Bake Pet Treats for a Heartwarming Cold Season

Treats Bake Pet

for a Heartwarming Cold Season

by Blake Herzog

Right about now is the time when most of us start to turn toward home and look for ways to heat it beyond the reach of the furnace. We’re cleaning out the fireplaces and putting sweaters and socks on everything within reach. The next step is to fire up the oven for meals, snacks and desserts, and who better to bake for than your loyal fourlegged friends? They may have a fur-coat advantage over us but are just as eager to participate in the family fun! Read on for three simple pet-safe recipes, two for dogs and one for cats — they’ll love your “fails” as much as your successes! These should be fine for most animals but if your pet has digestive issues you may want to check with your veterinarian before serving them. Q

CHICKEN AND RICE DOG TREATS

INGREDIENTS

1 cup cooked finely diced chicken 1/2 cup rice, cooked and mashed 3 tablespoons rice flour 1 tablespoon parsley 1 egg

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oven to 350°. Mix all ingredients well, then spoon into a silicon mold with small, fun shapes. Bake until tops are golden brown, about 20-30 minutes. Let cool and remove from molds.

BEEFY DOG BISCUITS

INGREDIENTS

1 cup whole wheat flour 1 cup oats 1/2 cup flaxseed 1/2 to 1 cups beef broth 1/4 cup peanut butter

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oven to 350°. Stir the flour, oats and flaxseed in bowl. Add 1/2 cup beef broth and peanut butter. Form into a ball and turn out on a lightly floured surface. Roll to about 1/4 inch thickness and cut into desired shapes. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes, flipping them halfway through. Cool and keep in airtight container for up to a week.

CRUNCHY KITTY TUNA CRACKERS

INGREDIENTS

6 oz. undrained tuna 1 cup cornmeal 1 cup flour 1/3 cup water

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix ingredients together. Roll into 1/4-inch pieces. Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 350° for 20 minutes. Allow to cool.

A hike around Lynx Lake on one of the trails and a dip in the creek

GINA’S Happily Ever After!

Gina is a precious, adorable, lovable, amazing dog who came to Yavapai Humane Society in August 2021 after living her entire life of 10 years with one family. They were moving and couldn’t take her.

She was adopted in January 2022 but returned after a month for being dog reactive. She’s a great dog and just needed to be given a chance. We kept her in the Marketing & Development office with us so she could enjoy one of the three beds we had for her, tons of treats and lots of love!

July 19 Viola and her daughter Daisha came to the shelter looking for a smaller young dog, but they took the time to meet Gina and, well, the rest is a very happy ending.

Here is a compilation of emails/updates from Viola about Gina:

July 20, 2022 Daisha is so happy to have Gina in the family, she shopped for Gina at PetSmart yesterday, the coupon book came in handy.

Gina is happy! I love how she is sharing Daisha’s bed with her; my son Sinopa enjoys her chilling in his room as he plays his Switch game and, occasionally, she comes to the living room to check on me and hops right on the sofa to relax and share the coach.

July 27, 2022 Here is a one-week update. She is attached to Daisha. Gina has a different attitude now that she has adjusted and figured out who lives with her. She is active and loves walking. We can’t use the word “walk” — we have to spell it now. When we get ready to go for a walk she goes a little nuts, she hears “let’s go” and we do!

Yesterday evening we went out for dinner and when we got home, she wouldn’t get out of the car, she wanted to cruise more. LOL

When Daisha leaves her sight, she goes looking throughout the house for her. School is one week away, and I have concern that she will cry/whine/whimper/ all day until Daisha gets home from school. Daisha is working with her, telling her to “wait here, I’ll be back, I’m going to school.”

She made her first visit to PetSmart shopping for her toys and food, she did well. And she even had her first Pup Cup from Starbucks.

Aug. 9, 2022 It’s been a month since we brought Gina into our home and lives, and we love her so much. Yesterday was Daisha’s first day back in school; the separating for Daisha and Gina was very emotional.

Gina and Daisha are like peas and carrots. Daisha does a little hide and seek, and Gina starts to whine and cry a little and I think Daisha doesn’t like to hear her so she comes out of hiding.

I love how she comes to me to let her out for potty break, at 2 a.m. When she wants something, she gives this light

Daisha bought her that lobster costume and for the month of Sept and October that is what she is wearing when they go for walks. and Gina doesn’t mind the costumes or dress up that Daisha puts on her. I think Daisha is searching for a better Costume that will suit Gina Better. Daisha cannot wait for Halloween so Gina can wear a costume.

An early morning visit with my mom. Gina joined her, for coffee and oatmeal cookies. My mom is surprised how well behaved she is and really obeys Daisha. (PEAS AND CARROTS)

Gina’s adoption day! It truly was the best day ever!

My oldest daughter Vibekah is helping us as Gina is home alone. She picks up Gina and spends some time with her driving around taking care of some errands and took Gina to Lynx Lake yesterday for a walk.

