Home-Cooked Christmas Goodies for Pets

Make a Treat for Fido:

You can make treats in the microwave or a regular stove and gift them to your favorite loyal companion or the companion of a friend.

To make the microwave doggie treat begin by putting 4 cups of whole-wheat flour and 1/3 level cup, less a Tbsp, of dry oatmeal. Beat 2 eggs and add it to 1 1/3 C of chicken broth or beef broth. Mix it thoroughly and combine with the dry ingredients. Shape into a ball and divide it in half. Roll each half until it is 1/2 inch thin. Cut into shapes or small squares. Microwave it on wax paper at high temperature for 8-10 minutes or until dry to the touch. Check it midpoint and flip over. Cool and store in an airtight container.

Make an oven doggie treat. This treat is a wonderfully healthy one, but the garlic may give a whole new meaning to "doggy breath".

Boil 4 cups of carrots and puree them in a blender. Add 4 well-beaten eggs and 4 Tbsp of minced garlic. In a plastic bag, combine 4 cups of rice flour (you can use regular unbleached flour), 1/2 cup of wheat germ, and 2 cups of dry oatmeal. Shake the bag well and add it to the carrot/garlic mixture. Form two balls of dough. Place one at a time on a floured surface and roll to 1/2 inch. Cut into shapes adjusting for the size of the dog. Brush the tops with egg white to give a glossy finish. Bake at 300 degrees for 45 minutes, checking periodically. If you want a softer treat, adjust the time. Smaller treats will take less cooking time. The centers may be somewhat soft, but will harden as the shapes cool.

Birdie Gift

Use 4-ply cotton yarn or a mop head from the local dollar store or grocery. Remove the metal parts and clip the mop head into 2 to 3 sections. Lay one section over a wooden dowel and clip a piece of the mop yarn slightly shorter. Tie the piece directly under the dowel and around the remaining yarn. Insert the ends of the mop into beads that will be large enough that they are safe for your bird, without worry of choking. A very large bird will need wooden dowels cut short and wooden rectangles with holes drilled, rather than beads, strung. Knot directly below the bead and add another. Knot again. Add as many beads as desired but don't make the toy too long. It should be hang slightly below his perch. Clip the end when the desired length is reached.

Hang the dowel with the mop head toy perpendicular to the perch in the cage so your pet has something to steady himself as he plays. If the toy shows signs of shredding, put another in its place.

Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty. Merry Christmas.

I haven't forgotten the cat. There is an entire article on inexpensive cat toys that you can find here on my producers page. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/326974/how_to_create_inexpensive_cat_toys.html

This has so many neat ideas it would be redundant for me to repeat them.