Shadow's Secret Homemade Dog Biscuit Recipe

I had no idea on that sunny April day when I met my future best friend at the county animal shelter that in the next six months, I'd be hundreds of dollars poorer and no closer to an answer as to why my dog would be fine one minute, scratching her ears off the next, or have perfectly normal bowel movements today and tomorrow, would wake me at 2 a.m. to go outside to relieve herself every 10 minutes. I didn't have a clue.  Several months later, I had learned more than I ever wanted to about canine allergies - and I hope that by sharing Shadow's story, and of course her very own, patented dog biscuit recipe (that I, her humble Mom, developed), you may come closer to understand your pet's problems. Remember, though - I'm not a veterinarian, just a fellow pet lover, so if you have any questions about your dog's health, please speak with your pet's veterinarian.

I adopted Shadow from the animal control shelter- the kill shelter, or the dog pound. She was covered in ticks and about 20 pounds underweight, but had a super sweet personality. She is a plush-coated German Shepherd dog. At first when she came into our home (after we removed all the ticks and gave her a good bath), we didn't understand why she was scratching her ears all the time. She scratched them so hard they bled. She also bit the pads in her paws and chewed her behind endlessly, sometimes leaving great tufts of fur on the rug.

Within the first week of bringing her home, we brought her to the veterinarian for an examination and vaccinations. He diagnosed her ear trouble as mites and prescribed medication. That seemed to help, but she continued with her other biting issues and still fussed with her ears. Another test later and he discover her ear problems were twofold; mites and yeast infections. More medication, more treatment, and her ears were sort of normal.

But we brought her back again and again because her bowel habits were so erratic it was making her house breaking difficult. She would go several days with normal bowel movements, then have explosive diarrhea.

We returned to the veterinarian for a diagnosis. This time, he suggested allergy testing. "Allergies?" we asked. "But she's not sneezing or coughing, doc."

He told us that canine allergies manifested differently than allergic reactions in people. Dogs exhibit allergic symptoms in the skin - hence all the chewing and licking she was going. They can also get diarrhea.

We gave it a try. The test was expensive, but it was a simple blood test. Two weeks later our pet's veterinarian went over the results in the office. We were astonished to discover that more than half the ingredients in her commercial dog food were causing her allergies!

Although we couldn't do much about environmental pollens - she's allergic to many trees, and we live on a timber farm, so can't do much about that - we did find that switching her dog food to a brand with only one of her sensitive ingredients greatly relieved her symptoms. Today, she is medication free, as long as she stays on a strict diet and avoids her strongest allergens.

The only problem are treats. All of the commercial dog biscuits we found contained soy, Brewer's Yeast, and many of the other ingredients she's very allergic to. Just one or two dog biscuits from a major brand, for instance, sets off her tummy troubles again. I learned the hard way to "just say no" to those tempting store-bought treats.

But every dog needs treats. I developed the following recipe to keep allergens out of Shadow's dog biscuits. Here's her very own dog biscuit recipe. I keep a jar of these biscuits or cookies on hand for my gal, and she does tricks to get one. They last up to two weeks and will make your dog smile....as long as he's not allergic to the ingredients!

Preheat the oven to 350; if you have a convection oven, set it to convection and a temperature of 325. Spray cookie sheets with cooking spray and set aside.

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup of dry milk powder
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 egg
• 1 cup ice cold water

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine:

• 2 1/4 cups of whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup of dry powdered milk
• 1/4 cup of brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Stir the dry ingredients with a spoon. Then using a pastry gadget (the kind you use to cut butter into a pie crust), cut in half a stick of butter until the mix resembles coarse meal.
2. Next, add 1/2 cup of smooth peanut butter. Put a little into the bowl at a time and mix it in with a fork. The batter will be lumpy.
3. Add one egg and mix.
4. Add one cup of ice cold water, drizzling it into the bowl to moisten the ingredients. Drizzle the cold water, mash the mix with your fork, drizzle and keep going. The batter should be dry rather than moist. If it gets too wet, add a bit more flour.
5. Now you are ready to shape the biscuits. Place about a teaspoon of batter in your hands and roll it into a ball, then place it on the cookie sheet. They don't spread out, so you can place them fairly close together.
6. When you are ready to bake them, bake for 25-30 minutes. Let them get very dry, the drier the better. As long as they don't burn, you're in good shape.
7. When done, cool completely, and leave out an extra hour or two so not a drop of moisture remains in them. Place in an airtight canister and serve.

Here are some things I learned over the years of making Shadow her biscuits...

• Obviously, if your dog is allergic to any of the ingredients in the recipe (or YOU are) don't make it! 
• DO NOT substitute margarine for butter. The cookies seem to mold faster and spread out when you use margarine.
• Do not substitute liquid milk for the powdered milk. While powdered milk is expensive, one box lasts a very long time and through many batches of dog biscuits.