Making Your Own Dog Treats: Our Home-made Jerky Treat Production

I haven't met a dog that didn't love jerky treats. I think, and the dogs I know concur, that jerky is the best kind of treat going.



Buying jerky treats for your dogs, though, you can run into major safety issues

Jerky treats made in China are behind numerous dog illnesses and even deaths. I can only imagine how it would feel to hurt my dogs while thinking I was doing something good for them.

FDA has been issuing warnings since 2007 but failed in getting these dangerous treats off the shelves.


Jerky treats are very easy to make at home!

We've been making jerky treats for our guys for about six years now. It all started when on her play date with Jasmine's best buddy, his mom pulled out something very yummy. Dehydrated beef lung chunks!

Jasmine could not get enough of them!

As a loving mom, I ran to the store to get some more. It was $10 for a tiny little bag. Well, that was not going to cut it. And that's when we started thinking about making dog jerky treats ourselves.

We looked into dehydrators and started small. But the treats were so popular, our treat making evolved into treat production. As you can see in the video, eventually we ended up with a butcher meat slicer, jerky gun, and stainless steel heavy-duty dehydrator. Of course, you don't need all that, a simple American Harvest dehydrator will get you started as well.


We make jerky treats from beef, ground beef, beef hearts or beef liver.

You can, of course, use any meat you like, or even experiment with some veggies, such as sweet potatoes. If you do want to make jerky from ground meat, you will need a jerky gun (or if you want to go big, get the jerky cannon). Having a slicer works for us but you could have your butcher slice it up for you as well.



Home-made jerky treats are cheaper and SAFER.

We like using the dehydrator, but you can experiment making them in the oven as well.

Why risk your dog's health when you can make their jerky treats yourself?

Related articles:
Chicken Jerky Anyone? Not When It's From China!

Comments

  1. Amazing that you can make jerky...gotta try it. Sam will be thrilled.

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    1. You bet he will be thrilled! :-) Often, when were somewhere where there is a larger number of dogs, we feel like the Pied Piper of Hamelin LOL

      Making jerky at home is really quite easy, nothing to it. Well, some labor is involved. But it's a labor of love.

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  2. We have that same dehydrator and we love it. Homemade jerky is big business here at Casa de Kolchak.

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    1. I see Kolchak has you well, trained :-) Right on, buddy.

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    2. He's a spoiled brat! ALthough, I got lucky at the butcher this week. He sold me beef two lungs and a heart for $10. Apparently I'm the only one who wants them ;0) I told him to keep saving them and I'll take them all! Can't beat that price!

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    3. Well, he ought to be spoiled ;-)

      Yeah, nothing better than getting a deal from a butcher or farmer on offal goodies.

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  3. Everyone should be making their own jerky to boycott China. Gotta try one of those jerky guns!

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  4. Wow -- I just passed on one of those dehydrator things at the Cherry Door Thrift store, in Tarrytown. I'll have to go back.

    I think Tuesday and Wednesday are the best days to go to the supermarket and get a deal on chicken pieces. they always seem to be cheaper then. I stock up mid-week, and use all that chicken to add interest to the dogs' Wellness, but I can get it for chicken jerky as well. thanks!

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    1. Really? Oh, that's too bad ... the one we have has been working great. It sure has made a lot of jerky.

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