the middle of joints of meat where the temperature does not get to 64°C because the bone marrow didn’t conduct the heat as well as the surrounding meat.
So I’ll happily dry Jake’s de-jointed dog-bones and treats at 70°C… 😊
Wow. Really interesting reply, thanks very much. I don’t normally use the oven, but since this is a recipe available to the public I thought best to stay on the side of caution.
hi.. my question is do i need to refrigerate the sweet potato treats.. I have been making them for quite some time & do refrigerate them, just not sure if I am supposed to.. I also make him fresh turkey Jerry, that I refrigerate.. thanks in advance😘
Hi Jamie, read here for more info on storing dried fruit and veg. https://www.thebalance.com/how-to-store-home-dried-foods-1388331
You have really inspired me. I am still in the experimental stage and when I dry meat, I take it out looking lovely but by the time I zap it in the oven it ends up being over cooked. Not that the dogs mind. I want to do small liver training treats so can you tell me – if I boil the liver first does that kill the bacteria and pathogens? or do I need to zap it at the end?
Plus, is it effective to put it in the oven half way through and then return it to the air dryer?
Do you think this recipe would be more appropriate? https://www.bdws.co.uk/2011/05/08/homemade-liver-treat-recipe/
Hi, Can you advise me how to dehydrate Tongue please.I’m unsure if you boil first( how long?) or it can be cut into strips and straight into dehydrator. Many thanks.
I did a batch of chicken necks in my dehydrator and they smelled very badly so I threw them away. Did I do something wrong? Do you have any suggestions?
I made some trachea and a few have a thin mold on them after a few days –
Can this be prevented?
And are they still safe for the dog?
Thanks great blog!
Is it fatty? Try drying them for longer and store in the fridge (short term) or freezer long term.
Hi! I was just wondering how long can I store the dehydrated treats if I don’t put it in the freezer until it goes bad.
hi there i was wondering the same as well… i read from other websites that it can only be kept for no more than 2 weeks? is this true?
Probably around 2 weeks, but lots of variables to life-span eg, how dry it is, how lean meat is, how they are stored. Cause we don’t use salt and vinegar it doesn’t have the same lifespan as Jerky produced for human consumption.
Hi, thanks for all the recipes! I’m planning to make the chicken jerky for the dog. Just want to check if I have dehydrate it properly with the oven method at the end, will it be safe for human consumption? I doubt it’ll be very appealing considering there will be no salt etc but I have kids at home and just want to be safe because of Salmonella.
Looking forward to hear from you. Thank you.
Jamie – you are a master! Absolutely love your recipes which started me making treats for my doodle four years ago. I now have two doodles and a dehydrator, so as usual I turned to you for info and inspiration! Excellent detail and descriptions on how to make jerky. The booklet that came with mine is unsurprisingly rubbish!! Thanks Jamie…..keep them coming.
Thank you Sue! That’s very kind of you! 🙂
Hey soz just saw this. If you heat it like I recommend and make sure it is properly dry then yeah, it is fine for human consumption, but bland.
Why are you cooking the meat ‘to kill bacteria’? Research raw feeding dogs and you’ll see the benefits of not cooking it!
Dehydration preserves food and it’s clean too so good to put in your pocket while out and about.
So my liver jerky came out more crispy then chewy…they were in my dehydrater for 11hours and then had a 10min stint in my oven @350°.
Could you tell me how yours came out? I’m thinking either they were in the dehydrater too long or my oven temp was to high so it cooked them until they were over done
lots of variables. how thick did you cut it? Try dehydrating for less time and or put in oven for less time too.
Hi, I used the oven instead of a dehydrated and shortly after I cut it up it all turned green? (As in within 10 mins) whilst inside air tight plastic bags. I have now popped them all in the freezer but are they safe to give to dogs still?
I’m a dog walker too so don’t want to poison anyone’s dogs!!
Green??? What meat did you use? Can you email me a photo?
I have a question. When I buy the pig skin, it can have up to 1-2cm of fat on it. Do I need to trim this?? Thanks.
if you wanna store it then yeah cut off the far, else if you plan to use it straight away then it doesnt matter