Recipe- Dehydrated Sweet Potatoes

I've been getting a lot of hits from people searching for a way to make their own sweet potato dog chews, so here you go. I've never done this myself, but it's simple enough.

Sweet Potato Chews

Thoroughly wash sweet potatoes. Cut down the middle lengthwise. Cut long lengthwise slices about 1/3 of an inch wide and place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet.

Bake in the oven at 250 degrees for about 3 hours. This will leave them with a chewy texture. For crunchier treats, bake longer until they are the desired consistency.

Vegetarian Dog Videos

It's Only Natural-Vegetarian Dogs?
A short video promoting V-Dog food, but interesting for the fact that they interview veterinarians who are comfortable recommending veg diets for dogs.

VegTv-Organic Vegan Dog Food
An interview with a representative from PetGuard foods discussing their vegetarian and vegan dog foods, and how dogs do well on these diets.

These next two videos feel a bit like you've accidentally wandered into a strange church, and they are subtitled in about 15 different languages (which can be distracting or useful, depending on your situation). Very soothing though.

Vegan Food for Animal Companions
An interview with the founder of downBOUND.com (which sells vegan dog and cat food) on the topic of vegan diets for pets. Part 1 of 2.

Vegan Food for Animal Companions Pt. 2
An interview with the founder of downBOUND.com (which sells vegan dog and cat food) on the topic of vegan diets for pets. Part 2 of 2.

A Collection of Recipes

If you haven't checked out the Yummy for Dogs site, you should do so right now! They are providing vegan recipes for dogs free of charge. They even encourage you to sell their treats, as long as you give all the profits to animal rescue. This would be a great fundraiser for your local animal shelter, or you could even bring some of the cookies to the shelter to treat the homeless pups.

Their recipes are organised into the following categories: Biscuits, Entrees, Desserts and, for our non-doggie friends, Wildlife Food, Bird Food, and Rat and Mouse Food. There are also a couple of recipes for Grooming Products! It is recommended on the site that you use a supplement, such as Vegedog, with the entree recipes, as they are not formulated to be "complete and balanced".

You can also purchase the Yummy for Dogs cookbook through Lulu.com. All proceeds are donated to animal charities! (I'm not sure if the cookbook has the same recipes as the website, but Sable and I are definitely purchasing it. The money goes to help doggies, so I recommend you purchase it too.)

P.S. Sorry for the lack of updates lately, I've been a bit too busy!

UPDATE: I got my Yummy for Dogs cookbook in the mail today. It has lots more recipes than the website, even recipes for holidays and other special occasions. All recipes are vegan, with the exception of honey in a few recipes. If you avoid honey, it would be fairly easy to replace with other natural sweeteners, most dogs aren't picky! There is also a section in the back of the book on starting your own Yummy for Dogs program to raise money for animal shelters. Two paws up!

Cruelty-Free Grooming Products

People who are vegan for ethical reasons know that it's about more than just diet. Just as you check to make sure your shampoo isn't tested on animals, you should be checking your dog's too. Obviously as a collie, Sable requires quite a bit of grooming. I have been able to discover many cruelty free shampoos, conditioners, grooming sprays and more! This list is far from comprehensive, check around, there are new products and companies arriving on the scene all the time!

J.R Liggett's, My Dog Fergie's Shampoo- I just used this shampoo to bathe Sable, as well as my dad's two German Shepherds, Basko and Lobo. All three dogs came out incredibly soft and shiny. And poor old Lobo (who has such sensitive skin that other shampoos have caused him to break out in hives) looks fantastic, and is not itchy at all!

Cloud Star, Buddy Wash- A large selection of shampoos, conditioners, and grooming sprays. I have linked to the entire product line, please check the ingredients of products before purchase.

Earthbath Pet Products- Environmentally friendly shampoos, conditioners, grooming spray and pet wipes- the wipes are extremely useful for "spot cleaning". Some products, such as their bath bar, contain honey, so please check ingredients before buying.