Aug. 31, 2022 Here is our baby’s update. A week ago we had to take her to the emergency vet hospital because she was not feeling good. Blood in her poop and low energy, we thought it was the end for her. We all cried, hugging her and telling her we just found you baby... Now, she is back to her happy feet self. After being treated with antibiotics and a bland diet of chicken and rice she is back to happy feet Gigi.

She is slowly adjusting to being home alone for almost eight hours. Daisha is working with speaking to her telling her she is going to school and giving her a treat explaining to her to wait until we get home.

She is always happy to see me when I come home from work, she greets me at the gate and dances around me until I get to the front door.

She is having a little arthritis in her joints, so she is taking daily medication. She had her wellness check up on Monday, and she is healthy minus the arthritis. Since Gina come into our lives, we get out to explore the woods every weekend. Our daily routine has changed, and there are no regrets. We find that she brought comfort to our home. You see, Daisha and her brother were grieving for a month because their father had passed away. I feel like it was fate, or answered prayers that, that day we just happened to stop by searching. We did want a puppy, or a smaller dog, then Daisha saw Gina and fell in love, and now there’s Gigi, (Gina). They are an emotional support to each other.

On Friday, Gina gets to go to school with Daisha for two to three hours (its tutoring day on Fridays), and then Gina gets a visit from my daughter Vibekah, and she gets a special spa day. I don’t know what goes on, and I don’t ask, because it’s girls’ day.

Thank you, Viola, for sharing these sweet updates. I know I can speak for every one of us at Yavapai Humane Society when I say we are so grateful you came into Gina’s life.

It just goes to show that every single animal at Yavapai Humane Society is worthy of love and a forever home. If you’d like to give them their own happily ever after, give us a call at 928-445-2666 and let’s make it happen!

One of the many drive times — every day she wants a cruise. When I get her harness and leash, she knows what’s going down… it’s either a walk or a drive, then she does her happy dance.

FALL HOLIDAY SAFETY FOR OUR Furry Family Members

The holidays pose many risks for our beloved pets.

At Halloween there are things that can happen with decorations, candy, costumes and people. It’s also a time of high risk for animals getting out of your house and possibly lost with the door being opened and closed all night.

Trick or Treat candies are NOT for pets. Keep an on eye on the candy bowl. All forms of chocolate, especially dark chocolate, can be dangerous and even lethal, to both dogs and cats! Chocolate can cause severe vomiting, diarrhea and seizures.

Chocolate covered raisins are a combination of two potentially deadly ingredients. Raisins can cause severe kidney failure. If your pet happens to eat a chocolate covered raisin, immediately get them to your vet.

Candy corn and other high sugar candy can cause severe gas and diarrhea. Candy with plastic and foil wrappers pose a health risk of causing an obstruction in the intestines and can irritate the lining of the GI tract.

Hard candies taste delicious to dogs, but they pose a major choking hazard. And MOST IMPORTANTLY, do not let pets ingest sugar free gum or candy, which may contain Xylitol, a sugar-substitute. Xylitol can be deadly to your pet. This is by far, the most dangerous type of candy for pets!

We all love Halloween and fall decorations, but dogs and cats tend to explore new things with their mouths. A curious or bored dog or cat will happily scarf down fake spider webs, fake bugs or even dried corn decorations. Any of these items can obstruct your pet’s digestive tract.

Pumpkins usually have a candle in them, which your pet could easily knock over and start a fire or at the least, cause a mess.

Make sure your pet is properly identifiable. Up to day microchipping is so important. Have a collar and ID tag on them just in case Fido decides to bolt when you open the door to those trick or treaters.

And lastly, if you’re going to put your pet in a costume, make sure it fits properly and doesn’t have any pieces that can easily be chewed off. Make sure it doesn’t interfere with their sight, hearing, breathing, movement. Let your pet get accustomed to the costume and never leave your pet unsupervised while in costume.

Thanksgiving also can be a treacherous time. Fatty foods are hard for animals to digest, poultry bones can damage your pet’s digestive tract and holiday sweets can contain ingredients that are poisonous to your pets.

Keep your food on the table, not under it! Turkey and turkey skin, sometimes even in small amounts can cause a life-threatening condition in pets known as pancreatitis. Fatty foods are hard for animals to digest, and many foods healthy for people are poisonous to pets, including onions, raisins and grapes.

A small piece of turkey (make sure it’s boneless, white and cooked all the way through) or a lick of mashed potatoes will not harm your pet, but anything more than that could potentially be harmful. Don’t spoil your pet’s holiday by giving him access to raw yeast bread dough. When a dog or cat ingests this, the yeast continues to convert the sugars in the dough to carbon dioxide gas and alcohol. This can result in bloated, drunk pets, which could become a life-threatening emergency.

Just like Halloween, be careful with decorations. Pinecones, needles and other decorations can cause intestinal blockage or even perforate an animal’s intestines if eaten.

Taking a few extra precautions will ensure your pet stays safe.