[Pinkspore]

I've always liked the idea of dehydrated sweet potatoes as healthy and economical chews. Unfortunately Brisbane recently tested positive for a sweet potato allergy so I guess I won't be making any of those.

Has anyone tried doing the same thing with any other root vegetables? Got any recipes for DIY long-lasting chews aside from the usual hooves/bones/antlers/etc?

 

[Pinkspore]

Depending on how big the dog is you are giving it to, but frozen pig ears work. They will last longer for smaller dogs.

Brisbane is 40 lbs and eats bully sticks like snacks so I'm guessing he'd do the same with a frozen ear. Sisci might enjoy one, she tends to be more of a recreational chewer while Brisbane only chews edible things and only for the purpose of eating them. Ru is perpetually on the brink of hypothermia and won't touch anything colder than room temperature lest he freeze to death.

Pumpkin works great of you could use something like butternut squash.

Squash make great chews when dehydrated. I've also dehydrate bananas in strips - not a long lasting chew, but a nice treat. You could also use regular potatoes if your dog is ok with them.

We'll give it a try! Do you put anything on the squash before drying it?

 

[Pinkspore]

Wow, those turned out way better than expected! I sliced up a butternut squash and an acorn squash into really big pieces, didn't bother taking out the seeds or pulp. Dried them in the oven and then passed them out. Even my picky dogs loved them!

The acorn squash rings dried pretty small and took my ACDs a few minutes to demolish, my chihuahua was working on one for a good 20 minutes. The thin butternut strips lasted nearly as long as a similar-sized bully stick. The thicker ones didn't get nearly as dry so I'm putting the second batch on wire racks.