DIY Network

Christmas Special: Dr. Karen's Tips Dr. Karen offers advice on dog treats and winter dog care. From "Special Presentation" episode DBAR-S

Dr. Karen has good advice to properly care for your dog.

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Tess loves her treats!

Dog Treats

Consider the treats that you give to your dog as candy to a child. Be careful, treats can easily be overdone. There are a lot of choices of treats out there. There are health bars with a primary meat ingredient, which is also what the main ingredient of your dog’s food should be. There are also hypo-allergenic and organic treats.

Dr. Karen’s Dog Bone Recipe

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup soy flour (from co-op)
1 Tbs. baking powder
1 cup peanut butter (sugar free, smooth or chunky)
3/4 cup milk

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Combine wheat and soy flour and baking powder in mixing bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together peanut butter and milk until well combined and smooth.

4. Fold peanut butter-milk mixture into dry ingredients and mix well to a soft dough.

5. Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface; knead lightly.

6. Roll dough out to 3/8 - 1/4 inch thick; cut into pieces 1-2 inches square (depending on dog's size). Place 1/2 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.

7. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

8. Store cooled biscuits in refrigerator. Woof!

A sweater may be necessary for your dog in cold weather.

Winter Dog Care

When cold weather comes around, you're going to need to take a few extra precautions for your dog. If your dog has a short coat, you may want to put a sweater on him when you're taking him for walks. If you walk on sidewalks where there might be chemicals used like salt and deicers, make sure to wash their paws off before you come back in and apply some mineral oil to their pads to keep them soft and pliant. Some dogs that spend a lot of time outside can get frostbite, so look at the tips of their ears, tails and nose. If they are pale and cold, you need to warm them up slowly and provide your dog with some pain relief. When inside the house, if they sleep on a tile or concrete floor, supply your dog with nice thick bedding. If they spend a lot of time outside, put down straw or hay to provide good insulation in their doghouse. With a little extra care, winter can be a wonderful time for you and your pet.

RESOURCES :

Young-Williams Animal Center
Website: www.knoxpets.org

The American Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
Website: www.aspca.org

Petfinder.com
Website: www.petfinder.com