DIY Valentine's Day Treats

Looking for a way to make Valentine's Day extra special for your pet? Look no further, as we've found many great homemade treats for you to try!

They’re a great way to make sure your pet feels included in all the holiday festivities. We have recipes not only for dogs and cats, but for rabbits and guinea pigs too! We're sure your pets will enjoy these festive and yummy treats.

Easy No-Bake Strawberry Yogurt Dog Treats

Prep Time: 11 minutes Total Time: 11 minutes Yield: 20 treats

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup oat flour (pulverize rolled oats in the food processor to make your own)

• 1 cup coconut flour

• 1 cup plain nonfat yogurt

• 1/3 cup strawberries (about 4 large) 

• 1 tbsp coconut oil

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 Tbsp dried pomegranate seeds (you can skip this ingredient if you can’t find them in your store)

• 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut flakes

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in the bowl of your food processor and pulse until combined.

2. Form balls by the handful, or make whatever size works the best for your dog.

3. Squeeze tightly!

4. Chill before serving for best consistency.

Feeling fancy? You can roll these in more unsweetened coconut flakes for a fluffy effect.

(Recipe courtesy of Rover.com!)

DIY Heart-Shaped Treats

Ingredients:

• 3 cups whole wheat flour (can also use grain-free flour instead)

• 1 cup pure pumpkin puree

• 3 tablespoons all natural peanut butter (with no xylitol!)

• 2 eggs

Instructions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 F. 2. In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, pumpkin and peanut butter and whisk thoroughly. 3. Add liquid mixture to flour in a separate bowl and knead into dough. 4. Roll out dough using a roller until it’s about 1/2 inch thick. 5. Using a heart or bone-shaped cookie cutter, cut out the shapes from the prepared dough. 6. Stamp letters into your dough using a special letter press (optional). 7. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. 8. Let cool for 15 minutes.

(Recipe courtesy of Barkpost.com!)

Nik Nak’s Valentine’s Tuna Treats

Adapted from Simply Pets

Your cat’s heart will melt for these healthy tuna-infused hearts!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

• 1/2 cup nonfat powdered milk

• 1/2 can tuna or 1/2 cup chopped chicken (cooked)

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil or cod liver oil

• 1 egg, beaten

• 1/4 cup water

• catnip (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease cookie sheets with cooking spray.

2. In large bowl, mash the tuna (or chicken) into smaller pieces. Then add flour and milk. Mix well.

3. After all is mixed, pour in water and oil. Mix well again.

4. Now, beat the egg in a separate dish until egg gets a foamy texture. Add to mix.

5. Mix well. (The dough mix will be sticky.)

6. Using your fingers, shape dough into small bite size balls, about the size of a marble. Put balls on the greased cookie sheets. Flatten balls with hand, and shape into little hearts.

7. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove heart treats from oven, then wait five minutes and turn treats over so other side will cook. Bake 10 more minutes or until golden brown in color.

8. Place treats on cookie rack to cool. Cool for 15 minutes. And NEVER give treats to your pet right after cooking.

9. Note: You can add the catnip to the recipe or sprinkle on top of treats. They like it either way. Store them in an airtight container and keep treats in the fridge or a cool, dry place.

Catnip Heart Cookies

Adapted from Free Pet Projects

Ingredients

1. 1 cup of all-purpose flour

2. 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour

3. 2 tablespoons of wheat germ

4. 2-4 tablespoons of catnip

5. 1/3 cup of milk

6. 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

7. 1 tablespoon of molasses

8. 1 egg

Directions

• Begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees.

• Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl (flour, wheat germ and catnip).

• Combine the wet ingredients in a bowl (egg, milk, vegetable oil and molasses).

• Mix the wet and dry ingredients together and work it into a dough

• Lightly flour the counter or other work surface

• Remove a portion of dough and use a rolling pin to uniformly flatten the dough to a thickness between 1/8 of an inch and 1/4 of an inch.

• Cut the dough into hearts using a cookie cutter or a knife.

• Place the cookies on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

• Bake the cookies for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cookies are crisp and lightly browned.

• This recipe will make approximately 50 medium-sized cat treats. Once the treats have cooled, gently remove them and place the cookies into several small freezer bags.

• Since these treats are preservative-free, they will not last forever. So to extend the life of these treats, store them inside the freezer in several small freezer bags. As needed, remove a bag from the freezer and leave it out for several hours to thaw. Once the treats are thawed, transfer into a Tupperware container for easy access and store the treats inside the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Homemade Banana and Carrot Rabbit Treats

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of your rabbit's food

• 1 banana

• 2 carrots

Instructions: 1) Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and line a baking tray with parchment paper. 2) Start by chopping up the banana and carrots into slices. 3) Grind your bunnies food up so it becomes powdery (it is quite easy to do with the excel rabbit food) 4) Puree the banana and carrot slices in the blender. 5) Put all of these ingredients into one bowl and mix until completely combined. 6) Take a bit from the mixture and roll it into a ball. 7) Place onto the baking sheet. 8) Repeat this with the whole mixture. 9) Bake for 30 minutes so they harden. Now you can give your rabbit 2-3 everyday depending on the size of them. If you wanted you could use these when you are training your rabbit!

(Recipe courtesy of instructables.com!)

Cucumber-Melon Guinea Pig Biscuits

Ingredients

• ½ cup guinea pig pellets, blitzed in a blender until crushed

• 1 cucumber, blended

• Melon (watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe, etc.), blended

• *If you don’t have a blender, you can soak pellets in a cup of water until softened.

Instructions

1. Simply grind, grate, or chop your ingredients and combine in a mixing bowl.

2. Add warm water as needed to blend.

3. Squeeze out extra liquid as you mold into coin-sized shapes, grape-sized balls, or the shape of your choice.

4. Bake in a low-heat oven (250-300 degrees) for 30 minutes to an hour, flipping after the first 20 minutes.

5. Be sure to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving and store in the refrigerator.

(Recipe courtesy of smallpetselect.com!)

Happy Valentine's Day to all! Don't forget to give your pet some extra love and cuddles on this fun day.