Use Chicken Baby Food to make Dog Pill Treats!

I have developed many recipes for a healthy pill treat for dogs to help them take their pills.  This yummy recipe uses chicken baby food for a soft chicken flavored pill treat.  I have a dog with epilepsy. Her name is Ruby. She's a golden retriever and she is on seizure medication that she will take for the rest of her life. Over the last couple of years I have worked to improve her diet.  I have been on a mission to make a healthier pill treat instead of using the pre-packaged pill treats in the store. If you have ever used them, you know which one I'm talking about.  If you are using them and they work for your dog, that's great. They can be very convenient.  You may, however, want to take a look at the back of the package at the ingredient list and ask yourself, would you eat it? I began exploring why Ruby was continuing to have seizures, even while being medicated.  I did have a strong belief that what I was feeding her was playing a role in that.  This took me down the  path of exploring what else I could be doing to help support the medication.  When I stopped using those premade store-bought pill treats, I did see a reduction in Ruby’s seizures.   

My goal with Ruby is to give her real food as much as possible.  I'm here to show you that you can very easily make your own pill treats at home. I make a batch that lasts about a week in the refrigerator and I tend to rotate through the different recipes that I have. You can click here for my book of homemade pill treat recipes.  One of my pill treat hacks has been baby food.  I've always said, if it's safe for babies, it should be safe enough for my dog. The caution is to know your dog.  Some dogs have a sensitivity to chicken and some owners of dogs with epilepsy report chicken as a trigger for their dog’s seizures. Ruby does fine with chicken so I do use it on a regular basis with her. 

I'm not a veterinarian.  I'm not a specialist in any way.  I am the owner of a dog that happens to have canine epilepsy. I've learned a lot of things along the way and one of the things that I've learned is you just have to be really aware and observe your dog for what works and what doesn't work for them. What works for one dog might not work for another.  As always, if you have specific questions regarding your dog’s health please ask your veterinarian.

In this recipe I use brown rice flour. If you don’t have brown rice flour you can substitute another flour such as oat flour.   Some caution around using white flour.  There is a concern that consuming white flour could be unsafe to eat raw so you can look up the directions online for how to bake your white flour to make it safe to eat it.  

I'm going to add four tablespoons of brown rice flour to a bowl.  I will then add one tablespoon of beef gelatin. The beef gelatin is a binder that helps to hold the treat together.  Beef gelatin is know for its health benefits such as joint health and good for the brain.  It is a great addition to your dog’s diet if they have seizures.  

Next add a 4 ounce jar of the chicken baby food to the flour and gelatin.  The one I buy only has chicken and chicken broth in the ingredients. Finally, add 4 ounces of water.  Use the jar to measure the water. It is a great way to use all the little bits that were left in the jar and not waste anything. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl to create the pill treat dough.  

If your dough seems a little too wet you can always add a little bit more flour. If it seems too dry, you can add a little bit more water to it. Instead of water you could use chicken broth as a variation on the recipe to give more chicken flavor.   Before creating the pill treat shape, place the dough in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes and it will become a little bit more solid and easier to form the treat shape. 

You could leave it as a ball of dough in an airtight container in the fridge and pinch off what you need throughout the week. I would recommend this if you need to give different sized pills like capsules and tablets.  The other option is to form the pill treat shape ahead of time to have them ready to use in the refrigerator.  

To create the pill treat shape, pinch off enough dough for the size treat you need.  Roll the dough into a small ball in your hands.  Next, use one of your fingers to create a small hole in the dough ball, and then form the dough around your finger to create the pill treat shape.  When it’s time for your dog’s medication, simply slip the pill into the hole and pinch the dough closed.  Your dog will happily gobble down this treat!  It’s a no stress way to give your dog their pills.  See the video below to watch me make the chicken pill treat dough as well as create the pill treat shape.

Makes: about 16

4 tablespoons brown rice flour

1 tablespoon beef gelatin

4 oz. jar chicken baby food

4 oz. water (use the baby food jar to measure)

1.    Mix the flour, gelatin, chicken baby food, and water in a bowl. This will form a dough-like consistency. 

2.   Refrigerate dough for approximately 30 minutes.

3.   Pinch off a quarter size piece at a time and create a ball.  This dough tends to be a little crumbly, so it can help to wet your hands first. Form the ball around your pointer finger to create the hole for the pill.