While we’re busy gorging on holiday treats and sweets, we realized that our pets are more than deserving of some yummy treats as well! Therefore, we’ve compiled a short list of easy DIY treats you can whip up at home to serve to your furry friends when they stare at you with the puppy-dog eyes!

  1. Puppy Pops! This is a SUPER easy treat to pull together, and you can use pretty much anything you have lying around that is healthy for dogs.
    • Firstly, you’re going to need an ice cube tray OR muffin tin
    • Next, rummage through your kitchen for dog-friendly food items such as: pureed PURE pumpkin, peanut butter, wet dog food, bacon bits, cheese, plain greek yogurt, and chicken, beef, or veggie broth. Ensure that these items are pure and don’t have anything that could be harmful to dogs such as onions or garlic!
    • Grab a big mixing bowl, and pour your choice ingredients in – mix it alllll together
    • Pour your mixture into the ice cube tray or muffin tin and stick in the freezer
    • Take out when frozen, and serve one treat at a time to your pup!
    • **pro tip- make sure your dog is somewhere in your house that you don’t mind a mess!**
  2.  Pumpkin & Peanut Butter Treats! We picked this recipe because it is SUPER easy to make, even for those of us who are less than inclined to spend time in the kitchen. You only need 3 ingredients: old fashioned oats, natural peanut butter, and pure pumpkin.
    • Step 1: Put a cup of oats into a food processor, and grind until a fine powder
    • Step 2: Add in 1/4 cup natural peanut butter and 1/3 cup pumpkin
    • Step 3: Mix well
    • Step 4: Spread onto a parchment paper and use a cute cookie cutter OR just a plain ol’ knife to cut into small pieces.
    • Step 5: Bake until firm
    • Step 6: Feed to Fido!
  1. Catnip Soup! This treat is a little bit of a misnomer, as it isn’t actually an edible treat, but rather a fun sensory experience! What you need:
    • Gallon Ziploc Bag
    • Handful of Cat toys
    • Fresh Catnip…. All you have to do is pour all of your ingredients into the Ziploc, close, and shake well! You can hand a few toys to your cat each day, and they will be provided with amazing mental enrichment that will target their nose and taste buds at the same time! 
  2. Cat Salmon (Or Tuna) Treats! Here’s another simple recipe for those of us who are definitely NO Betty Crocker! To keep things uncomplicated, there are only 3 ingredients you’ll need to gather: canned salmon (tuna works as well), 1 egg, 2 cups whole wheat flour.
    • Step 1: pulse the salmon or tuna in a food processor until finely chopped
    • Step 2: add the fish to the beaten egg and 2 cups flour. Mix thoroughly – you may add some water if the mixture is too dry
    • Step 3: spread the mixture onto parchment paper and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes – you want the cookies to be slightly browned
    • Step 4: slice into adorable shapes with cookie cutters
    • Step 5: serve to your happy cat!

So there you have it! You and your furry family members can enjoy holiday treats together, and bond by spending some time in the kitchen.  You don’t need a lot of ingredients (or a lot of skill in the kitchen) to create healthy, homemade treats for your cat or dog – they’re not picky!