Tropiclean, SPA- Not much info up on their site yet, but the local pet supply store carries their shampoo, and it says 100% cruelty-free on the labels. Interesting products, such as doggie bubble bath and facial scrub.They do not seem to be listing ingredients on their website, so contact them if you are interested.

The Well Adjusted Dog Co., Dog Nose Balm- For dry, cracked noses. Also works on paw pads! Natural, 100% vegan ingredients.

Mullein Ear Cleaner- Natural, vegan, cruelty-free ear cleanser for dogs.

Sable says "It's not easy being this beautiful."

Coupon for Vegan Biscuits!

Good until March 31st, by using the code VDAY8SQ986 at Boston Baked Bonz, you can save 10% on your purchase! The code can only be used 25 times, so I suggest you move quickly! Boston Baked Bonz is a 100% vegan dog bakery, they sell a variety of fresh-baked dog biscuits, along with hand painted collars, and gift boxes for special occasions. Sable loves their ginger cookies! (As a disclaimer: I do earn store credits when the code is used.)

The Need to Gnaw.

A dog's gotta chew what a dog's gotta chew. Alright, enough puns. You've probably noticed by now that most dogs enjoy chewing on things (like your shoes, your furniture, your mp3 player...). It's important for a dog to have his own safe chew items, especially for young dogs. Obviously for vegan dogs, rawhides (yuck), pig ears (double yuck), and many of the chew bones marketed for dogs are out. Worry not. I have searched far and wide to find chewies for your pup!

First, the "non-edibles". These toys are very durable.

Nylabone-UPDATE: In an email from the Nylabone corporation (thanks healingpaws!), they give the following info on which products contain meat and which do not:

Nylabone Non-Edible "Original" flavor chews (including Dental Chews) contain a small amount of chicken or other meat-based powder. The "Chicken," "Liver" and “Bacon” lines have extra flavor, meal or powder added. Our Dog-Safe Chocolate Flavor is an Original flavor bone coated with a chocolate-flavored caramel coating.

The following chews and toys do not contain meat or meat-based protein of any kind:

For Strong Chewers: Double Action Chews, Double Action Dental Chews, Bar-B-Chews T-Bone

For Moderate Chewers: Bar-B-Chews Cob Bone and Rib Rack

Interactive Toys: FRISBEE flying discs, Chubby Buddies (plush), Flexible Tug Toys, Rhino rubber Cones and Bones (vanilla scent), Rhino Tug Toys & Rope Toys (vanilla scent)

I hope this information helps you select an appropriate Nylabone for your dog.


Sincerely,
Christa Wilding
Nylabone Consumer Care
PO Box 427
Neptune, NJ 07754-0427
info@nylabone.com
www.nylabone.com
Tel: 732-897-6897 / 800-631-2188 x8976897

So it seems that their "chocolate flavor" does contain traces of meat. (Aaargh!!!) Sorry for any confusion. The good news is several of their new items do not contain animal products, according to the email.

Kong-the other classic. A great toy for keeping your dog occupied, they can be stuffed with food to keep your dog interested. Good for keeping your dog out of trouble when you aren't home. (Their website is all graphics-y, so if you don't have a high-speed connection, be forewarned.)

Smart Chew- Sable was obsessed with these for a while. They are made by the Greenies company, but are not the edible chews (which are not veg by the way). These come in different "strengths" (Hard, Medium, Soft). The "Hard" seems to be made from nylon, like nylabones, The "Medium" and "Soft" are more rubber-like. They have "a burst of melon flavor", which could be why Sable liked them so much. (Yes, I did try to taste one, no, it didn't taste like anything.)

Now for the edible chewies:

Sam's Yams-I talk about these a lot, huh? Sable loves them. They are dehydrated sweet potato chips, great for dogs with food allergies, since sweet potato is the only ingredient. They don't last super long, but take longer to chew than a biscuit.

Vegan "Pig Ears"- Again, these don't take long to chew up, but they are a definite hit with most dogs.

Healthy Edibles Bones: Vegetable with Vitamins- According to Nylabone Co. these are a "100% vegetarian product". They come in various sizes, please find the one appropriate for your dog, and supervise to make sure she is not swallowing large pieces.

