Homemade Cranberry and Blueberry Dog Treats

Can my dog have cranberries and blueberries? Yes! We love feeding fresh and whole foods as treats to your pet when possible. This way they are getting the entire food without any nutrients being stripped, reaping the biggest benefits. Our recipe incorporates 2 superfoods: organic whole cranberries and organic whole blueberries are extremely high in antioxidants for your pet and can be given to your dog or cat. We have added homemade beef bone broth- a recipe for our DIY chicken bone broth is here,  to cut the tartness of the berries. If you give your pet CBD, we show you how you can easily incorporate the CBD oil for your pet into the recipe too.

Our homemade cranberry and blueberry treat recipe is super easy to make and takes about 5 minutes to prep. & apx. 4 hours to freeze.

Ingredients:

Why is it important to give your pet foods high in antioxidants? There are so many benefits, but first, it’s because antioxidants breakdown the free radicals that naturally occur in your pet. Free radicals can damage cell membranes, enzymes and even DNA. Your pet’s nervous and immune systems are especially vulnerable. Free radicals are now considered a factor in the progression of diseases and premature aging in dogs and cats.

When pets are sick, older, exposed to toxins or lack a good diet their body produces more free radicals than normal making it even more important to make sure they are getting a sufficient amount of antioxidants.

The results of a seven-year study of 90 kitties aged 7 to 17 who were fed an antioxidant-rich diet showed fewer decreases in lean muscle mass; improved body weight, lean body mass, skin thickness, and red cell quality; decreased incidence of disease; general improvement in quality of life; and significantly longer life span.(1)

The same is true for dogs. The more free radicals the body makes, the more antioxidants the body requires, and research shows puppies may be deficient in antioxidants.

What makes Cranberries & Blueberries so good for your pet?

Cranberries are a rich source of several vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin C. Vitamin C. Also known as ascorbic acid, vitamin C is one of the predominant antioxidants in cranberries. Blueberries also contain small amounts of vitamin E, vitamin B6, and copper and are a good source of manganese and vitamins C and K1.

A graph done by Steve Brown shows that the standard of certain antioxidants that is required in commercial pet food does not meet the necessary daily dose your pet needs.

The ancestral diet was mineral-rich, something that is nearly impossible to achieve using the part of domesticated feed-lot or pasture-fed animals that are available. Table 3 compares typical ancestral standards with AAFCO minimum recommendations. Ancestral standards are much more demanding.

Cranberries have also been thought to be a good supplement for dogs with UTI infections. Even though cranberries can be a good supplement for UTI’s in pets, studies have shown that they do not replace the antibiotic needed to kill off the bacteria present. What cranberries can do for your pet’s UTI is to prevent certain bacteria strains (like E. Coli) from sticking to the bladder wall. What this means to pet owners that have pets with frequent UTI’s, cranberries can support in prevention and be a good addition to the medication given by your veterinarian. It is also important to see your veterinarian for your pet’s UTI, so they can diagnose the bacteria strain and treat it accordingly.

1. http://jarvm.com/articles/Vol5Iss3/Cupp%20133-149.pdf