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Summer is right around the corner, so ripe blackberries can be found from May until September. People enjoy these sweet, juicy berries and so do dogs. Therefore, you can whip up a batch of homemade dog treats made with blackberries.
Blackberries are very nutrient dense and packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. So, that means they are super healthy for us humans. However, you are probably wondering if they are healthy and safe for dogs.
Assuredly, they are safe for dogs to eat and beneficial to add to their diet. Plus, they are easy to include in homemade dog treats or even meals.
Blackberry Benefits in Homemade Dog Treats
Blackberries are a great fruit choice for dogs, because they have a relatively low amount of sugar. Therefore, low sugar won’t overload your dog’s system with glucose.
Other than low in sugar, blackberries are chock-full of nutritional benefits for you and your doggo, alike. Here are four more benefits to help you feel confident when adding this berry to your dog’s diet.
High in Antioxidants
Antioxidants help your dog release free radicals from their body. In other words, they strengthen the ability to fight infection and disease. Blackberries contain an antioxidant known as anthocyanin, which is linked to reduce risks of cancer. Furthermore, anthocyanins help prevent heart diseases. They are even linked to helping to improve brain function.
Source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fatty acids can contribute to the brain development of puppies. In addition, they help strengthen the immune system of dogs. They also reduce inflammation and increase the ability to fight cancer and benefit heart health. Even more, they help keep your dog’s skin, fur, eyes, and teeth healthy and strong.
Contains Fiber
Fiber helps dogs maintain weight and can help an overweight dog lose weight. In addition, fiber can help with gastrointestinal issues, such as constipation or diarrhea. Plus, it can make your dog feel full.
Packed With Vitamins
Blackberries are loaded with vitamins A, B, C, E, and K. Therefore, these vitamins help support several things to keep your doggo healthy. Vitamin B helps to reduce stress and anxiety. Vitamin C helps with boosting the immune system, but mostly it can aid in collagen maintenance. This is especially good for dogs suffering from hip dysplasia, arthritis and degenerative joint disorders. Some other things these vitamins help support include:
- synthesizing hormones
- activating enzymes
- metabolizing food
- reducing inflammation
- increasing energy levels
Although blackberries have all of these nutrient benefits, they should only be given to your dog in moderation. In fact, treats should never account for more than 10 percent of your dog’s total daily calorie intake. And, that even includes the ones that are nutrient-rich.
In addition, eating too many blackberries can cause adverse effects for your dog. These might include diarrhea, gastrointestinal upset, or vomiting. So again, make sure you are giving the blackberries in moderation.
There are not enough blackberries in these homemade dog treats to cause your doggo any discomfort. That is, unless they ate all 96 at one time. For a different variation, try using strawberries or blueberries instead of blackberries.
Let’s Make Blackberry Bark Bites
Now that you know the nutritional punch blackberries pack, it’s time to add them to your dog’s diet. Dogs love frozen blackberries for a little treat. You can also try mixing blackberries in plain, low-fat yogurt. Then, stuff a Kong toy with the mixture and freeze the toy overnight. Better yet, hop on in your kitchen and add blackberries to these homemade dog treats, Blackberry Bark Bites.
Ingredients Needed for the Bites:
- organic peanut butter
- water
- virgin olive oil
- egg
- blackberries
- almond flour
- oat flour
- oat bran
Baking Instructions
Firstly, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Secondly, mix all of the ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl.
Thirdly, finish mixing well by kneading thoroughly. You will want the consistency to have a play-dough-like feel. So, if it is too dry, add more water, and if it is too sticky, add more flour. The flour can be from one or both of the flours used in the recipe.
Next, form the dough into a ball, and place onto a floured sheet of wax paper.
Then, roll out the dough with a floured rolling pin to about an ¼ of an inch thick.
After that, use any shape cookie cutter to cut into “bites”. I used small ones because my fur babies are little.
Lastly, place the bites on a wax paper lined cookie sheet, and bake for 25 minutes. All ovens are different, so start checking them at about 18 minutes. In addition, if you want a softer treat, don’t bake as long. Or, if you want a crunchier treat, bake a little longer.
Now, let the treats thoroughly cool before serving to your doggo.
Paw Print Filling Ingredients
- organic peanut butter
- organic coconut oil
I want to mention here how I created the paw print indention in the “bites”. First, I used a small, round cookie cutter to cut the shape. I then used the blunt end of a plastic chopstick to indent the “toebeans” and paw pad.
Okay, on to the filling. Firstly, I melted the two ingredients in the microwave. I used a 4-cup measuring glass container with a spout. Next, pour the melted ingredients into a plastic squeeze bottle. Then, gently fill the paw print indentations with the filling.
After filling the indentations with the filling, bake for 25 minutes, but remember to check at 18 minutes.
Above all, the absolute best part of making homemade dog treats is giving them to your doggos!
In Conclusion
When you try the Blackberry Bark Bites, let us know in the comments if your doggo likes them.
What other ways do you incorporate blackberries or other berries into your doggo’s diet? We would love to hear about it in the comments below.
You might like this berry recipe from the Dog Chef section on our blog:
You can use one of the following images to pin to Pinterest.
Blackberry Bark Bites
Materials
Baked Treat Ingredients
- ¾ cup peanut butter organic
- ¼ cup water
- ⅛ cup olive oil virgin
- 1 egg
- 1 cup blackberries
- 2½ cups almond flour
- ½ cup oat flour
- ½ cup oat bran
Paw Filling Ingredients
- ¼ cup peanut butter organic
- 1 tbsp coconut oil organic
Instructions
Baked Treat Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix all of the ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl.
- Finish mixing well by kneading thoroughly.
- Form into a ball of dough and place the ball of dough onto a floured sheet of wax paper.
- Roll the dough out with a floured rolling pin to about an ¼ of an inch thick.
- Use any shape cookie cutter to cut into bites.
- Place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet.
- Bake for 25 minutes.
Paw Filling Instructions
- Melt peanut butter and coconut oil together in the microwave.
- Pour the melted ingredients into a plastic squeeze bottle.
- Gently fill the openings of the paws with the filling.
