November | 2012 | legendaryteri

These easy to make green treats are a great gift idea to hand out to friends’ with dogs or to just keep for you and your furry friend.

Green Treats!

I feed Pinto a raw diet of food from the grocery store and she isn’t always too keen on eating her greens no matter how much I try and hide them in the raw beef and bananas.  Unfortunately, greens aren’t often added into pet foods or used in store bought treats either and I’m a big believer in their health benefits.

So here is my recipe for a tasty green treat!

The ingredients:

Kale, Flax Seeds, Kelp Powder, Nettle Leaf, and Blackstrap Molasses

3 – 4 leaves of Kale – (or chard, or collards)

Kale is a proven cancer-risk cutter, abundant source of fiber, calcium, Vitamin A, E and C, helps prevent heart disease and contains numerous antioxidants. Avoid in pets with certain types of bladder stones or kidney disease.

2 – 3 Tablespoons of Seaweed Powder – (Kelp is what I used and I found it in the bulk section of the grocery store)

The rich iodine content and high levels of other nutrient minerals and vitamins in kelp make it an herb of choice for regulating and balancing glandular systems. In particular, dogs suffering from hypothyroidism and weight problems can benefit from the iodine in kelp.

Dogs with skin irritation problems as a result of allergies, dogs with dry skin, or dogs who are suffering from hair loss can benefit from kelp. In a study, dogs who had been fed kelp daily for a period of six months had darker, thicker, and shinier coats. They also scratched less and their skin was not as dry. The protein in kelp is highly bio-available, which allows dogs to efficiently assimilate its amino acids so they can speedily and effectively assist in tissue repair.  In the same study, dogs were found to be less attractive to fleas and flies after three weeks of supplementation.

4 – 5 Tablespoons of Ground Flax Seed – (also found in the bulk section of the grocery store)

Flax provides Omega-3 and -6 fatty acids.  These nutrients are essential for skin and coat health. In addition, alpha-linoleic acid-a component of flax seed-offers immune system benefits and anti-inflammatory properties. Flax is also high in soluble and insoluble fiber which gently moves waste and toxins out of the body while preventing constipation and providing constipation relief.

Make sure you get ground flax, or can grind it yourself.  None of these wonderful benefits can be obtained without breaking the outer hull of the seed.

We have a coffee grinder that we use exclusively for grinding herbs and spices.

About 1/2 cup of Dried Stinging Nettle Leaves- (found at my local bulk herb store, but easily purchased online.  Make sure it’s organic!) Nettles have a mild diuretic effect and can increase the output of urine through the kidneys. This action has a cleansing effect helping to remove toxins, unwanted chemicals and poisons. Flushing out waste products can also help where there is kidney disease or impairment.  Due to their cleansing nature and high vitamin and mineral content, nettles are considered a good general tonic to help strengthen the body. Used over a period of time, nettles can improve the quality and appearance of both the skin and coat.  Also, Nettles have anti-histamine like action and can help reduce itching and scratching, as well as other minor skin irritations.

4 -5 Tablespoons of Blackstrap Molasses – (found at the grocery store, get organic!)
When the sugar cane plant is processed, two products are produced. Refined sugar and a black goo called blackstrap molasses. Though most of the sweetness is removed with the sugar, the precious nutrients from the sugar cane are concentrated in the blackstrap. A single tablespoon of the blackstrap molasses contains up to 20% of the recommended daily amounts of:  iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium.  It is also an excellent source of manganese, chromium, copper, selenium, and B vitamins.
There are many people who swear molasses has helped ease their dog’s arthritis.  Just make sure to purchase un-sulfured blackstrap molasses, since molasses treated with sulfites does not retain its nutritional value.

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Once you have all your ingredients together the process is pretty simple.  Obviously, I’m not very scientific with the proportions here, so feel free to experiment a bit.

Take the kale leaves and break them in half with your hands, then stuff them in the blender with a small amount of water.  You want just enough water to get them blended up.  Once you have a nice bright green juice pour it into a mixing bowl (if there is some pulp don’t worry about it just plop it in the bowl too).  Add the seaweed and nettles.  Next I add the molasses, it’s important because it adds the sweet savory flavor which counteracts all the bitter greens.

The Mixing Bowl

Lastly, add in the ground flax seed and stir it all up, the flax will help keep everything together because as it becomes wet it forms a sticky mucilage.  You should now have some nice goop!

Now, you have a choice.  If you have a dehydrator spread the goop out on a close-bottom tray and let it dry for a day or so.  If you are not fortunate enough to have a dehydrator (like me) turn your oven on the lowest setting between 150 F and 170 F.  Line a glass casserole dish or pie pan (I prefer the pie pan) with aluminum foil and spread the goop out to your desired thickness.  I typically like thin treats that I can break into small pieces for training but I’m sure you could easily make different shapes.

