Show your pups some love with these homemade blueberry oatmeal dog treats.
(At the end of the post, be sure to comment if you’d like to sample Abound’s grain free dog and cat food!)
A great deal of what I learned in my adult years (I count those as ages 25+), came from my dog.
My entire childhood, I begged and pleaded for a dog. But as my parents explained, I was so busy with school and extra-curricular activities that I had little to no time for care for a pet.
(And their biggest reasoning, who was going to care for him/her when I went away for college? Touché, parents. Well played.)
Post-college, post-quarter-life crisis, I felt it was time to care for someone other than myself. I had friends that were very adamant about animal rescue.
I knew that I wasn’t going to find my future pup at a pet store or a breeder. We found Charlie (then known as Hobbs) from Cuddly Canines, a local non-profit group that rescues unwanted pregnant moms and puppies.
Since then, Charlie has forever changed my life. For Valentine’s Day, I made these blueberry oatmeal dog treats for my two loves, Charlie and Taylor.
Blueberry Oatmeal Dog Treats
These dog treats are very similar to these sweet potato dog treats I’ve shared before. Thanks to my friends from Kroger, Charlie and Taylor were gifted a sampling of Abound’s new superfood treats line.
Charlie is in LOVE with these sweet potato sticks with blueberries. While Taylor will eat just about anything, Charlie is a bit more picky.
One food he goes crazy for: blueberries. Hence the inspiration for these Valentine’s treats. (*More about Charlie and his favorite treats after the recipe.)
Lessons I learned from my dogs:
- Forgiveness/Unconditional Love:
When Charlie was a little pup, he would chew everything in sight. From slippers to pencils to laundry baskets, nothing in the house was safe.
One time he chewed up something I had borrowed from a friend. I was angry and furious. I yelled at him (for the first EVER).
He immediately ran to his crate. I went online searching for a replacement. Within a few minutes, Charlie came out of his crate.
Even though I was still fuming, he looked me straight in the eye, licked my face, and curled up under my arm. No circumstance could ever make me hate Charlie.
Material objects are replaceable. People and pets are not.
- Empathy:
Obviously, humans and dogs do not speak the same language. There are some basic things we can understand from each other.
Charlie knows commands like: sit, stay, wait, eat. I, in turn, know when his barks means he needs to potty or because he wants to play.
But Charlie has proven to understand me on an unspoken level. When my dad passed away, I was a mess.
Sometimes I was fine, other times I was inconsolable. Tears would flow without warning, I’d explode with anger for no reason.
During this turbulent time, Charlie could feel my pain. I felt like he understood the confusion, the sadness, the emptiness.
He would change his breathing to match with mine when I would lay on the couch. He would try to comfort me in a way that a human would with a hug or a meaningful conversation.
- Save for the future (Charlie), but remember to live in the moment (Taylor)
Charlie likes to save his treats, bury his food, and hide his toys. He like to store his favorites between the couch cushions and come back for them later when he’s hungry/bored/etc. He seems to think about the future and prepare for what’s to come ahead.
Taylor, on the other hand, he lives for the NOW. Why wait? Live life with no fear and do what you can right now. This is a big one for me. I’m such a planner. My days and hours scheduled out. (I even prepare itineraries for vacations and such.) I like to be prepared at all times.
Thanks to Taylor, I accept that sometimes I just have to let go and see what happens.
It’s wonderful having two dogs with two very different personalities. I learn so much from them. At the same time, I think they learn from each other as well.
Charlie’s cautious and calculated ways keeps Taylor out of trouble.
Taylor’s fun loving nature and high energy keeps Charlie young and happy.
Happy Valentine’s Day, friends! I hope your weekend is filled with kindness, love, and lots of treats!
Blueberry Oatmeal Dog Treats
Ingredients
- 4 oz container apple blueberry puree baby food*
- 1/4 cup mashed blueberries
- 1 cup gluten-free flour, or whole wheat flour
- 1 Tablespoon ground freeze dried blueberries (optional, provides additional flavor and slight violet color)
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 large egg, beaten
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine apple blueberry baby food, mashed blueberries, flour, rolled oats, ground freeze dried blueberries, and honey. Use a sturdy spatula to combine everything together. Dump contents onto a lightly floured working surfaced and knead dough together.
