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I have traded in peanut butter for spinach in these homemade dog treats I made for my doggos. No, I’m not trying to turn my fur babies into vegetarians. In fact, these homemade dog treats even have bacon in them.
However, it was almost St. Patrick’s Day when I made these, and I needed something green. Therefore, I added a little green touch to them by using spinach.
I have never used spinach in my dog treat recipes, so this was a fun one to create. I want to let you know about some of the benefits your fur baby will receive eating spinach.
Benefits of Spinach
Spinach is an incredibly nutrient-rich vegetable. If this leafy green vegetable was good for Popeye, then it should be good for our doggos, right?
But, I doubt that we or our dogs can have the extreme energy that Popeye gets from eating spinach. However, this vegetable is loaded with nutritional benefits for humans and dogs, alike.
Spinach contains:
- Vitamins A, B, C, and K
- Calcium
- Iron
- Magnesium
- Fiber
- Folate
- Potassium
In addition to iron, the antioxidants, beta-carotene, and roughage stimulate the digestive tract.
Furthermore, spinach has the potential to:
- Raise energy levels and vitality
- Boost the immune system
- Fend off cancer, inflammatory, and cardiovascular issues
Although spinach provides many benefits, it does have a downside.
Concerns to Feeding Spinach
Spinach is very high in oxalic acid. This acid blocks the body’s ability to absorb calcium and can lead to kidney damage.
The soluble oxalates, which contain oxalic acid, bind with magnesium and calcium in the blood. Therefore, this limits the availability of these electrolytes.
Then, it leads to a low level of blood calcium, which can cause sudden metabolic imbalance. Calcium oxalate is excreted through the kidneys. So, in a large amount, it can cause kidney damage and kidney failure.
Dogs with healthy kidneys should not have a problem consuming small amounts of soluble oxalates. But, long-term consumption can have different effects. It can cause kidney stress, muscle weakness, abnormal heart rhythms and even respiratory paralysis.
However, veterinarians agree that a dog would have to consume nearly his weight in spinach to be affected.
Rest assured these homemade dog treats do not contain your dog’s weight in spinach. However, anytime you add a new food to your fur baby’s diet, please consult your veterinarian. Plus, do your research.
Making Spinach Bark Bites
Ingredients For These Homemade Dog Treats
- oat flour
- rolled oats
- bacon
- cheese
- spinach
- unsweetened applesauce
Let’s Get to Baking
Before you begin mixing together the ingredients, be sure to preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
- Oven temperatures may vary. If your oven is too hot, bake at a lower temperature to prevent burning or browning too quickly. Try 300, but if the treats do not get brown in 12 to 15 minutes, lengthen the baking time.
- If your oven is too cold, simply lengthen the baking time at the same temperature until they become brown and dry.
Firstly, add the applesauce, water, spinach, bacon, and cheese to a medium bowl. Mix with a spoon until combined.
Next, add the rolled oats to the mixture and mix with a spoon until combined.
Then, add 1 cup of oat flour to the mixture, and mix with a spoon until combined.
After that, add the other cup of oat flour to the mixture, and mix with a spoon until combined.
At this point, the mixture should be something between pie and bread dough, not too sticky.
If it is too sticky, add more oat flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, and knead with your hands until the desired consistency is achieved.
Sprinkle some oat flour on a countertop lined with wax paper.
Then, form the dough into a ball and place on the countertop. (I like to make a few dough balls at a time, because it is easier to roll flat.)
Next, roll the dough out to about a ¼ inch thick. Cut with small cookie cutters of your choice. (I used a bone shape and a flower shape.)
After that, place the shapes on a wax paper lined cookie sheet.
Don’t throw away the scraps! Reshape them, roll out again, and keep cutting out treats until finished.
Be sure to dip the cookie cutter in oat flour, each time you cut, to prevent the cutter from getting sticky.
Bake at 325 for 12 to 15 minutes, flip treats upside down and rotate pan halfway through baking time, so they can brown evenly.
Let the treats thoroughly cool before serving to your fur baby. And that’s the best part of homemade dog treats, serving them to your fur baby.
Lastly, store in an airtight container. If the treats bake until they get really dry, they could last at room temperature for a week, plus. You can also store them in the refrigerator, as well. Plus, you can freeze them and serve frozen or let thaw out before serving.
In Conclusion
When you make these homemade dog treats, your fur baby will get some great benefits from the spinach. But, remember to not give too much and do not give consecutively for long periods of time.
Baking spinach into dog treats is a good way to add this superfood to your fur baby’s diet. You can also steam spinach, making it a great add-in to your doggo’s regular meal time dog food. However, occasionally is key.
Have you used spinach in your dog’s treats or as an add-in to regular food? Tell us all about it in the comments below.
Snoot & Toebeans has other dog treat recipes in our Dog Chef section. Here are a few your doggo will woof for:
- Healthy Homemade Dog Treats With Coconut Oil
- Homemade Banana Dog Treats – Dogs Go Bananas
- Pupcakes For Dogs – Yummy Banana and Apple
If you want to save this post with the recipe to your Pinterest account, you can use one of the following images to pin.
Spinach Bark Bites
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour whole grain oat
- 1½ cups organic oats rolled
- ⅛ cup bacon pieces 1 ½ slices
- 1¼ cup shredded cheese fiesta blend – monterrey jack, cheddar, queso, quesadilla asadero
- 1 cup spinach frozen organic
- ½ cup applesauce unsweetened organic
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325.
- Add the applesauce, water, spinach, bacon, and cheese to a medium bowl. Mix with a spoon until combined.
- Next add the rolled oats to the mixture and mix with a spoon until combined.
- Then, add 1 cup of oat flour to the mixture and mix with a spoon until combined.
- After that, add the other cup of oat flour to the mixture and mix with a spoon until combined.
- At this point, the mixture should be something between pie and bread dough; not too sticky.
- If it is too sticky, add more oat flour. 1 tablespoon at a time, and knead with your hands until the desired consistency is achieved.
- Sprinkle some oat flour on a counter top lined with wax paper.
- Then, form the dough into a ball, and place on the counter top.
- Next, roll the dough out to about a ¼ inch thick. Cut with small cookie cutters of your choice.
- After that, place the shapes on a wax paper lined cookie sheet.
- Don’t throw away the scraps! Reshape them and roll out again and keep cutting out treats until finished.
- Be sure to dip the cookie cutter in oat flour each time you cut, to prevent the cutter from getting sticky.
- Bake at 325 for 12 to 15 minutes, flip treats upside down and rotate pan halfway through baking time, so they can brown evenly.
Notes
- Oven temperatures may vary. If your oven is too hot, bake at a lower temperature to prevent burning or browning too quickly. Try 300, but if the treats do not get brown in 12 to 15 minutes, lengthen the baking time.
- If your oven is too cold, simply lengthen the baking time at the same temperature until they become brown and dry.
- Store in an airtight container. If the treats bake until they get really dry, they could last at room temperature for a week plus. You can also store