The Green Goop

I’m sure you’re asking “Why not just bake those suckers in a few minutes?” Well because I want to keep as much nutrients in the treats as possible which means not cooking them but drying them.

So just stick the pie pan in the oven and let it dry for 6 – 8 hours.  Every now and then just stick your hand in to touch the treats.   If they are moist they’re aren’t ready.  Once they are nice and dry to the touch then they are ready to come out.

Now you can easily peel the treats off the aluminum foil and bag them up or start handing them out to hungry dogs!

“Stop taking pictures and let me eat!”

Enjoy!

Unfortunately there are quite a few toxic substances floating around our homes that can cause serious illness or even death in dogs (and cats!)  It’s good to be informed about what these are and steps to take if they are ingested.

Symptoms of Poisoning

• Sudden salivation, foaming of the mouth, gagging, and vomiting


• Skin rash or hives


• Pawing at the mouth


• Sudden diarrhea


• Sudden bloody vomit or sudden bloody diarrhea


• Staggering, confusion, and circling behavior


• Seizures


• Sudden lack of appetite


• Muscle rigidity, tremors, or twitches


• Loss of consciousness


• Difficulty breathing

What You Should Do

If you suspect that your pet has been poisoned, or you witnessed the event, it is important to quickly collect as much information as you known about the poison. Place any vomit or diarrhea in a plastic bag, and if possible gather up the label of the toxic material the dog was exposed to and try to determine how much of the substance your dog ingested.

Many people think they are helping their pet by giving home remedies they may have heard of before, such as milk, salt, aspirin, etc. Adverse reactions to these home remedies can sometimes be more significant than the toxicity itself. Stay calm and do not give anything to your pet unless instructed to by a veterinarian.

If your dog is having life threatening symptoms such as seizures, loss of consciousness, or difficulty breathing, gather up the items mentioned as quickly as possible and rush your pet to the nearest veterinarian. Have someone call the veterinarian’s clinic or hospital to tell them a poison case will be arriving soon.

If your dog is showing mild symptoms, or you suspect your dog has been exposed to a toxic substance but is not yet showing symptoms, call the Animal Poison Control Center (currently their number is 1-888-426-4435). The APCC charges a $ 60.00 consultation fee for the call, and they will advise you on any immediate treatment that your dog may need such as inducing vomiting, transporting the dog to a veterinarian clinic, or how to quickly remove a toxic substance from the dog’s skin and coat, etc.

List of Common Poisons

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) - Dogs are less sensitive to acetaminophen than cats. For example, a 50 pound dog would need to ingest over seven 500 mg tablets in order to suffer toxic effects. In the cat, one 250 mg acetaminophen tablet could be fatal.  It’s never a good idea to give pets people medicine unless directed by a vet.     

Do not feed your dog any human medicine without consulting a vet

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Acorns - Acorns, oak buds, leaves, and drinking water that acorns and oak leaves have soaked in, have all caused symptoms of oak poisoning.

Don’t let dogs eat these.

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Alcohol – Alcoholic drinks contain a lot of ethanol (ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol). Typical percentages for alcoholic beverages are: beer 3% to 5% ethanol, wine 9% to 12%, and whiskey 40% to 90%. Ethanol even in small amounts can cause severe liver damage in dogs. 

Dogs suffer the effects of alcohol much faster and to a greater degree than humans. It can easily cause liver failure.

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Aloe Vera – If you break an aloe leaf open you notice two things: the center clear/greenish goo (this is what the gel is made from) and around the very edge a white sap (this is the latex the plant produces). The gel is not toxic, but the latex can cause problems.

Aloe Vera latex is toxic to dogs

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Antifreeze - Be sure to keep it behind locking cabinets or high off the ground because it has a sweet flavor.  The minimum lethal dose for dogs is .2 ounces per 2 pounds of body weight. Thus, a little more than three tablespoons could be lethal for a 22 pound dog. Treatment should be started as soon as possible after consumption (within a few hours).

Keep this out of reach of dogs

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Bread Dough (with yeast and un-baked) – When ingested, the warm, moist environment of your dog’s stomach acts as an artificial oven, making the uncooked bread dough rise due to the fermentation process; this results in the production of carbon dioxide (hence, why the bread rises) and alcohol. Not only does it cause bloat due to the bread expanding (and potentially gastric dilatation volvulus, which is a life-threatening surgical emergency), but it also simultaneously causes alcohol poisoning.

Be careful when making bread dough that your dog doesn’t have access to it.

