Treats Under the Tree: Homemade Goodies for Cats and Dogs

Treats Under the Tree: Homemade Goodies for Cats and Dogs

BSM Partners BSM Partners

BSM Partners

Full-service technical business services consulting firm with a primary focus in the pet, nutraceutical food & nutrition

Published Dec 17, 2024
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Written by Ada-Miette Thomas , MS, and Dr. Sydney McCauley, PhD, PAS, Dpl. ACAS-N , featuring recipes by Ada-Miette, Dr. McCauley, Dr. Renee Streeter , and Emilie Mesnier , MS

The holidays are a time for family, fun, and delicious treats—and of course, that extends to our furry family members. While purchasing festive pet treats from the store or feeding table scraps might be tempting, why not whip up something homemade instead? Most of us are already baking holiday cookies for friends and family.  

Although there are numerous recipes available online, it can be difficult to find options that are delicious, nutritious, and safe for your pet. That’s where BSM Partners comes in. We’re here to help pet parents navigate the season with easy, healthy, and pet-approved treat recipes, so you can feel good about your four-legged family members joining in the holiday cheer. 

Ada-Miette’s Cheesy Sweet Potato Granola Pup Bites Ingredients: 1 cup rolled oats 1/4 cup oat flour (or substitute with whole wheat or rice flour) 1/2 cup steamed sweet potato 2 Tbsp honey 2 tsp nutritional yeast Directions: Combine rolled oats, nutritional yeast, and flour in small bowl. Add sweet potato and honey. Mix well. Ingredients should form a sticky dough. Scoop dough into balls approximately the size of one tablespoon and place on wax paper lined baking sheet. Bake granola balls at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 10 minutes.
Graphic and recipe by Ada-Miette Thomas
Emilie’s Paw-liday Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups oat flour 1 cup whole wheat flour 2 eggs -or- 2 Tbsp flaxseed with 6 tbsp water 1/2 cup mashed peas 2 Tbsp peanut butter (unsweetened) 1/2 tsp ground turmeric 1 Tbsp coconut oil - optional 1 ripe banana - optional Directions: Combine eggs or flaxseed powder and water, peas, flour, turmeric, and peanut butter in large bowl. Mix well. Dough will be stiff, dry and crumbly. Slowly add water, 1 Tbsp at a time, to help moisten dough until it is workable. Dough should be dry and thick. Lightly flour a clean surface and roll the dough to approximately 1/2 inch thickness. Use your favorite festive shaped cookie cutters to cut out individual treats and place on a wax paper lined baking sheet. Bake biscuits at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 35 minutes or until hard.
Graphic by Ada-Miette Thomas; Recipe by Emilie Mesnier

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Renee’s Berry Merry Bark Biscuits Ingredients: 2 eggs 1 1/2 cups oat flour (or substitute with whole wheat or rice flour) 1 Tbsp vegetable oil 2 1/2 Tbsp freeze-dried strawberry powder Directions: Combine eggs, flour, vegetable oil, and freeze-dried strawberry powder in medium bowl. Mix well. Ingredients should form a stiff dough. Lightly flour clean surface and roll dough to approximately 1/2 inch thickness. Use your favorite festive shaped cookie cutters to cut out individual treats and place on a wax paper lined baking sheet. Bake biscuits at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 15 minutes.
Graphic by Ada-Miette Thomas; Recipe by Dr. Renee Streeter
Sydney’s Jingle Berry Pumpkin Cat Bites Ingredients: 1/4 cup canned or steamed pumpkin (unsweetened, no spices) 1/4 cup mashed blueberries (fresh or frozen, thawed) 1 egg 1 cup oat flour (or substitute with whole wheat or rice flour) 1 tsp olive oil 2 tsp nutritional yeast Directions: Combine pumpkin and mashed blueberries in small bowl. Mix well. Add egg and olive oil, stirring until smooth. Gradually mix in oat flour and nutritional yeast until the mixture forms a thick dough. Lightly flour clean surface and roll dough to approximately 1/2 inch thickness. Use your favorite festive shaped cookie cutters to cut out individual treats and place on a wax paper lined baking sheet. . Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 15-18 minutes or until treats are firm and lightly browned.
Graphic by Ada-Miette Thomas; Recipe by Dr. Sydney McCauley

We hope you and your companions enjoy these festive treat recipes. If you have a homemade pet treat recipe that your furry family member craves, we would love to see it! Share your favorite holiday treat recipes with us by emailing holidaytreats@bsmpartners.net for a chance to be featured in our upcoming BSM Partners’ 2025 Holiday Pet Treat Cookbook!  Let’s make this holiday season paws-itively delicious! 

Note: By sharing your holiday pet treat recipes, you are giving BSM Partners permission to include them in later publications. You will be credited and recognized accordingly for your recipe. 

About the authors

Ada-Miette Thomas a senior analyst at BSM Partners. She received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in food science with an emphasis on nutrition. Ada-Miette conducted research with a focus on human nutrition and studied the effects of carbohydrate sources on markers of Metabolic Syndrome in adults.

Dr. Sydney McCauley, PhD, PAS, Dpl. ACAS-N , is a Board-Certified Companion Animal Nutritionist and earned both her bachelor’s and doctoral degrees at Virginia Tech in Animal and Poultry Sciences. McCauley’s research was in nutritional physiology with a focus on understanding the effects of low birth weight on glucose, fatty acid, carbohydrate, and amino acid metabolism in skeletal muscle and overall metabolic homeostasis during neonatal development.

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