Dog Treats:

1 cup whole wheat flour 2 tablespoons wheat germ 1/4 cup oatmeal (instant or regular) 1/4 cup soy flour 1 tablespoon molasses 2 tablespoons oil -- or fat 1 tablespoon salt 1 teaspoon sage 1/2 Parmesan cheese 1/3 cup milk -- or water Mix all ingredients together. Knead and shape into crescents, rounds or sticks for dogs or roll out and cut with cookie cutters. For cats, roll out and cut into narrow strips or ribbons. Bake 25-30 minutes in a moderate oven (350°F) until lightly toasted. Watch the narrow strips as they tend to get done sooner than the others. If the biscuits are not hard enough, leave them in the oven with the heat turned off for an hour or as long as desired.

1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour 1 cup whole wheat flour 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal 1/2 cup instant nonfat dry milk powder 1 teaspoon brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder Pinch of salt 1 large egg 1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 to 1/2+ cup hot chicken or beef broth or very hot water Preheat to 250°F. Place first seven ingredients in a medium size bowl. Add the egg, Cheddar and Parmesan cheeses and hot broth. Make dough that is very heavy, but not sticky. Add more flour or water, 1 teaspoon at a time if dough is too moist (use flour) or too dry (use hot water). Turn out dough onto a floured pastry cloth and knead 8 to 10 times until elastic. Let dough rest or 5 minutes. Roll out 1/2 of an inch thick and cut with a dog-bone shaped cutter. Place cookies close together as they will not spread. Bake for 1 hour. Rotate the baking trays in the oven (turn tray around 180°F), and bake them another half hour. Cool the cookies in the pan for 1 minute, and then transfer to a wire cake rack to cool completely.

Cut-out dog biscuits with rolled oats, cornmeal and cheddar cheese. You can change the flavor of these by substituting chicken bouillon for the beef. 1 cup rolled oats 1/3 cup margarine 1 cup boiling water 3/4 cup cornmeal 2 teaspoons white sugar 2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules 1/2 cup milk 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 1 egg, beaten 3 cups whole wheat flour Preheat oven to 325°F (165°F). In a large bowl, combine rolled oats, margarine, and boiling water. Let stand 10 minutes. Grease cookie sheets. Thoroughly stir in cornmeal, sugar, bouillon, milk, Cheddar cheese, and egg. Mix in flour, one cup at a time, until stiff dough has formed. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface, mixing in additional flour as necessary until dough is smooth and no longer sticky. Roll or pat out dough to 1/2" thickness. Cut with cookie cutter (I prefer bone shaped), and place 1 inch apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake 35 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Cool before serving. Store in a loosely covered container.

These are great for a hot day! 16 ounces plain nonfat yogurt 3/4 cup water 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon granules Dissolve bouillon in water, Combine water and yogurt in blender and blend thoroughly, Pour into small containers for freezing, cover and freeze.

1 ripe banana 1/2 cup peanut butter 1/4 cup oatmeal 1/4 cup chopped peanuts Mash bananas and peanut butter, stir in wheat germ. Chill 1 hour. Place in container, store in refrigerator or freezer.

Cat Treats:

Cut hot dogs into small pieces and place on a cookie sheet. Heat oven to 400°F and turn off. Put cookie sheet into oven and leave in overnight. Store in a plastic bag.

Horses:

Small Pets (Hamsters/Guinea Pigs, etc.):

Simple Recipes
for Flea Repellents

Does your dogs’ scratching drive you nuts? Here are some pet friendly flea alternatives to keep your dog happy.

Herbal repellents work well to repel fleas. Make an herbal infusion by adding a handful of dried herbs (available in most health food stores) to a tea pot and fill with boiling water. Let the "tea" set overnight, and then strain it into a spray bottle. Recommended herbs include southern wood, rue, rosemary, sage, cat mint, eucalyptus, and leaves from the black walnut tree. Start with just a small amount to make sure the dog/cat can tolerate the herb.

Make Your Own Herbal Flea Collar. Choose an absorbent collar for your dog/cat, such as the widely available heavy-duty woven nylon collars. The collar will absorb essential oils; no additional collar is needed. Essential oils that repel fleas and ticks include citronella, rosemary, and rose geranium. Buy only 100 percent pure essential oils, and using an eyedropper, put just one or two drops on the collar.

Repeat each week. Some animals are very sensitive to the strong smell of essential oils, so start with just one drop and increase to two if they seem to tolerate the smell. If ticks are the biggest problem, use rose geranium; for fleas choose citronella if for a dog, but not for cats.

Caution:
• Pennyroyal shouldn't be used around dog/cats, especially pregnant dog/cats.
• Make sure not to get the essential oil in the dog/cat's eyes or directly on their skin.
• Cats are sensitive to citrus, so avoid citronella.

Flea Terminator Doggy Treats

If you have a dog and hate fleas then this is the dog treat for you! The brewers yeast and garlic in these treats will please your pet, and repel fleas
.
3 cubes beef bouillon
1 1/2 cups boiling water
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup cornmeal
2/3 cup brewers' yeast
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 egg yolks

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°F). Dissolve beef bouillon cubes in boiling water, and set aside. Grease cookie sheets. In a large bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour, corn meal, brewers yeast, and garlic powder. Add the yolks, and then gradually pour in the bouillon water while stirring. Mix thoroughly to form firm dough. On a floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters. Place cookies one inch apart onto cookie sheets. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, then turn the oven off, and leave the cookies inside for at least 3 hours or overnight to harden. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Makes 2 pounds or 48 servings

Pet Care Tips

To make a de-stink spray for your pooch; simply use distilled water, and an essential oil. Good ones to try for a fresh dog scent is sweet birch oil, with a bit of grapefruit oil or lemon grass. (try 10 drops birch, 6 of drops of grapefruit and about a 1/4 cup of water)

"Vinegar takes away odor and fleas, it also makes the itches go away on your pup."