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Chocolate –
White chocolate has the least toxic effect on dogs.  A 20-pound dog would need to ingest at least 55 pounds of white chocolate to cause nervous system signs.
Milk chocolate however will start to create problems, little less than one pound of it can be toxic to the nervous system of a 20-pound dog.
Semi sweet chocolate in as little as 6 ounces can be toxic to the nervous system of a 20-pound dog.
Pure cacao or Baking chocolate is really what you need to worry about as two small one-ounce squares of baking chocolate can be toxic to a 20-pound dog.

Different kinds of chocolate have different toxic levels for dogs.

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Coffee and Tea grounds – In dogs the toxic dose (of caffeine) is approximately 200 mg/2 pounds of body weight.  By means of comparison, a 7 oz cup of coffee has the following caffeine amounts:
Drip 115-175mg
Espresso 100mg of caffeine – 1 serving (1.5-2oz)
Brewed 80-135mg
Instant 65-100mg
Decaf, brewed 3-4mg
Decaf, instant 2-3mg

Make sure coffee beans and grounds are disposed of properly.

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Grapes & Raisins – Dogs can suffer acute renal failure from ingesting grapes and raisins. The estimated toxic dose of grapes is 1 ounce per 2 pounds of body weight, and for raisins it is 1 ounce per 2 pounds of body weight

Dogs and grapes don’t mix

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Marijuana - THC is absorbed quickly into the bloodstream and signs of intoxication can be seen from within minutes up to 3 hours after exposure.  The drug is eliminated quite quickly, but can be absorbed into fat making symptoms last for up to 3-4 days.  It would take 1.5 gram of Marijuana per pound of body weight to be fatal so most animals will make a full recovery with supportive care from your veterinarian.

Make sure to keep marijuana out of reach of dogs.

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Mushrooms – many many different kinds are poisonous, avoid them all.  But no mushroom is worthier of fear than the terribly poisonous Death Cap (Amanita phalloides). This single, widespread species of mushroom is solely responsible for the majority of fatal and otherwise serious mushroom poisoning cases, worldwide as well as in North America. This mushroom is rare in most parts of North America but locally common in such areas as the San Francisco Bay area, where it is typically found from mid-autumn through late winter. In California, it occurs under live oak and cork trees.

Deathcap mushrooms can grow overnight and be a curiosity to puppies. They are extremely deadly so watch your dogs carefully.

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Nicotine – The toxic level of nicotine in dogs is 5 milligrams of nicotine per pound of body weight. For example, one cigarette contains 15 to 25 milligrams of nicotine, and nicotine patches contain between 8 to 114 milligrams of nicotine. A 10-pound dog would only need to eat 2 to 4 cigarettes in order to show toxic signs.

The nicotine in cigarettes, patches and e-cigarettes can be toxic to dogs.

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Nuts – This one is a difficult one.  Some sources say stay away from all nuts because of the high fat content, and some sources say that macadamia nuts and almonds can be fatal in dogs (although the poison in them is unknown).  Some sources also say that pecans and walnuts can be fatal because of myco-poisons or molds found in them (other sources say this only applies to those nuts found out on the ground not store bought).  If you do decide to feed your dog nuts make it an occasional treat and make sure they are unsalted.  Seeds like pumpkin, sunflower and sesame are a much better option.

Keep your dog away from almonds and macadamia nuts.

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Potaoto (raw)  – Raw GREEN parts of Potatoes and other Solanum species, including the tomato, are members of the nightshade family of plants. These plants contain solanine and other toxic alkaloids which, if eaten in large enough amounts, can produce drooling, severe gastrointestinal upset, including vomiting and diarrhea, loss of appetite, drowsiness, central nervous system depression, confusion, behavioral changes, weakness, dilated pupils and slowed heart rate.           

Green potatoes are poisonous to humans and dogs!

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Xylitol -The most common xylitol item is sugar-free gum. Gum can be found everywhere, and is often tempting to dogs. Keep gum out of reach – watch out for open pockets, purses, counter tops, and in the car. Xylitol can also be found in sugar-free (low carb and diabetic) candies, baked goods, some pharmaceuticals and many dental products, including mouthwashes, mints and toothpastes. The toxic dose for dogs is considered to be approximately 0.1 grams per 2 pounds of body weight. A typical stick of gum contains 0.3 to 0.4 grams of xylitol, which means that a 10 lb dog could be poisoned by as little as a stick and a half of gum.

Sugar free gums and candies can cause toxic effects in dogs.

Be sure to talk to a vet if you suspect that any type of poising as occurred. It can take hours, days, weeks, and even months for poison symptoms to develop for example, some rat poisons can silently harm a dog’s organs without causing symptoms for weeks.