My 12-year-old beagle, Ford, has a malignant lymphoma diagnosis. My heart is broken. I have a lot of big feelings, and I don’t know where to put them.
Every time I find myself in this scary, sad place – when my husband deployed to Afghanistan in October 2010, when my brother deployed to Afghanistan in December 2012, and now that I know my dog is dying – I always find my way back into the kitchen. It gives me something functional to do with my hands, something new to learn with my brain, and somewhere productive to put my feelings to work.
So I made these DIY homemade three-ingredient dog treats for Ford and his brother, Otto. They use overripe bananas that I keep in my freezer until I’m ready to bake something, quick rolled oats, and creamy peanut butter. Sometimes I sprinkle turmeric on them, as turmeric is supposed to aid with inflammation.
The dogs love these special treats made by mom. They can be baked on the low end of the time scale for a softer treat, or on the high end of the time for a crunchier treat.
I hope your dogs love them as much as mine do. Tell your pups that Ford and Otto say hi, squeeze your furry companions tight today, and tell them you love them.
Recipe Ingredients
- 2 overripe bananas
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked quick rolled oats
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
Recipe Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix the overripe bananas, quick rolled oats and creamy peanut butter with a spatula in a large bowl.
- Tape one piece of wax paper onto your work surface. Place the ball of dog treat dough on the wax paper. Put another piece of wax paper on top.
- Roll out the dog treat dough into your desired thickness of dog treat using a rolling pin or wine bottle. The extra sheet of waxed paper on top helps avoid sticking to your rolling pin.
- Using your fun dog-themed cookie cutter of choice, cut out the dog treats in your desired shapes. Place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- If you desire, you can sprinkle a dog-safe spice like turmeric (which is supposed to reduce inflammation) onto the dough.
- Bake 15 to 18 minutes at 350 degrees, or until your treats start to brown around the edges.
- Let cool completely before feeding to Fido. Store in an airtight container up to one week.
About HeatherPhysioc
Heather is an advertising professional in Kansas City. She is a vegetarian food-lover who finds joy in cooking, baking and finding new restaurants in new cities. She leads a pack of animals, including her beagle Ford, her shepherd-collie-retriever mix, Otto, and cat, Ahab.
I am very sorry that your dog is ill. Our son recently had to put his dog down because she was bleeding internally. It is a difficult and sad decision to make. And everyone in the family grieves.
Thank you for the delicious treat for pets. I’m sure our other fur baby will enjoy them.
Thank you, Pat. I’m so grateful for your kind words and I’m so sorry for your family’s loss, too. I love this old beagle to bits. He is doing really well right now – the medicine is at least slowing the progress of the lymphoma, and he is acting like his normal self with no symptoms. I know our time left together is short, so we’re doing our best to make the most of every minute together.