Have you ever loved a food so much that it was bordering an obsession? Here’s a healthy dog treat recipe your pups are sure to love too!

My favorite treat is the holiday chocolate peppermint milkshake at Chick-Fil-A.  I mean, I literally start stalking them about 3 weeks before Thanksgiving, hoping they’ll follow Starbucks’ lead with an early release. Don’t judge- we all have a food like that!

Dogs are no different. For some, it’s bacon. Or steak. Or maybe even a nice crunchy carrot. For my boys, the obsession is peanut butter.

Don’t get me wrong- they love nearly ALL food. But peanut butter really gets their little nostrils flaring and the begging faces going. You know- the “I’m so cute, don’t you want to give me that” face?

I don’t mind giving them a little peanut butter here and there, but as with all obsessions, a little moderation comes in handy. I also try my best to keep them healthy, so I prefer to be as natural and organic as possible. Truth be told, I probably pay more attention to what goes into their furry little bellies than my own.

To find a balance between giving them what they love and keeping them healthy, I decided to start playing around with making my own treats for them. I still buy natural treats and bones from the stores, but for extra special treats or cookies, I head to the kitchen.  

Today, I’m going to share my recipe for peanut butter & pumpkin balls. They are fast, super easy, and only have 4 ingredients. My boys go absolutely nuts for these. An added bonus? You can hide pills in them!!

Here is the ingredient list:  

– Organic pumpkin (be sure not to get pumpkin pie filling!!)

– All-natural peanut butter. Be sure to avoid peanut butter or ANY foods using XYLITOL. You can learn more about the dangers of this sugar substitute for your fur friends here.

– Whole milk (you can leave this out and/or replace with water) 

– Organic oats

Step 1: Put the whole can of pumpkin in a mixing bowl. You can get it to come out very easily by poking a hole in the bottom of the can. 

By this time, the dogs should be waiting at the kitchen counter- most likely drooling. Now would be a good time to give them a taste test. 

Step 2: Mix in 1/2 cup of peanut butter, a splash of milk, and about 1 1/2 cups of oats. The mixture should be thick, but still pretty easy to stir. Pour about 1 cup of the oats into a bowl or plate. If it seems too thick, add a little milk to thin it out.  

Step 3: Make little meatball sized balls of the mixture and roll into the oats. Place the treats in a container, taking care not to stack them on top of each other. Keep refrigerated. If using these to hide a pill, just shove the pill inside right before feeding your pup the treat. 

My boys like to scrape off the bowls for me- they’re such great helpers in the kitchen!!! 

Hope you and the pups enjoy! 

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