I first started looking into making homemade treats for my dog Loki when the vet said he was overweight. The veterinary nurse that was tasked with working out how much food Loki should be fed came up with an amount of dried food larger than Loki was eating at the time. He was adamant that Loki should not have any treats at all. Now bear in mind Loki is a five year old sight hound that I rescued in 2019, I was very much still training him, so needed to be able to reward his good behaviour.

I researched all dog food, both wet and dry that was in my affordable price range. I was looking for lowest fat content and most meat content. I came up with a combination of wet and dry food which Loki really seemed to like, but I still needed low fat treats for rewards. He continued to have half a bonio after each meal and I found a small, pocket sized treat for rewarding good behaviour. I must admit at this point I was very confused, as on the training course I took Loki to after adopting him they had recommended rewarding good behaviour with cheese, liver, peanut butter, cream cheese and ham.

On one of Loki’s initial visits to the vets, he had been given a treat made from dried fruit and fish. This was my starting point. They were my flavours, now I needed a binding agent. I found sweet potato was good for dogs, then I added oats to give fibre and a crunch when cooked. Even though I double bake these, as you do biscotti, I still haven’t got them to be really crispy though

The recipe could not be simpler, although you need a couple of hours.

400g sweet potato boiled and mashed 120g Oats 2 eating apples grated. 100g can of tuna in water drained 1 egg Mix everything together and press into a lined baking tray 8″X 8″ /20cm X 20cm or there abouts. Bake for 45 mins at 180°/gas mark 4. Remove from the oven and turn out onto a cooling rack for 10 mins or so, just until you are able to pick it up without it breaking. Place on a board and slice into thin slices, then cut each slice in half and bake again for another 45mins.

The total fat content for all the treats is about 21g, so just divide by how ever many treats you end up with for the individual amount.

Loki loves these. If he is offered one of these and another treat……he always picks the tuna and apple treat. However always check with a vet whether your animal can have these before offering these treats. Loki has gone onto successfully lose 2 kg and is now a healthy weight.

Please use this recipe and share it, maybe say that you found it on my blog and don’t forget to let me know what your dog thinks of them. Watch this space for a delicious doggie ice cream too