- Roll out into a thickness of about 1/4 to 1/2-inch. Use desired cookie cutters to punch out shapes. Stick to one or two similar sized shapes to ensure even baking.
- Place cutouts on prepared baking sheet. Lightly brush the tops of cutouts with beaten egg wash.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until biscuits are crisp and golden in color. Rotate pan midway through baking. Let treats cool before giving to your dog.
Notes
I’ve worked with Abound in the past. Read about my experiences here. We’re a fan of the quality of their foods, especially their treats. As you can see in the photo above, Charlie loves eating the grain free sweet potato sticks with blueberries.
If you are interested in trying out Abound‘s new grain free products, let me know by leaving a comment below.
I’ll email the first four people interested and send you some coupons for your dog/cat to enjoy Abound! (Note: Abound is exclusively available at the Kroger Co. family of stores.)
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Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. Kroger gifted me with products from Abound’s new grain free line. Recipe and all opinions are my own.
My batter was just a bit moist, so the cookie cutters didn’t work well. Nonetheless, my dog loved them and couldn’t have cared less about the shape. The freeze-dried ground blueberries were worth the extra step as it gave the cookies a lovely violet color that was different than other homemade dog treats, and appreciated by the human :)
Thanks so much for trying out the recipe! I’ glad your dog enjoyed them! :)
Thanks so much for trying out the recipe! I’m glad your dog enjoyed them! :)
How long are their shelf life? My doggie is in my wedding and I want to batch out a lot of these for favors
They keep for a week in container at room temperature.
These look so cute. My pup is going to love these with the blueberries. I would love them too! I think I’ll need to make myself some blueberry muffins at the same time to have a snack!
Can you freeze these? I want to sell some at an upcoming craft show.
OK so I just tried this recipe and it is a total FLOP! Has actually tried this recipe?
I’m sorry to hear that this recipe did not work out for you. I’ve made it several times with great results.
Thank you for this recipe. I made these for my “niece” who is bonkers for blueberry cookies. The only change I made was to add an extra quarter cup of flour because the batter was pretty moist. And I used chicken apple baby food. I’ve made them twice and they came out fantastic.
That’s wonderful to hear! I’m so glad your niece pup loved the cookies! I’ll have to try chicken apple baby food next time!
The blueberry oatmeal dog treats can you omit the apple blueberry baby food? I want to make them tonight and I forgot the baby food. I make them for all the dogs in my apartment building. Making them for Valentines day. The dogs here love them. Thank you.
Unfortunately, you cannot omit the puree baby food. Without it, the biscuit will be very dry and the dough will not come together during mixing. However, you can use equal amount of pure pumpkin puree or pure sweet potato puree instead.
Thanks for sharing! Do they keep long?
They will last 3-5 days in an airtight container at room temperature. For longer storage, keep them in the freezer.
Would like to sample. I just got my second rescue pup!:)
I make these every few weeks for my dog who has end stage kidney failure and can’t have high protein treats. I use gluten free flour (usually cassava and white rice flours – both low protein) and brush with egg white only. Sometimes add a little cinnamon. My dog loves them! Here’s a tip: you can form batter into a logs and freeze, then take out when you want treats and partially thaw and slice and bake treats. Not heart shaped, but taste the same!
Thanks for the tip! I’ll have to do that during the holiday season when I make a large batch for my pup’s friends!
Hi,
I would like to thanks for the efforts you have put in writing this blog. I’m hoping the same high-grade website post from you in the upcoming as well. In fact your creative writing abilities have inspired me to get my own blog now. Really the blogging is spreading its wings rapidly. Your write up is a great example of it.
Regards
Jim Fox
I would love to try out your products
I think my pups will love to be adopted by you! probably best not to show them this post of yours LOL. Thanks for the delicious recipes that will keep our Pooches healthy and happy.
What is the fat content in the blueberry oatmeal treats. Pup is diabetic
Sorry, I do not have nutritional information for this recipe. If you pup has dietary restrictions, I suggest consulting with your veterinarian.
I would love to try your recipes and make healthy treats for my pets! I would love to try Abound for my crew!
I doubled the recipe. The dough is very ‘loose’. I had to add a lot more flour (@ a cup) and I didn’t use the freeze-dried blueberries. What consistency is this dough supposed to be, in order to be able to roll it out? Should it be on the ‘stiff’ side?
The dough is supposed to be rather dry and easy to roll out.