Jennifer Harlow,
Hayden Lake Singles Ward,
Idaho, USA

"I have a poodle with skin allergies we lovingly refer to as bum pies. I have found that the best thing to use is straight Aloe Vera in a spray bottle. It helps bad smells and the bum pies."

Melody Hone,
Brigham City 11th Ward,
Utah, USA

"Rosemary, peppermint, and lavender are safe to be used on animals. Use soap (super fattened with castor) and add in a few drops of oil for washing dogs. They have a much stronger sense of smell than us so go easy."

Julie of Julie’s Dog Grooming,
Brigham City, Utah

"Instead of buying expensive breath freshening chews for dogs give them carrots instead!"

Mel Johnson,
Coeur D’Alene Ward,
Idaho, USA

Simple Pet Toys

• An old sock tied in a knot, tying a piece of rope to it makes it even more fun!
• An old t-shirt cut in strips and braided
• Plastic water bottle filled 3/4 full of water frozen

How much
to feed your dog

This depends a lot on the individual animal. A very rough guide is given as 1oz of total food per pound body weight for growing pups and ½ oz per pound for adult dogs.

This rough estimate may be altered drastically by:

1. The liquid content of the food.

2. The calorie content of the food; a dog with a tendency to be overweight can eat a lot of low calorie vegetables such as cabbage and cauliflower, but much less of high calorie bread or cereals to produce the same calorie intake.

3. Individual variation: for example, some highly-strung dogs require three to four times the calorie intake needed by some dogs the same size, or by some dogs with a lower metabolic rate. The progress of the individual animal should always be the main guide provided that a nutritionally balanced diet is fed.

Don't overfeed. A fat animal is not a healthy animal. If a dog is getting fat, he is eating too much high calorie food. Watch the tidbits, they can add up to a lot. By getting the animal to like low calorie vegetables from the start, you will find it much easier to reduce his weight if necessary later. In most cases, weight can be controlled by food intake control; only a few are un-slim able "glandular" problems. Don't force a dog to eat if he doesn't want to, you may be training him to get fat by so doing.

Doggy Biscuits
in a Jar Mix

This makes a great "anytime" gift!

1 qt. wide-mouth canning jar
1 dog biscuit cookie cutter
16 inches pretty ribbon
1 large envelope, with a hole punched in the upper left hand corner
1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup instant nonfat dry milk powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch of salt

In a medium mixing bowl, combine: the flours, cornmeal, milk powder, sugar, garlic powder and salt. Using a funnel, pour dry ingredients into the jar. Close jar tightly. Tie dog biscuit cookie cutter and instruction card around the top of the card with a pretty ribbon. Type baking instructions, (below), on a pretty piece of paper or card and tuck inside an envelope.

Baking Instructions:

You will need:
1 large egg
1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 to 1/2 cup or more hot chicken or beef broth or very hot water optional, additional flour and hot water.

Preheat to 250°F. Place mix in a medium size bowl. Add the egg, Cheddar and Parmesan cheeses and hot broth. Make dough that is very heavy, but not sticky. Add more flour or water, 1 teaspoon at a time if dough is too moist (use flour) or too dry (use hot water).

Turn out dough onto a floured pastry cloth and knead 8 to 10 times until elastic. Let dough rest or 5 minutes. Roll out 1/2 of an inch thick and cut with a dog-bone shaped cutter.

Place cookies close together as they will not spread. Bake for 1 hour. Rotate the baking trays in the oven (turn tray around 180°F), and bake them another half hour. Cool the cookies in the pan for 1 minute, and then transfer to a wire cake rack to cool completely.

Wild Birds

Hummingbird Feeding

To make your own Hummingbird Nectar Blend water and white table sugar in a 4 to 1 ratio (4 parts water to 1 part sugar). Add the sugar to boiling water. Bring the mixture to a boil again while stirring to dissolve the sugar, then let cool. Poor into a clean feeder.

When feeding hummingbirds, be sure you following these rules:

Do

• Bring your homemade nectar to a boil.
• Place your feeders in a spot that is protected from direct sunlight and strong wind.

Don't

• Use hummingbird feeders that are difficult to clean or have many small parts.
• Allow molds or yeasts to grow in your hummingbird feeders. When these appear, empty and scrub feeders immediately.
• Use insecticides, such as wasp killers, anywhere near bird feeders, especially hummingbird feeders.
• Use anything but white granulated table sugar. Do not use powdered or brown sugar, honey, molasses, red-food coloring, artificial sweeteners, or added nutrients when boiling nectar.

Wild Bird Cakes:

1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup lard
2 cup oatmeal
1 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar

Melt lard and peanut butter in microwave. Stir in remaining ingredients pour into a 9 x 13 pan. Put in fridge until hardened cut into squares or size that accommodates your suet feeder put in freezer container and freeze until ready to use. These won't melt in warm weather.