The Ulitmate Thanksgiving Dog Pill Treat

We just celebrated Thanksgiving and this was Ruby’s treat that day when she took her pills.  Ruby enjoyed the Thanksgiving pill treat and I know your pup will too.  I always like to give the reminder that if your dog has epilepsy, or just has a sensitive stomach, you need to know what your dog is sensitive to.  Some owners report more seizure activity after their dog has eaten turkey so if that is the case for your dog I would recommend picking one of the other options for pill treats.  You can click here to see my book of homemade pill treat recipes that includes many options for all dogs as a pill treat or even if you would like to give your dog a healthier treat in general.  Ruby does fine with turkey and it’s never something I’ve noticed an increase in seizure activity when she’s eaten it so turkey is something she gets on a regular basis.  

This is a very simple recipe that you can feel free to swap out ingredients for other ingredients you might have.  If you want to make a smaller batch or if you want to make a bigger batch, you can adjust the amounts of the ingredients to work with what you will need for the week. These are all products that you can very easily get at your grocery store and I  have also included the links to purchase them on amazon.  

First, add four tablespoons of the Brown rice flour to a bowl.  Next add one tablespoon of unflavored beef gelatin to the flour.  The gelatin helps bind the dough together so you are able to create the pill treat shape.  Next, add half a jar of the Turkey baby food to the flour and gelatin. Using  baby food has become one of my  hacks to make pill treats because there is no blending or pureeing.  All the work is done for me!  Finally because it’s a Thanksgiving pill treat theme, I'm going to add half a jar of the sweet potato baby food. Other options would be green beans baby food or  butternut squash baby food. I choose a baby food brand that there are never any other unwanted ingredients or spices.  Make sure you check the label to ensure that it is only the meat or veggie you want to give your dog on the ingredients list. 

The baby food has enough liquid in it that you won’t need to add any other liquid to the dough mixture.  Once the ingredients are all mixed you will want to put it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before forming the treat.  You can either leave the dough as a ball in an airtight container in the refrigerator  or you can make the pill treat shapes by creating small round dough balls and making an indent with your finger.  If you have a dog that takes different size  pills, or you just don't have the time or want to take the time to make the pill treat shapes, then I would recommend just leaving it as a ball of dough in your fridge. You can then pinch off what you need throughout the week. 

We now have two half jars of baby food that we don’t want to go to waste. One option is to keep these jars  in the refrigerator to use as a topper for your dog’s kibble.  Another option is to use ice cube trays to freeze the leftovers and put into a ziploc back into the freezer for future use. 

I hope your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Makes: about 15

4 tablespoons brown rice flour

1 tablespoon beef gelatin

½ (4 oz.) jar turkey baby food

½ (4 oz.) jar sweet potato baby food

1. Mix the flour, gelatin, turkey baby food, and sweet potato baby food in a bowl. Dough will be wet/sticky.

2. Put the dough in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

3. Take the dough from the fridge and pinch off a quarter size piece at a time and roll into a ball in the palm of your hands.  Form the ball around your pointer finger to create the hole for the pill.