Retriever Retriever, Pumpkin Eater
Oct 7th, 2009 by Marilyn
Cleo wasn’t feeling well. Our four-year old black Lab had a problem, in that special dog way of not feeling well, the one that finds you outside at three a.m., wondering how she ate a paper towel, a pen, or six bagels and their bag. Of course dog owners know that goes with the territory, and messy territory it is. But a few years back our vet gave me some swell advice, the sort of helpful tip you never forget: pumpkin.
Turns out pumpkin, in addition to filling pies, soups, and being eminently carvable, works a special enzyme magic on stomach irritation. Does it work on people? I don’t know. My job was to get it into the dog. “Feed her a tablespoon of pumpkin,” he said, “mixed in her food. Or right from the spoon – if she’ll take it.”
Would she? Her first move was to stuff her mouth with Ducky, thus avoiding whatever was on the spoon. Take it?
No.
And no.
And no way.
So I mixed it with her food – and for a while, she snubbed the food. By now, several rounds later, she’ll eat it. She finally seems to know that snacking on shrubs, or snail shells, or used Kleenex will earn her dinner a pumpkin garnish. Still, I like an ace up my sleeve; over the course of three dogs I’ve seen a lot of three a.m’s, a lot of snowy, moonlit grass. I wanted an extra pumpkin delivery system, and for me, baking something “in” is the easy answer. Cleo is sweet and trusting. She’s also not bright enough to suspect a biscuit.
Rolling dough got her attention…
…and while they cooled on the counter, she even forgot the edible bits in the yard. Dogs love these simple biscuits and they make great treats, sick or not sick. Oh, they’re delightful – but here’s my best advice: buy wastebaskets with lids. Don’t plant poisonous shrubs, shut bathroom doors, avoid the tastiest pens. And by all means, keep a handy can of pumpkin.
Cleo’s Pumpkin Dog Biscuits
2 eggs
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons dry milk
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 1/2 cups brown rice flour *
1 teaspoon dried parsley (optional)
Preheat oven to 350.
In large bowl, whisk together eggs and pumpkin to smooth. Stir in dry milk, sea salt, and dried parsley (if using, optional). Add brown rice flour gradually, combining with spatula or hands to form a stiff, dry dough. Turn out onto lightly floured surface (can use the brown rice flour) and if dough is still rough, briefly knead and press to combine.
Roll dough between 1/4 – 1/2″ – depending on your dog’s chew preferences, ask first – and use biscuit or other shape cutter to punch shapes, gathering and re-rolling scraps as you go. Place shapes on cookie sheet, no greasing or paper necessary. If desired, press fork pattern on biscuits before baking, a quick up-and-down movement with fork, lightly pressing down halfway through dough. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully turn biscuits over, then bake additional 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely on rack before feeding to dog.
* Brown rice flour gives the biscuits crunch and promotes better dog digestion. Many dogs have touchy stomachs or allergies, and do not, like many people I know, tolerate wheat.
Makes up to 75 small (1″) biscuits or 50 medium biscuits
Please note: These biscuits are a healthy everyday treat, and good for a dog with minor digestion issues. If your dog is having serious stomach distress, remove all food and contact your veterinarian.
I predict that all other cute I encounter today won’t be able to hold a candle to this.
What a lucky pup to have you for a mom. Any pumpkin treats for humans up your blog sleeve?
Love this, what a great idea! I’ll have to whip up a batch for our little Nilla–she’s a seasoned connoisseur of used tissues and napkins as well.
Sorry to hear Cleo wasn’t feeling well, but glad to find this recipe. We are well versed in dogs & pumpkin, as the Chesapeake Bay Retriever we adopted back in May came with a tricky anal gland that never empties all the way. This trait has brought regular trips to the vet into our lives as well as pumpkin—the fiber helps bulk up her stools and lessen her issue, but it’s also turning her teeth orange (we mix it in her kibble, she readily accepts & loves it).
