As Seen on Good Morning Texas

Written on 06/04/2024

Auntie M

Akeem and I had so much fun on Good Morning Texas! Watch the segment or check out the recap below.

WHATS THE DIFFERENCE IN MAKING SNACKS AT HOME FOR YOUR DOG AND BUYING THEM?

The reason I really advocate making your own treats and food is because there’s so many poisonous additives in commercial treats. Even well intentioned dog bakeries, and other people making birthday cakes for dogs, are still using artificial dyes, sugar, and even cream cheese in their products. Which let’s be honest isn’t good for anyone! Even tho we love it haha. However, we can make healthier choices for our dogs, because that's the only way we are going to get more years with them!

So, we want to stay health-forward in our ingredients. Sprinkes, sweeteners and chemical colorants are not acceptable ingredients. Dogs actually have less taste buds than humans and mostly rely on smell to decide "eat or not to eat" so the idea that they 'need a sweet treat' is just not true! Sugars feed cancer, so we avoid them at all costs.

Poisonous ingredients are going to put your dog at risk for life-threatening cancers by exposing them to carcinogens, and it’s just not worth it for a brightly colored snack-that they can't even see! (because dogs are mostly color blind). Especially when you can do better right in your own kitchen!

Unfortunately, It’s estimated that one in four dogs - and over 50% over the age of 10 - will develop cancer of some kind, and a lot of that is due to what they eat. Just because things are labeled 'dog food', and we buy them at the store, we assume that they’re safe for them, but like human food - there is health food and there’s junk food! Knowing the difference is really important. My main mission is to educate owners, so that they can make better decisions for their dogs and avoid the heartache of losing them for as long as possible!

WHAT ARE SOME INGREDIENTS THAT WE SHOULD AVOID PUTTING IN TREATS?

So let’s dive into ingredients!

TOXIC INGREDIENTS:

BHA - is Banned in Europe because it is linked to causing cancer

Titanium Dioxide - is proven to cause DNA damage, disrupt the micro biome and possibly even cause cancer

Artificial Food Coloring - linked to immune disorders, allergies and general inflammation in the body

Sugars & Sweeteners (even natural): Xylitol - since it’s well-known fact that all sugar feeds cancer, so we’d like to avoid this as much as possible, even your natural sugars are really unnecessary for dogs, we all know they can smell better than we can they actually don’t taste as well so they really don’t need the sugar because they’re not gonna taste it anyways they usually eat things that smell good to them and go from there

So really this mostly comes down to reading your labels and asking your dog bakeries what ingredients they are using in their treats and their icing so that you can make better decisions for your dog. Another reason, besides just longevity and preventing cancer, is that a lot of these things are actually going to upset their stomach! So things that we want to avoid that aren’t necessarily toxic, but they’re really just not good for them, are going to be: cheese, milk, dairy (like whipped cream), wheat flour and corn.

I brought a couple of samples here, and these are just common treats. This cookie is something you would commonly find at a bakery or any kind of pet store as a specialty treat. What I want to point out is that it has sprinkles on it, which these are just human grade sprinkles, which are just sugar and artificial dyes. Now we've learned that those are a NO. I also want to point out that what looks like white icing, and usually labled “yogurt", is essentially just sugar, hydrogenated oils and some milk solids. Hydrogenated oils contain trans fats which can lead to cardiovascular damage, weight gain and general inflammation. So clearly, they are a NO!

The other thing I really wanted to point out are these dental sticks, so everybody likes to feed these. Mostly because they think it’s going to do the job of brushing, unfortunately that’s not the case. Unless the dog is really good about chewing on every side of their mouth, including those front teeth, that’s not gonna happen… But they’re also comprised of a lot of ingredients that we don’t think to check! Plus, they’re gonna add extra calories to your dog diet. So, if you have a pleasantly plump pooch, these are things you’re gonna wanna avoid or take into account when you’re serving your meals.

Unfortunately ingredients like these are the reasons that we have an obesity pandemic in our dog world, and obesity is going to lead to things like tumors, cancer and diabetes. Which are much easier to prevent than to recover from. I always recommend my Homemade Dog Food Recipe for anyone looking to trim the LBs!

WHAT ARE HEALTHY INGREDIENTS FOR DOGS?

So I also brought ingredients that aren’t just OK for dogs, but to promote their health! Which is what we’re really looking to do anytime we go out of our way to make something for them (or even buy). We want to spoil and enjoy bonding with our dogs over treats and snacks, but we want to do it knowing that we are supporting their health!

