Recently, you may have noticed the growing number of sweet potato treats for dogs on store shelves. Are pet brands just capitalizing on our love of sweet potato fries or are these healthier options for our canine friends?
The Benefits of Sweet Potatoes for Dogs
Sweet potatoes are loaded with antioxidants that help boost a dog’s immune system, protecting against disease and helping the body better fight infections. And that’s not all—sweet potatoes also…
- promote eye health, improving our dogs’ night vision
- soothe an upset tummy and promote healthy digestion
- reduce inflammation
On top of that, sweet potatoes are a healthier option than rawhide chews.
Sweet Potato Recipes for Dogs
If you’d like to add sweet potatoes to your dog’s diet, check out these two easy recipes for dog treats that feature this healthy ingredient.
Crazy Easy Sweet Potato Dog Treats
I originally found this recipe online and modified it a little for our dogs.
Ingredients: 2 sweet potatoes, 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce (homemade), 4 cups of coconut flour, 3 eggs, extra-virgin coconut oil
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Stab the sweet potatoes a few times with a fork and heat in the microwave until they’re soft enough to scoop the potato out of the skin (discard the skin)
- Core the apples (you can leave the skin on), chop into small squares and puree for your applesauce
- Mash the potato in a large bowl and mix in coconut flour, applesauce and eggs
- Spoon mixture into a greased (coconut oil), bite-sized muffin pan
- Bake for 35-45 minutes (time depends on your oven) until crisp
- Let cool before serving them up to your eager pups
Oven Dehydrated Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients: large sweet potatoes, extra virgin coconut oil (to grease a cookie sheet)
- Preheat your oven to your lowest setting
- Using a sharp knife, cut your sweet potatoes length-wise into thick cuts (tip: this step is easier if you cut off the top and bottom of the potato); there’s no need to skin the potatoes
- Grease a cookie sheet with extra virgin coconut oil
- Line cuts along the cookie sheet and bake; the length of time depends on what your oven’s lowest setting is (4 hours to 8 hours). Make sure to keep an eye on your treats
- Separate extra into sandwich bags for your friends’ dogs
Sweet Potato Chips: this is the same process as above, but instead of cutting your potatoes length-wise, cut them into circles. The thicker they are, the longer they have to bake.
I’m not a savant in the kitchen, but I can knock these recipes out of the park. Not only am I making healthy treats for our dogs, I’m confident that the ingredients are safe, and I know our dogs love them. The big trick is not to fall for those puppy eyes that are begging me to give them just one more sweet potato treat.
Image: mama_mia via Shutterstock
Kimberly Gauthier writes about raw feeding for Keep the Tail Wagging while raising four gorgeous dogs in the Pacific Northwest.
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