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In reply to the discussion: Deaths of almost 600 pets tied to jerky treats [View all]BattyDem
(11,075 posts)I posted this info about a year and a half ago after the last jerky treat warning. Under the circumstances, I think it's worth a repost.
I bought a food dehydrator and I make chicken jerky for my dog all the time. The chicken has to be fully cooked before dehydrating it to avoid any salmonella problems. I roast boneless, skinless chicken breasts until the internal temp is at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Then I slice them and dehydrate for a few hours. I do it once a month and freeze the treats in a vacuum-sealed bag. Each week, I take some out of the freezer and store in an air-tight container. My dog goes crazy for the stuff!
If anyone's interested, I bought the Nesco FD-75PR 700-Watt Food Dehydrator and I love it!
Nesco also makes a "Pet Treat Maker" which is just a food dehydrator with pet-safe seasoning packets for jerky and treat recipes. I don't use the seasoning packets (my dog has a sensitive stomach) and the manual with the pet treat recipes can be downloaded from their website. The standard dehydrator comes with jerky seasoning packets (not the pet-safe seasonings) and the manual has a few pet treat recipes, but the instructions and recipes are for fruits, veggies, meats, herbs, etc. For me, it made more sense to buy the standard dehydrator and download the Pet Treat Maker manual for the recipes.
My dog also loves dehydrated sweet potatoes! Peel and slice a sweet potato, then drop the slices in boiling water for about 2-3 minutes. You don't want them mushy, just slightly tender. Take them out of the pot and drop them in ice water to stop the cooking. Dry them and put them in the dehydrator. (NOTE: I've heard that if you don't boil them first, they turn black a couple of days after dehydrating. I honestly don't know if that's true or not - I got that info from a pet forum. Several people insisted they turn black if they aren't cooked before dehydration. Since they all seemed to know a lot about dehydrating food, I took their word for it.)
If your dog is anything like mine, he'll sit by the dehydrator for hours, patiently waiting for his treats to be done.