Aw Monday, glad you’re over! And I’m not on call for work this week, woo! Now that hubby is eating a lot less animal products, I’m making more moves to further reduce the processed food products in our kitchen including pet food. Our dogs already eat V-dog vegan dog kibble, but transitioning them to a 100% whole foods vegan diet is not easy when one is a very picky eater. Miko and Skipper will practically eat anything and love munching on carrots, banana chunks, and even nuts for treats. But Leela is not a fan of anything dry and/or overly crunchy. And not as open-minded about trying new foods. So I grabbed two raw superfoods, hemp seeds and flax seeds, to try making healthier treats in a soft and chewy texture Leela will appreciate.
There are a lot of sources out there, like this one, stating hemp seeds are just as healthy for dogs as they are for humans providing beneficial omegas. The same for flax seeds, so combining the two into a gooey treat seemed perfect. The ingredients for these treats are simple, basic hemp seed butter balls with a little flax seeds and mild seasonings.
Hemp Seed Dog Treats
- 2 cups of shelled hemp seeds
- 2 tbsp. of flax seeds
- 1 tbsp. dried parsley
- 1 tsp. of salt
- 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
Place all ingredients into a food processor and process until mixture is a thick nut butter texture, may need to stop and scoop mixture from the sides a few times during processing. Roll into 1/4 – 1/2″ sized balls and store in the refrigerator. Makes about 30-50 treat balls that will keep for up to 7 days.
After processing the treats for about 4 minutes, the mixture looks like a thick nut butter.
That can be rolled into neat little balls.
But you can also pack the mixture into a container and pinch off chunks for treats as you need them to save time.
These were a huge hit with Miko, he even snatched the treat I was trying to give Skipper.
Skipper also scarfed down his sample when I was able to block Miko from stealing it. But the big test is Leela who hesitantly grabbed her sample and carried it to the next room to inspect for eating.
She finally ate it and came back begging for another – success!
The treats store easily in the fridge for up to 7 days, but I don’t think this jar will last that long here!
Thanks so much for posting this! I think this is great! WOW! I will try this! I have used Flax Oil on my cat’s food on ocassion – especially for Gabby who has drier hair.
No problem and these treats are very simple. Miko is nuts for them, he gets so excited when I grab the jar from the fridge he dances in circles.
Awwwww!
Can these be high in fiber? That’s the first thing i imagine when I read about any hemp products.
They are, hemp seeds and flax seeds are high in fiber, protein, and fats. That’s great for Skipper with his canine diabetes.
Just made a modified version of these. I added a touch of all natural peanut butter to the mix and no salt. Then I rolled the balls in a mixture of dried unsweetened coconut and wheat germ. My dog is crazy for them.