The recipe appeared in Dr. John Heinerman’s Natural Pet Cures with the following comments: “It is possible, believe it or not, to prevent, or, at the least, slow down gum erosion with a hard type of biscuit that contains antibacterial herbs known to prevent the occurrence of infection.” These biscuits contain parsley and cranberry for dental health and are also crunchy enough to give your dog’s teeth a good workout!
I modified a little, as posted below, and they came out great. The treat is a hard consistency, so I can see how it will rub the teeth. The difference between this and kibble are the ingredients. They are fresh and not carb intensive, so the glucose film isn't there.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups cooked chicken giblets (hearts, liver, gizzards) (I used only gizzards here)
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley (I used dried parsley)
- 1 tablespoon cold pressed oil, e.g., olive, hemp, cranberry, blueberry (I used coconut oil)
- 1 whole egg
- 1½ cups stone ground whole grain flour, e.g., oat and spelt, or choose alternative flours, like hemp or quinoa, an ancient gluten free grain that contains more calcium than milk (I used garbanzo bean flour)
- 1/4 cup finely minced sun-dried cranberries
- 1 egg white
- Parmesan cheese
Place chicken giblets in a pot and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil, then turn down to simmer for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up. In a food processor or blender, combine all the ingredients except the flour.
Blend until you have a thick paste. Add the flour slowly, so it’s well incorporated into the “paste.” Add a bit more oil or filtered water if your dough is too dry, or add a bit more flour if you find it’s too wet.
I didn't find my dough got very 'doughy' and was more sticky, so I chose to take teaspoons of the mixture and roll them into balls. I placed them on the baking sheet an pressed them into discs. After this, I followed the recipe.
Place cookie sheet in preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes. Turn the oven down to 200ºF and remove the cookie sheet from the oven. Beat or whisk the egg white until soft peaks begin to form. Baste the biscuits with the egg white, then liberally sprinkle them with Parmesan cheese. Return the biscuits to the oven and bake for another 45 minutes. I flipped them over after 30 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave the biscuits until they are completely cooled.
I got about 40 treats out of the above recipe. The dogs love them. In fact, it's the only thing Dudley ate his last two days with me. I stored them in the refrigerator.
Here's the link to the original recipe.