Hi everyone!  I found a recipe for dog treats and tweaked it a bit (ie: replaced vegetable oil with all-natural applesauce) so I wanted to share it with you.  I made 2 batches this morning and tested it out on Jack and Colby, and it is officially dog-approved.  Below the recipe I have a list of the anti-cancer benefits of each ingredient.  Hope you like them!!!  (oh, and all the ingredients cost me about $10.  I have a big tupperware full of treats now and leftover ingredients as well…I had to stop making them because I ran out of mint…)

Healthy Doggie Treats (aka: the "Yikes!  my dog has cancer!" recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

1 Tablespoon Applesauce (all natural, no added sugar)

1 Cup Water

2 ½ Cups Whole Wheat Flour

½ Cup Oatmeal

2 Tablespoons Fresh Mint

⅓ Cup Chopped Parsley

¼ Teaspoon Minced Garlic

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350°

Mix applesauce and water

Slowly add flour and other ingredients

Roll dough on a flat surface

Cut with cookie-cutter or into whatever shape you like

Bake 25 minutes (add time or subtract time based on the size of the cookie)

HEALTH BENEFITS:

Applesauce:  The antioxidants in applesauce helps to prevent many forms of cancer that can be caused by the free radicals they fight

Whole Wheat Flour: The fiber present in the flour helps to keep the gastrointestinal tract functioning normally and may help prevent more serious problems such as colon cancer, diverticulosis, and hemorrhoids. Whole wheat flour may also reduce the risk for diabetes and coronary artery disease. It also contains healthy phytochemicals, including antioxidants, which may help ward off cancer.

Oatmeal:  Oats are a good source of both soluble and insoluble fiber.  Insoluble fiber's cancer-fighting properties are due to the fact that it attacks  certain bile acids, reducing their toxicity.  They phytochemicals in oats may also have cancer-fighting properties

Mint:  In addition to the breath and digestion benefits of mint, it may also help in fighting cancer.  Mint is known to contain a phytonutrient called perillyl alcohol which has been shown in animal studies the prevent the formation of colon, skin, and lung cancer. 

Parsley:  Parsley contains 3 times as much vitamin C as oranges, twice as much iron as spinach, and is rich in Vitamin A, potassium, and calcium.  Parsley also contains Polyacetylenes which help regulate the body's production of prostaglandin (a powerful tumor promoter), as well as Monoterpenes which are thought to have cancer-delaying properties.

Garlic:  Many studies showed that the organic ingredient of garlic, allyl sulfur, another active ingredient in garlic, are effective in inhibiting or preventing cancer development.  While Garlic does contain a toxin that may be harmful to dogs, it would take up to 50 (FIFTY!!!) cloves of straight garlic to have a harmful effect.  Small amounts of garlic can be used as a flea repellant as well as an immunity booster for dogs with a compromised immune system.