I’ve been wanting to step up the quality of what I feed the dogs in my life for a while now. A looong while. Well now, today inspiration found me.

That’s Odessa feeding some just-baked treats to her donkey pets. And in case the pictures don’t make it clear, they LOVED them.

I was so impressed. Odessa had researched what donkeys should and shouldn’t snack on. She found a recipe and made sure we had the ingredients. So I decided to do the same for my canine friends.

Just winging it in the kitchen

So we got to baking and it was perfectly splendid. I added healthy things like kelp powder, collagen, and turmeric as well as some indulgent ingredients like peanut butter and honey (which actually has some real benefits). Everything I added was organic, by the way.

They loved them and the photos prove it!

But like rockstars and world leaders, I let the success go to my head…

“These dog cookies are so good, I bet we can hide pills in them.”

Both dogs are currently taking daily antibiotics and both dogs HATE taking antibiotics. So naturally, it seemed wise to lace their cookies with them (note: I didn’t cook these cookies, just put them in the fridge until they hardened up. Oven heat would mess up the medicine)

The result? Both dogs gobbled down their treats and then flat refused to touch another one. I go to feed them one and they let it drop from their mouths and then give me a look filled with mistrust. The likely reason is because upset stomach is a main side-effect of the meds. So yes, they hesitate when I appear, treat ball in hand. In the past, it was pure jubilation.

Karma especially, she’s 13 years old and far too savvy/sassy to be tricked twice.

A lesson learned

And so I’ve decided that It’s just not worth it, scheming to trick a dog. A treat should be a treat, end of story. So I’ve taken the pills out of the snacks and now use them as a reward for swallowing down the pills. It’s a good arrangement and everyone knows what to expect.

Looking toward the future

So will I be baking more dog treats in the near future? Of course. I even got them a K-9 cookbook for Christmas (and it comes with cookie cutters shaped like dog bones, which is a nice touch).