I bake some of her treats & biscuits already, but the doggy cookbook we bought doesn’t have pumpkin biscuits in it. Why not? At any rate, I’m
glad you shared this particular recipe—we need it!
P.S. What type & brand of food is Cleo regularly on? Her coat is so glossy & gorgeous. (Or does she eat a raw diet?) We feed Wellness and/or Fromm, and while her coat is sleek & shiny, she seems to shed excessively. Any tips for that?
That shot of Cleo attentively supervising your dough rolling has me smiling again and again. We are currently dogless, having gone through an animal hospice stage a few years back as family pets one by one completed their journeys through this world.
It was a shock to discover I wasn’t such a great housekeeper when it came to keeping clean floors after all – that was our beloved Labrador’s doing, fastidiously cleaning up behind the family drops and spills.
Currently owned by a feral cat who claimed us around a year ago, I am not sure we are quite ready for another sweet pooch, so many thanks for sharing your kleenex muncher with me this morning.
First off, I love this recipe – but mostly those pictures of your dog are adorable! I love posts about DOGS! Thanks for the recipe!
Ha! That is too funny! My little Chloe ATE my pumpkin one night while I was away. (http://penandfork.wordpress.com/2008/11/14/pumpkin-eater/)
I thought for sure she’d throw it up, but she didn’t. And know I know why. All along, she was crying out for Marilyn’s pumpkin treats!
LOVE the fact you used brown rice flour because most dogs do have trouble with wheat gluten. I’m going to make these for Chloe and Skylar.
What a great recipe.. I cannot wait to make this for my little lab stinker! Lexi. She had pumpkin before and loves it and in fact the breeder suggested it when her tummy gets upset! Thanks!
Thank you for this post! Our dog Lucy has a lot of stomach problems. I can’t wait to try a batch of these for her.
Aww poor Cleo!
So do they taste good? Did Greg try one?
First of all, my sweet, 14-year-old dog is SOOOO gonna get a batch of these for the holidays. Secondly, now all I want in the whole world is a dog biscuit-shaped cookie cutter
OMG I love your dog. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. However, one thing. Are you quite positive your dog is a Labrador “I eat everything in the world, eatable or not” Retriever?
There was only one time my lab refused food. A sprig of parsley made it half way down her throat before she oh-so-disgustingly spit it back out at me. Turns out she prefers Italian to Curly. She didn’t fall far from the apple tree.
Loved the pics, recipe and post and especially bonded with your eloquent line, “I’ve seen a lot of three a.m’s, a lot of snowy, moonlit grass.” Oh man, can I relate.
You are saving the doggy world today. I never knew pumpkin could be a home remedy for a troubled doggy tummy. Is it exclusively for LR’s?
I think it must work for us two legged creatures too huh? I love pumpkin. Thanks for the darling post and give your furry friend some hugs.
AmyRuth
Those biscuits are way more attractive than most of the food I make for my human children. Cleo’s quite the looker, too. Got any magic biscuits for puking cats, by any chance? My fabric surfaces and 3 a.m. bare footsteps would be eternally grateful.
Oh, I have tears in my eyes. These photos of your Cleo are so sweet. That “I’ll roll over in submission but I’m still not gonna eat that orange stuff” look. So sweet. I lost my old girl in February and while she was going through lymphoma her tummy was off so we had to give her pumpkin (homemade puree, of course). She didn’t love it, either, but I found that a bit of real Parmigiano Reggiano helped. But I didn’t think of dog biscuits. Brilliant, but a bit too late. I’ll try this recipe should our greyhound Mini ever get into lawn chocolate or whathaveyou. Thanks.
Cleo is one lucky girl! I think we’ll have to mix up a batch of these for our little Reese.
Marilyn – I got your response to my birthday comment on my iPhone and, as we have 4 dogs, I started thinking about how I was going to modify your recipe BEFORE I even saw it. I decided that I’d use brown rice flour in place of whatever you used because it’s so much better than anything with wheat for my kids. And then, I finally sit down with my Google Reader and come here first.
You already had the perfect recipe. I should have known.