So it’s widely known that dogs are lactose intolerant, however, there are a few dairy ingredients that are OK. One of them is going to be Greek yogurt and the reason for that is that it’s going to have a lot less lactose in it. And it’s also gonna have beneficial bacteria that are going to help you promote a healthy microbiome. We just want to make sure that it’s always plain and preferably nonfat.

Next we have goat milk, which is a fantastic ingredient, honestly for humans too, it is easy to digest and has great anti-inflammatory properties as well as high in nutrition! Plus, dogs go crazy for the taste.

Oat Flour (glyphosate free). So oats are a great grain for dogs, they’re easy to digest, they're heart healthy, nutrient, and fiber rich. Even though we do try to keep grain count lower for dogs, for baking treats and cakes this is a great option.

Coconut Flour - this is another great flour option for baking. You can even add coconut oil to your dog food. It’s great for the immune system, skin and coat!

Carob - so I get asked about the ingredient the most often, NO it is not chocolate. It is carob, which is actually a completely different plant, though it is in the same family as chocolate which is why it has such similarities. It doesn’t have the enzyme that dogs struggle to digest in chocolate, which is what makes it toxic. It is also caffiene-free and has enzymes that aid in digestion! It is chocolate substitute of choice for vegans and dogs, and while it does smell similar, if you eat it, you can tell it’s different… Some dogs love it and some don't, just like humans, it depends on the individual!

Peanut butter (check the label) - peanut butter and dogs go hand-in-hand! So we all probably have a jar of peanut butter just for our dogs. The thing I want everybody to be doing when you’re buying peanut butter is to CHECK THE LABEL!!! I have two jars here and this one is just Peanuts - If you look at the label, it’s just as peanuts. This other one has palm oil, sugar and salt added, but is labeled "natural". Those are all things that we do not want to be giving our dogs. So...straight peanut butter - great! Ones with any additives, don’t do it!

I also have all natural food coloring here so while we don’t support the toxic food coloring, there are alternatives. Be warned that they’re not as great as the poison ones, so you’re not gonna get as dark of a color, but we can still make things pretty! Seeing dark reds, blues and purples are usually a red flag that an artificial coloring is being used.

Most people love their dogs like family, or even view them as kids like me these days, so it’s really important that we’re thinking about everything that they eat! A lot of people put time and research into food but forget to check their treats.

We already don’t get enough time with them, so we want to make sure aren't handing them toxic snacks as rewards!

ALRIGHT YOUR GOING TO SHOW US HOW TO MAKE A PROPER DOG TREAT SO WHERE DO WE START?

Yes! Since we’re talking about parties and baking up a storm for your own dog, I thought we would make some poochcakes, since we’re limited on time we already have the cakes baked. There is a recipe is on my app if you want to make it from scratch, or you can also order my cake mixes, which are just like making a box cake mix - just add water and eggs. We have some icing here, so we’re gonna make them cute! Here is your bag - we’re just gonna put some little dollops on, and you can really take some artistic liberties at home with us. You can even make your own colors. And then we’re going to top it with a carob treat, because it’s cute!

YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THROWING DOG PAW-TIES. WHAT ARE SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT WHEN YOUR PLANNING ONE? AND FOR SOMEONE WHO MAY NOT WANT TO MAKE THEIR OWN TREATS, YOU HAVE WHAT YOU CALL A "SNAKCIN' WAGGIN". TELL US ABOUT THAT?

So we do have our dog food truck the Snackin' Waggin', which we tow around to different events, and you can even rent it for your own pawty!

Parties can definitely be overwhelming, depending on how big you want to get, and how detailed, so it’s always a great idea to hire professional. Especially so you can actually enjoy the big day - because that's the whole point! All of my pawty planning services are on my website, I also have custom cakes, even gender real cakes! All of my treats and cake mixes are able to be purchased online. And in the app, you can find a complete how to for throwing your own party - exactly how I would!

IF PEOPLE WANT TO LEARN TIPS AND RECIPES YOU HAVE A NEW APP THAT THEY CAN VISIT RIGHT?

Absolutely, it’s you’re one stop Shop for all things Dog parenting! You can find the ingredient list on what to avoid in there so that way when you’re shopping, it’s right in your phone and it’s not a hassle to look up every ingredient.