Cloud Star Farmstand Slices -Available in Sweet Potato, Carrot, and Apple. These are round, flexible slices that hardly last longer than a biscuit for large dogs, but Sable loves them just the same.

These various chews aren't in the U.S. unfortunately, but I believe the site will ship to you if you pay extra. There's a good selection listed here.

UPDATE: Ami Vegan Bone Chew Treats are now available in the US through vegancats.com!

All aboard the chew-chew train!

Commercial Vegan Treats

Sometimes you just don't have time to bake your own dog biscuits. These vegan treats are available at many pet supply stores.

PetGuard:
Mr. Barky's Vegetarian Dog Biscuits
Mr. Pugsly's Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits (Wheat, Corn, and Soy Free)

Cloud Star:
Buddy Biscuits Sweet Potato Madness (Wheat, Corn, and Soy Free)
Buddy Biscuits Molasses Madness (Corn and Soy Free)
Buddy Biscuits Peanut Butter Madness (Corn and Soy Free)
Buddy Biscuits Veggie Madness (Wheat, Corn, and Soy Free)
Farmstand Slices: Apple, Carrot, and Sweet Potato (Wheat, Corn, Soy, and Grain Free)
Muttos Oatmeal and Blueberry Flavor (Corn and Soy Free)
Muttos Peanut Butter and Green Apple Flavor (Corn and Soy Free)
Trail Hounds Peanut Butter Flavor (Corn and Soy Free)

Old Mother Hubbard:
Just Veggin' (Corn and Soy Free)

Front Porch Pets:
Sam's Yams (Wheat, Corn, and Soy Free)
Green & Clean (Wheat, Corn, and Soy Free)
Berry Yammy (Wheat, Corn, and Soy Free)

Newman's Own Organics:
Vegetable Formula Treats (Wheat, Corn, and Soy Free)

Meyer Country Farm:
Bellyrubs Peanut Butter Dog Treats (Wheat, Corn, and Soy Free)
Bellyrubs Veggie Flavor Dog Treats (Wheat, Corn, and Soy Free)

Nature's Animals:
Original Bakery Biscuits Peanut Butter Flavor (Soy Free)
Gourmet Select Organic Carrot Crunch (Soy Free)
Gourmet Select Organic Peanut Butter and Carob (Soy Free)

Northern Biscuit:
Harvest Vegetable (Wheat, Corn, and Soy Free)
Peanut Butter Crunch (Wheat, Corn, and Soy Free)
Copacabana Peanut Butter Banana (Wheat, Corn, and Soy Free)

Bark Bars:
Peanut Butter Crunch (Corn and Soy Free)
Wheat and Corn Free (Wheat, Corn, and Soy Free)
Brownie Delight (Corn and Soy Free)

Onesta Organics:
Veggie Hides-Original and Banana (Wheat, Corn, Soy, Rice, Gluten and Grain Free)

Sojourner Farms:
Monzie's Organic Dog Treats (Wheat, Corn, and Soy Free)

Wet Noses:
Pumpkin Cookies (Wheat, Corn, and Soy Free)
Apple-Thyme Biscuits (Wheat, Corn, and Soy Free)
Dooces (Wheat, Corn, and Soy Free)

Darford:
Vegi-Hearts and Mini Vegi-Hearts (Wheat, Corn, and Soy Free)
Super Premium Peanut Butter Biscuits (Soy Free)
Organic Veggie Hearts (Wheat, Corn, and Soy Free)
Organic Triple P'Nut (Corn and Soy Free)

Zuke's:
Mini Bakes Peanut Butter n' Berryz (Wheat, Corn, and Soy Free)
Superfood Biscuits: Very Berryz, Mean Greenz, and Health Nutz (Wheat, Corn, and Soy Free)

Boston Baked Bonz
All Biscuits are Vegan!

I have been able to find all of these treats in local stores. They are all vegan according to their ingredient lists I have found online, however ingredients can change without notice so please check the packages before you buy. If you find any of this information to be incorrect, please let me know.

Happy Treating!