My dogs love pumpkin, too, especially my black lab mix. All four of my babies send their love because they are getting homemade pumpkin biscuits tomorrow.
Your dog really won’t eat pumpkin? Mine laps it up! I never heard of giving it to a dog that’s eaten something weird but it makes perfect sense. We’ve given it when the pup has the runs (or the opposite) but next time he eats something, he’s getting pumpkin! Or maybe I should just start giving it to him every day, he is ALWAYS eating something awful . . . including corn cobs and once, a screw. Seriously.
Oh this is super, we have a big softy lump of a boxer, who is renowned for being into everything and suffering for it. He should love this as he is a fruit and veg monster (seriously I have never know a dog who would literally do anything for a raspberry!)
Thank you. Love your blog.
Oh my word…my daughter is going to love this concept, not to mention having a little something up her sleeve when those two labs of hers starting acting up…
Thanks for sharing Marilyn, I’ll be passing this along…
such a gorgeous dog! She looks spookily similar to my own dog, Willow. We even had a toy duck that she loved, until she ripped a hole in it and destroyed the squeaker.
We have a pumpkin in our vegetable patch, so I will be trying this recipe so my pooch can try our home-grown goodies. Thank you.
Yes, pumpkin AND sweet potatoes work the same way on people with jumpy tummies. Maybe you could bake up a batch of sweet potato biscotti. Yum
About pumpkin and cats: since posting this, I’ve had several people mention that pumpkin works wonders on cat tummies, as well. Ask your vet about how much to feed.
Also, sweet potatoes: some sensitive-stomach and sensitive-skin dog foods contain sweet potatoes, thus it too would likely make a good stomach soother for dogs. I’m thinking of one high-end “Roast Duck & Sweet Potato” variety. Every time I see it I think “you know, that sounds awfully good.”
I never knew about pumpkin! That is very useful information. Makes me think of the term “digestive biscuits, ” and now maybe we know why that name came about!
I never knew! It’s like Ginger for dogs? I’ll have to make them for my pack. As for poor Cleo, hug her for me.
awww Cleo…but she ended up with some fab biscuits!
I was so sleepy when I commented last night that it didn’t register that Cleo wasn’t crazy about pumpkin. I came back today to get the recipe and then it all made sense.
Anyway, my dogs went absolutely nuts for these. My black lab is so camera shy – he runs at the sight of it – but sat and waited for me to take a pic so he could have a pumpkin treat.
I’m curious to know what brand of brown rice flour you used – I know that they can vary from brand to brand. I swapped out the milk powder for flax meal (my vet recommends flax meal for Gatsby’s dry skin) and omitted the salt. I needed some water to help hold the dough together. When making the second batch (yes, I made two…) I increased the pumpkin to 3/4 cup and still added a little water but it baked better than the first batch. It’s either the flax/milk powder swap or the rice flour brand.
I’d love to share my variation with my readers and link back to yours if that’s ok with you. I’m just so happy that my kids have a healthy treat that they love.
Brilliant.
ps I love, love your writing.
Anyone got a variation for a dog on a grain-free diet? My cocker will eat anything resembling food. I keep him muzzled on walks, which is sad: everyone thinks he’s a biter, and nothing could be further from the truth! But it has cut down on on doggie sickness and Naz gets skin reactions, too.
Anyway, a grain-free variation would be muchly appreciated. Pumpkin jerky, perhaps?
Cleo is adorable! Thanks for the pumpkin dog biscuit recipe (and pumpkin info).
Found your blog from Foodgawker (Pumpkin Eater) Gorgeous photography!
The black dog/orange pumpkin
Interesting and witty
Definitively going in my Favorites File.
Our 17 year old beagle left us recently and this has me thinking of how much she loved pumpkin. She had been overweight for part of her life and her vet suggested the Pumpkin Diet. A portion of her food was replaced by canned pumpkin. She absolutely loved it!! Thanks for the pics and recipe.
