make your own jerky treats? More on problems w/China
 

My brother emailed me this link, apparently the chicken jerky problems continue..Vitals - More dogs sick as FDA steps up scrutiny of chicken jerky pet treats

I googled about making your own jerky and apparently people do do that at home. SOme people just run their oven for 8 hours at 200 degrees.

I was looking at Amazon and there are several dehydrators under $50.

I wondered whether you can just leave them at room temperature to store them or not? I got the impression that you can, that is sort of the concept of beef jerky, you can take it with you hiking and stuff.

I would probably make chicken jerky and maybe give beef a try. I don't think marinating would be wise for the dogs. Would it be best to just dehydrate the plain chicken? No seasonings whatsoever? The packages mention very few ingredients and those are probably to stretch the chicken or preserve it for long times. I think just chicken, plain, is what to do.

Anybody try it? It seems like it would actually be more cost effective anyhow.

I Gracie chicken jerky when she was a pup and noticed she got diarrhea so I stopped giving them to her. I tried again after she was a year old and she vomited it up. That was the end of that. The label had said all natural but that label can be deceptive.

I have gone to sweet potato treats. They are easy to make and also very nutritious.

My parents dehydrate chicken for there dogs and give me some for Callie. They just put it plain in the dehydrator and let it do it's thing but they let it stay a little chewy and we were keeping them in the cabinet we store Callie's treats in but they grew mold so we keep them in the fridge now and they do great.

Gracylove, how do you make your sweet potato treats?

Sweet Potato Dog Chew

Ingredients:
•1 Large Sweet Potato, washed & dried


Recommended Equipment:
•Food dehydrator

Instructions:
1.Preheat oven to 250° F
2.Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3.Cut off one side of the sweet potato lengthwise, as close to the edge as possible. Cutting the side of the potato first allows you to then turn the potato onto this flat surface that you have just created. Having a stable area to rest the potato will make it easier to cut the potato into slices. Don't discard that first piece, it comes out just as yummy as the rest!
4.Cut the rest of the potato into 1/3" slices, no smaller than 1/4".
5.Place them on the prepared baking sheet.
6.Bake for 3 hours, turning half way through.
7.Cool completely on a wire rack.

I added chicken by cutting into thin strips and wrapping them around the sweet potato. My dog loves them. They are safe and healthy.


Storing - Although these treats are dried, you will want to keep them in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. You can freeze them for up to 4 months.

Tips & Techniques

•Choosing a Sweet Potato - You want to find a potato that is as uniform in shape as possible. This will aid in the drying process as the pieces will be similar in shape and will cook through at the same time. Also, try to find one that has fewer blemishes or bruises. While you're picking one to make a sweet potato dog chew, go ahead and pick some for the family, too!


•Knife Skills - If you are a pro with a knife, you may not need to cut off one side to stable your potato. If that's the case, then by all means skip that step. However, for those of us who are more handy with a pastry bag, than a knife, having a stable surface makes all the difference.


•Cutting Even Pieces - One way to ensure your pieces are as even as possible, is to first rest your knife where you would like to cut. Then press down gently across the entire length of the knife. Make a slight cut, then press firmly on your knife from one end to the other, and cut all the way through.


•Degree of Chewiness - Baking for 3 hours results in a soft, but chewy dog treat. If your dog prefers more of a crunch, then bake for an additional 20-30 minutes. When you take the sweet potatoes out of the oven, they may at first appear to be too soft. Let them cool completely on a wire rack before you decide whether or not to bake them longer. This is because they will continue to dry or harden while cooling.


•Parental Supervision - This is not a dog treat recipe that we recommend for the kids. Please use caution while using a sharp knife, whether you are young or young at heart.

Whether your dog has a need to chew or not, she'll love this all natural sweet potato dog chew. In fact, it's such an easy dog treat recipe, I bet you'll be making several batches at a time for your dog and all of his all natural dog treat loving friends!

Sweet Potato Dog Chew Recipe - Easy to Make Alternative to Rawhide

There are a lot of recipes at this site.

I get a couple of big sweet potatoes and peel them, then cut them into strips. Try to keep them about the same size so they cook evenly. Put them in the oven at about 250 for three hours. It's kind of like dehydrating them without having to get a dehydrator. Everyone's oven is different so you may have to experiment. When you take them out they may seem a bit soft but they will dry and firm up as they cool. A wire rack is good for cooling them on. If you want them to be crunchy you can leave them in a half hour or 45 minutes longer.

I use aluminum foil over a cookie sheet to put the sweet potato strips on.

I love these recipes! Im gonna try the chicken wrapped sweet potatoes

They'll go nuts for the chicken wrapped sweet potatoes!:D

We dehydrate turkey and leave it a little chewy. Freeze it in small baggies and pull out enough for a week to keep in the fridge.

You guys are so awesome. I don't cook at all.

I get out the filet knife and slice chicken breast fairly thin while it is still frozen I then place it in the oven at 200 degrees for a couple of hours. Chloe LOVES it and I am secure in the knowledge that there is nothing in these treats that can hurt my baby girl.

When are manufacturers going to realize that we DON'T TRUST CHINA to make any pet products. I mean really if they are willing to add powdered plastic to baby formula are they going to give a d*mn about what goes into dog treats??

I actually pointed the fact that all the chicken jerky is imported to a local pet store and they had pulled it all from the shelves when I went back.

I suggest making your own jerky, you can even buy the chicken breast in strips and toss them right into the oven. It's no more costly than the jerky and super easy to make :) :) :)

I am so grateful to YT for keeping me informed.

That makes me so mad that we import just about every product we use and in this case it came from China which has constantly ignored safety requirements for both human and animal use. The "treat" that caused the problem was Waggin Train Chicken Chews. Please everyone stop buying these products from China. I feel horrible just thinking of all the poor dogs that were given these "treats" and became sick and maybe died. We have got to start reading the small print on everything that we buy and DON'T BUY FROM CHINA. Thank you for the heads up.

I couldn't agree more. What made me SO angry was the manner in which the chicken jerky I purchased was packaged. To plaster proudly American and place flags all over a bag is obviously an attempt on the part of the manufacturer to mislead the consumer. Also the package didn't even state that it was made in China, it merely said "imported by" and the name of the company. I actually had to go online, look up the company website and search for the info!! I am not sure about the requirements in the States but I am learning that there is far too little consumer protection here in Canada. To think that a blowdryer has a warning not to use in the shower but that a company has no obligation to tell a consumer where a pet treat is made is insane!

I don't think many people realize how the quality and availability of products have declined in this country. Our department stores all stock almost 100% China made products. Clothing, appliances, toys, kitchen ware, vacuums....everything is made in China or some other third world nation and made of plastic or polyester. When I think of what our country was like 30 years ago compared to today it is mind boggling. You cannot even say you won't buy China made products anymore because you will not be able to buy much of anything. Even what few homes are built these days are made with China made products. This has not happened by accident. We borrow billions of dollars each year from that country and have sold our country to them for it. Sorry, it just makes me so mad that we have been sold out by our own government.