Outdoors - Dog treats

   Each year, after deer season, I have one mature doe ground into burger with no fat added. For the next several months, I make jerky from this lean meat. Deer meat naturally has little fat. If a person is going to use the burger for chili or hamburgers, they would want to include some beef or pork fat to add moisture, but since I go through a lot of jerky, the fat is left out. This gives the burger and the jerky a longer shelf life.

   One day while making a batch of jerky, Bille, the poodle, was watching me intently. I was sure he wanted some but was also sure all the included spices would not be good for him. I decided to make him his own jerky, spice free. I thawed a package of burger, added a little water, and squeezed sticks onto the smoker. I smoked them for about eight hours, until they were dry. The finished product was a little bland, but not bad. They store well without refrigeration and the dogs thought they were wonderful.

   For the first few days, Billie got three or four sticks each day as a treat. He was such a good dog and would go to the treat cupboard whenever he could get someone’s attention. It was after the first few days; we noticed a problem. At times, the room would suddenly become filled with a toxic smell that would turn a person’s stomach. It did not take long to determine the source of the horrible odor. Occasionally, when Billie would step up onto the couch, a high-pitched squeak could be heard. He would look behind himself, trying to determine the source of the noise. The room would then again smell worse than a dead animal in the sun in July. My wife forbade feeding the dog any more deer jerky. There was quite a bit of it left so I gave the remainder to my son, Damon. His two terriers, that are primarily inside dogs, soon developed the same problem. It is only a minor hindrance to normalcy if the dogs are in the garage or outside, but their flatulence soon proved to be too much to tolerate at night. I am not sure what he did with what was left of the deer jerky dog treats, but his dogs did not get them.

   I saw some treats in the store made from sweet potatoes. They were quite expensive and were just dehydrated slices of sweet potato. I knew I could make them for much less than they were charging. Not sure if the dogs would eat a sweet potato, I bought just one to try it. I sliced it into quarter inch pieces, blanched the slices in boiling water for about eight minutes and dehydrated the slices overnight. The end product is leathery and chewy. The dogs love the new treat. I find them rather enjoyable myself. Billie will now go to the cupboard at times to beg for a sweet potato treat. I have made several batches since the first one as they are greatly enjoyed by both Billie and Jag. They will watch the dehydrator in the garage while their treats are being made, knowing I will give them one when I check on the progress. The best part is, there are no gastro-intestinal effects. They are a healthy dog treat without the cost or the aftereffects.