So glad I found your great blog! I can’t wait to try this out on “Ben” our senior cocker spaniel!
joy c. at grannymountain
awwww, Cleo’s biscuits look really cute. And such an imaginative way to sneak the pumpkin in!
I work as a dietitian and we recommend pumpkin for poorly human tummies too. Not sure if the same follows for dogs but for humans pumpkin and squash are high in soluble fibre which is good at absorbing water and ‘firming things up’
First time reading your blog & I love the pics & storylines. Will be baking these biscuits up soon for my doggie friends! Thanks.
Now if I can just figure out how to feed pumpkin to my bulimic cat . . .This may prove especially difficult, seeing as how none of my cats like human food. We offered them tuna once, and they looked at us like we were mustache-twirling kitty killers!
Cats’ faces go into a rather distinctive “something-crawled-in-here-and-died” when something smells especially nasty. Until the Tuna Incident, I had no idea that this could also include crossed eyes! The cats slunk from the room, hid from us for three days, and looked at us askance for another week. Happily, all’s long since forgiven and forgotten.
My Cleo stole the children’s trick or treat candy, gobbled it up, wrappers and all. Almost escaped notice ‘ til the the evidence was revealed…
Keep those candy buckets away from the dogs this Halloween.
Well I love any post with Cleo in it! AND…I think Maggie’s going to have some special treats this weekend. I recently bought a dog bone cookie cutter and haven’t done anything with it yet. Yay!
Oh my goodness, thank you! I have a black lab puppy and I am constantly amazed at what she eats (hint: anything and everything!). I totally plan on making these biscuits and, hopefully, cut down on our own 3 a.m. cleanups.
Ah….a long, dreary day in the office and I come across your dog biscuit post. I love the addition of pumpkin in these–not to mention that sweet lab snout (I have one, too–a lab that is, not a sweet snout). Thanks for the recipe!
[...] I saw that Marilyn at simmer till done made pumpkin dog biscuits, everything else on my list got pushed down a so I could bake for my kids [...]
[...] a pumpkin based soup (epic fail on my part, although the recipe looks delicious) and even made treats for the dogs! After the soup fiasco, I felt the need to redeem myself and tried out a few of Rodelle’s [...]
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I just made a batch to freeze for use at Thanksgiving. I know I will be short on time before the holiday and want to make sure the dogs have some treats too!
Great read and pics – thanks! I have been feeding my dogs pumpkin for years whenever they have a bad stomach and they lap it up. I feed raw meat mixed with NDF (a food supplement/carb etc adjunct to the meat) but when they are sick I just replace the NDF with canned pumpkin and some digestive enzymes and probiotic. Does the trick everytime. If they are really sick from eating who knows what, I just do about 1/2 cup of pumpkin 2-3 times per day with enzymes/probiotics and 1 or 2 capsules of slippery elm which settles an aching stomach and forms a lubricant in digestive tract. Then I slowly reintegrate the meat, cooking at first and slowly back to raw over a few days. Gross I know but it works wonders! I will try these great treats
I was surprised when you said you had to sneak pumpkin to your dog. Mine loves pumpkin straight from the can. I tried making these as my first homemade dog biscuit recipe. They turned out great and Dakota loves them. I was worried about the cost factor, the brown rice flour was $3.69 for a 7 1/2 cup bag. Even so, they seem like they are a good value and I like the fact that they are homemade. Thanks, for the recipe! BTW, your dog is awfully cute!
Great blog and pictures of Cleo. What a precious looking dog! My wife has been making biscuits for our dogs and they love them. We are interested in trying your recipe. Thanks!
My girl absolutely loves these biscuits. I know have to make them quite often, since they are her favorite treat. I keep them in the freezer and just give them to her frozen. It gives her some extra crunch for those big teeth! Thanks for a great recipe!
I missed this post, but i’m so glad I found it this time around! Now i have something to give the pups for the holidays! I can’t wait to make them.
I LOVE it! Can’t wait to try these for our pooch. Thanks so much for sharing! Your pup is a total sweetie!
+Jessie