Why dehydrate your own dog treats?

Dried dog treats made from real meat are expensive and difficult to justify when cheaper, mass-produced, processed treats are available on the same store shelf. But dehydrators are cheap to buy and even cheaper to run and it’s very simple to learn how to dry treats for dogs! I’d been wanting a dehydrator, but I couldn’t find any online guides for making dog treats – only human jerky recipes. So, I bought a dehydrator, researched the process, and created the internet’s first guide to dehydrating dog treats. I’m thrilled with this dehydrator and recommend it to any dog owner who enjoys making homemade dog treats. Jerky treats are ideal because they’re clean, dry, and perfect for settling my dogs when we get home from a walk. Ensure your dehydrator can dry meat, as some models are designed only for fruit and don’t reach high enough temperatures.  

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IMPORTANT READING

While researching how to make jerky, I found conflicting advice online. Some recipes (for human consumption) suggest placing raw meat, including chicken, directly in the dehydrator, while others recommend precooking the meat to kill pathogens. Although dogs rarely get sick from bacteria like Salmonella due to their short digestive tracts, which often neutralise harmful bacteria, caution may still be warranted. Most dehydrators reach a maximum temperature of around 70°C (160°F), which is insufficient to kill pathogens like Salmonella and E. coli. To ensure safety, I always bake the dehydrated meat in the oven at 150°C (300°F) for 10 minutes to eliminate any remaining pathogens. Oregon state University did research on how to make homemade jerky safe (for humans) 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.

TIPS

• Always wash your hands before you start.
• Food with a lower fat content lasts longer, as fat cannot be dried and will spoil the food faster. So if you’re planning to store the treats long-term, then trim any fat off the meat before you dry it out.
• Drying times vary a lot. Temperature, thickness of food, amount on the trays, and different machines all affect the timing. Your user manual will help, and you’ll soon learn when it’s done by texture, appearance, and general experience.
• I store dehydrated jerky in the freezer (no defrosting required), but you can learn more about storing jerky at WikiHow.
• You can cut meat as thin or thick as you like, but the thicker it is, the longer it takes to dry.
• A very sharp knife makes slicing easier.
• You’ll be surprised how much food shrinks when dehydrated. Just remember that it’s concentrated food and don’t give too much at once – it’s a treat!
• Getting raw foods is easier online for most people – give Rawdirect.co.uk and Iwantpetfoods.com a try.

HOW TO STORE

Store treats in airtight containers in a cool, dry, dark place to keep them fresh for 3-6 months. For maximum safety, I recommend freezing them, which can extend shelf life to 1-2 years – they thaw super quickly because of the low moisture. Check for mould, off smells, or slimy textures before feeding, especially with fatty meats like salmon or pork. 

Contents

• Pig Ears
• Chicken Feet
• Pig Skin
• Tripe
• Beef
• Salmon
• Liver
• Sea Bass
• Chicken
• Rabbit
• Heart
• Kidney
• Pig Snout
• Non Meat Ideas

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.

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 at rawdirect.co.uk.  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.

DRIED PIG SKIN

Pig skin is pretty easy to get, Morrisons sells 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 as it’s so tough.  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 very leathery and the dogs just go crazy for it.  And like rawhide dogs should be supervised when eating this, it’s not for dogs that don’t know how to chew and just try to swallow their food.  When preparing this recipe, cut the pig skin into the sizes you want before you dry, you won’t be able to after – it’s that tough!

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. You might be able to buy raw tripe online here.

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.

SALMON JERKY

Salmon super-food, but a bit oily and wont last as long.  But you know what?  That oil is super healthy 🙂

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.

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!  Sprats are another amazing option, you can get them here online in bulk

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Have questions? Things not working out as expected or need some advice? Then please use the comment section below.

This is the first and original dog treat recipe using a dehydrator that was published on the internet and inspired many other websites to copy it, but they cut out all the important info. This is also the second most popular homemade dog treat recipe behind my recipe for liver cake for dogs that I have on my site.

I started making and posting dog treat recipes shortly after I began dog walking.  If you’ve ever considered becoming a dog walker I have a how-to guide you can read to help you start.

If you live locally and need a Dargavel Village, Erskine or Bishopton Dog Walker, please enquire about your pet care needs.