Pumpkin is great for dogs and humans alike. This healthy dog treat recipe is irresistible to dogs because it also contains liver. It’s easy to make and is a great way to use up leftover pumpkin.
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- Waiting to train AFTER an issue arises
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- Forgetting to mentally enrich our pups
HEALTH BENEFITS OF PUMPKIN FOR DOGS (AND HUMANS)
Pumpkin is a highly nutritious low-calorie food, and not just the flesh – the seeds are packed full of goodness too and help to control internal parasites – see more on natural deworming in this article.
Pumpkins are high in antioxidants and great for dogs on a diet. Pumpkin is also good for treating both constipation and diarrhea in dogs. The fibre in pumpkin can help create more solid stools. It also functions as a great pre-biotic, encouraging healthy gut bacteria.
AN EASY, 3 STEP, PUMPKIN DOG TREAT RECIPE
This is a simple recipe to use up leftover pumpkin. It’s based on the popular liver cake for dogs. However, liver cake can be too rich for some dogs. Combining pumpkin in liver cake means it keeps all the flavour and smell of liver that dogs love, without it being too much for them.
EQUIPMENT
- food processor
- silicone cupcake or muffin molds
- paper cupcake cases (optional)
INGREDIENTS
- 325 gr /11.5 oz liver -I use ox liver but any other will do
- 675 gr /24 oz cooked pumpkin – if you use canned or pureed pupmkin, make sure it is 100% pumpkin with no added ingredients
- 200 gr / 7 oz rice flour – I use gluten-free rice flour. You could use oatmeal or wholewheat flour instead. (See more about which flour to use in dog treats here)
- 2 eggs
- 2 gr / .1 oz parsley, dried
INSTRUCTIONS
- Put the cooked pumpkin and liver in a food processor and blitz until they combine into a puree
- Mix in the other ingredients
- Spoon the mixture into silicone baking molds and cook at 160°C / 320°F for 20-25 minutes
This recipe makes approx. 24 pupcakes. I cook them in silicone moulds then after cooking, once they’re cool, I put them into pretty paper cupcake cases. Don’t try to cook them in the paper cupcakes – they’ll stick to the cake and your pup will end up scoffing cake and case altogether!
Still have some pumpkin left to use? Here are some more pumpkin dog treat recipes.