Simple DIY solution

9 May 2012

My dog, Kirby, loves chicken jerky treats. I’d been feeding him Beefeaters Chicken Jerky Treats each day as an after-dinner treat. But then the reports came out about potentially tainted chicken jerky treats imported from China. While Beefeaters wasn’t one of the brands that, according to news reports, the FDA has issued warnings about, they are made in China, so we stopped feeding them.

I don’t know who was unhappier about this turn of events, Kirby or the humans in the family. It just felt so mean to cut him off from something he enjoyed so much.

Today’s my husband Barry’s birthday and the animals in the family always give gifts on these occasions. They feel it’s best to give a gift you’d like to receive, so they frequently give animal treats. This year, I knew it would be a special surprise for Barry if Kirby gave him some safe-to-eat jerky treats.

These made Kirby drool.

So I searched around the web, hoping to find some affordable chicken jerky treats made in the USA. Easier said than done. But then I found this article on making chicken jerky treats using a food dehydrator. It’s a great article, complete with photographs.

And then I knew what to do for Kirby’s birthday gift to Barry. Yesterday I bought a Nesco dehydrator at Bed, Bath and Beyond. I purchased some thin-sliced chicken breasts at the grocery store. And without Barry even noticing (it helps that we have two kitchens), I cut those chicken breasts into strips and put them on the dehydrator. I set it at the poultry setting (160 degrees) at 9 pm and when I got up at 6 am they were done.

I love it when there’s an easy DIY solution to what feels like a big problem. It’s another one of those instances where letting it be easy really pays off. Not only does Kirby get to keep enjoying a favorite treat, we’ll be able to make them easily and less expensively.

Barry was delighted with the gift. Kirby was even more delighted. Everybody wins!

Tagged with: diy, dogs, ease, empowerment, kirby

Comments

Hey there – I’m glad you found that article useful and thank you for recommending it. I’m happy to know that more and more people are getting turned on to this easy (and cheap!) way to make treats for your dog. Now try making some beef jerky treats for the rest of your (human) family! :)

Sahil@ManualofMan May 10, 2012 06:07 AM

Sahil, thank you so much for your article! It was so clear and made it so easy for me to do this for the first time. I’m sure I’ll get tons of use out of the dehydrator.

The funny thing is that I used to laboriously bake treats for my dogs all the time. In fact, I’m the author of a dog treat cookbook. But these jerky treats are the easiest treats I’ve ever made!

Thanks again for your terrifically helpful post, and for your comment.

Janine Adams May 10, 2012 01:13 PM

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