Make your own 'liver' training treats in 3 steps!

A totally customisable method that is crazy easy, super cheap, and perfect for pups with organ failure and dietary needs. Use for training, gift to friends or add to kibble for a nutritional boost.

You know those liver treats you see everywhere? They're at the vet, at daycares, at pet stores, they're pretty much the consolation award of dog treats. Cheap, low maintenance (they last forever stored correctly) and presumably quite unappealing (or maybe my dogs are just picky?). However, you don't have to limit yourself to boring old beef liver!

This recipe will guide you through how you can make your own 'liver' treats out of any fresh meat or offal you can get your hands on, and add in all sorts of other ingredients if you're feeling fancy. They're also super yummy according to my dogs, although I think they're just offal (that's some meat humor for ya).

You will need:

a food processor or blender (or you can use a knife if you have the time and willpower)

an oven (or food dehydrator for you fancy folks)

baking tray(s)

baking paper

rolling pin

That's all for equipment!

Ingredients and quantities vary since you can put almost anything in these treats. I've listed some suggestions of noteworthy dog-safe foods that will add some flavour or nutritional boost and still dehydrate properly.

You can go barebones and just use meat and the recipe won't suffer at all. When adding other ingredients, just be aware of things like sugar and salt content that might make your treats less healthy. Contact a vet if your dog shows signs of allergic reaction, debilitating nausea, distress or anaphylaxis.

Offal

Offal literally comes from the term 'off-fall', meaning the organs and other gross bits that fell out during butchering. They may not be popular with people, but these meats are often super nutritious, and your dogs certainly won't be turning up their noses!

Coles is a great place to find offal these days, but remember to check your local butcher too! Coles offers meats such as chicken giblets (lungs with the occasional kidney or heart mixed in), chicken livers, chicken necks, as well as lamb kidneys, hearts and brains. You can also just pick up regular meat cuts with the bones removed, although organs offer a lot in terms of nutrition and are also generally cheaper.

Fruit and Veggies

Some good dog-safe choices include:

bananas
strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cranberries etc.
apples and pears (remove seeds and core!)
steamed broccoli, carrot, green beans, brussel sprouts (don't need to be cooked but they don't combine with the mixture well when raw)
cooked sweet potato
parsley
mint
rosemary
unsalted almonds, pepitas, sunflower seeds, brazil nuts

Some other popular fruits like watermelon and cucumber may not work as well because of their high water content, but you're free to experiment!

Other Ingredients

peanut butter
tinned sardines (in springwater)
eggs
plain rice, flour, cooked oats or popcorn (please note that grain allergies are common in dogs and I would not recommend grain products for nutritional benefit. They can be helpful for filling out your mixture and making higher quality ingredients go further though, since these are 'treats' and not really supposed to be healthy. Generally, grains like rice and oats are healthier for dogs than wheat and corn.)
fish oil or plant based omega 3 oil

How to make 'em:

Preheat your oven as low as it can go, ideally around 40-50 degrees Celsius, and fan-forced if possible.
Put all your ingredients into the food processor and pulse until you have a fine mush. Ideally it should have some consistency which is why we avoid ingredients with a high water content.
Scoop your mixture onto a sheet of baking paper. place a second sheet on top and roll into a flat, even sheet of treat mush. ideally you want a thickness of around 2-4mm.
Remove the top sheet of paper and score the surface of the treats in a grid pattern to make breaking the treats into uniform pieces easier later. This is optional.
Put your baking sheet onto a tray and place it in the oven. The dehydration process may take anywhere from an hour to 12 hours depending on how thick your treats are and what ingredients you included.
Remove treats from oven and break up for storage once cool. The longevity of these treats depends on how well you dehydrate them. If you fail to remove enough water you risk bacteria or mould growth, which could harm your dog. Store in an airtight jar or container, or paper bag in a dry place.