Amazingly Easy Peanut Butter Pill Treats

I want to share this homemade nutritious pill treat using simple ingredients you might already have at home. This is a peanut butter pill treat and is the very first recipe that I started making when I stopped buying the pre-packaged pill treats in the store.  My dog Ruby has epilepsy and she was diagnosed over three years ago. For the first year I gave Ruby her medication using the pre-packaged pill treats that are so popular.  I remember one day looking at the back of the package of the store-bought pill treats and just thinking, what am I giving her? 

I decided to recreate them using healthy, nutritious ingredients that I knew would be better for her. It was also a lot less expensive to make the pill treats myself.  This is my go-to recipe that I make often for Ruby and she loves them! If you have a dog that has to take medication just temporarily, or if you have a dog like mine that is going to be on medication for the rest of their life, this is a great recipe to learn how to make.

I'm not a dog expert.  I'm not a veterinarian. I'm not a dog nutritionist.   I am just an owner of a dog that happens to have epilepsy.  There has been a huge learning curve for me over the last couple of years to figure things out, and I’m still learning. That being said, I feel like I have discovered quite a few things that work for Ruby so my goal is to share that information with other canine epilepsy dog owners as well.  If your dog doesn’t need medication, this recipe is a great option for a healthy dog treat. For other recipe ideas for homemade pill treats click here to see my Homemade Pill Treat book.

You can adjust the recipe to make the amount of dough that you will need. Ruby takes pills twice a day and at times some additional supplements or probiotics that requires me to make a little bit more dough for different size pill treats.  This recipe is easy to adjust to make enough dough for what you will need for the week.  Just a reminder that the dough does need to be refrigerated.

For the peanut butter pill treat I often use oat flour so first add three tablespoons of oat flour to a bowl.  The oat flour I use happens to be gluten-free, but that isn’t necessary. Feel free to use another type of flour as well, such as brown rice flour.  Next,  add one tablespoon of a beef gelatin.  Make sure that it is a plain gelatin, such as beef gelatin.  You do not want to use anything that would be used  for desserts, like jello or anything with flavoring or sweeteners.  Next add three tablespoons of peanut butter. I typically use Jiffy’s Natural Creamy peanut butter.  If you have a dog that is savvy about finding the pill, one thing you can try is using crunchy peanut butter. It will be harder for your dog to find and eat around the pill. Luckily with Ruby she is  just happy to have the treat so she will gobble it down. 

The final ingredient you will add is one and a half tablespoons of chicken broth. If you accidentally add too much broth, go ahead and add in more of the flour. If you add too much flour, go ahead and add in a little bit more of the liquid. Stir all of the ingredients together in the bowl to create the pill treat dough.  Once all ingredients are mixed together, pick up the dough and knead it with your hands to make sure the ingredients are well mixed.  

Once you have created the  dough ball you have a couple of different options. You can leave it as a dough ball and put it in an airtight container in your refrigerator, pinching off what you need as you go. I do this when I’m in a hurry or when Ruby has different size treats because she has different size pills or supplements.  The other option is to form the pill treat shape and put the pill treats in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  This way they are ready to use.  

To make the pill treat just pinch of enough dough to create the treat size you need. Roll it into a small ball in your hands. Finally, use your finger to create a small hole for the pill.  Once you put the pill in the dough ball just pinch the dough closed.  If you would like to see me create the pill treat shape check out the video below where I demonstrate how to make the dough and how to create the pill treat shape. 

You can make multiple batches at once and freeze the dough.  If properly stored it can last up to three months in the freezer.  Just be sure to take it out and defrost it in the refrigerator.  So there you have it.  A simple to make peanut butter pill treat dough recipe that is easy to make and a healthy treat to help your dog take their pills.  This is super easy and you can’t go wrong.  Once you have the ingredients to make the peanut butter pill treat you can make batch after batch, after batch, which means you will be saving money and giving your dog a healthier pill treat. 

Makes: about 12

3 tablespoons oat flour

1 tablespoon beef gelatin

3 tablespoons peanut butter

1 ½ tablespoons chicken broth

1. Mix the flour, gelatin, peanut butter, and chicken broth in a bowl. This will form a dough-like consistency.

2. Pick up and knead the dough in your hands to ensure all ingredients are mixed well together. 

3. 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.