Turkey Jerky Dog Treats are a low fat, high protein, easy to make snack that your dogs will love. This recipe can be used with any meat but we are using good quality turkey to make a healthy, chewy treats with no extras or fillers.

Meat is a staple dietary need for all canines, but bones can be problematic for their digestion. Our recipe is just straight meat dehydrated for easy storage and worry free consumption. Homemade jerky treats are a great way to use up old meat that has been frozen for a long time, or may be questionable for human consumption.

Are homemade Dog Treats better for dogs?

Homemade dog treats are far superior to any mass produced, store bought treats that you will find at your local pet store. When you make dog treats at home you can prevent the extra preservatives, fats, fillers and chemicals from entering your dogs diet.

Although there are other foods that you can safely feed your canines, it’s important to remember that carbs, sweeteners and grains are not ideal for dogs in large quantities. This is why we prepared our treats as straight meat with no extras. Meat is the very best food you can give your dog, and they won’t be missing extra ingredients that are often found in commercial produced treats.

What meat is best for dogs?

Meat is expensive and it can be costly providing your dog with the very best options for their diet, so be sure to keep an eye out for meat that has been discounted or marked down due to being close to the sell by date. You can also purchase larger cuts at cheaper price than smaller, prepared cuts that are meant for quick meals.

Whenever the grocery store is having a promotion on turkeys take a look. You might find one really cheap, or even free with a large purchase. Chuck steaks or roast are great red meats to use for your dogs meals, chicken will also provide a lean, high protein meat that will dehydrate beautifully making a fantastic snack for your pup.

If you are a hunter, or have friends who are hunters, venison and other wild game meat is also fantastic to use. If for whatever reason there is extra meat to spare, or perhaps game meat that cannot be eaten by humans, consider making Homemade Jerky Treats for your dogs.

How do you dry meat for Dog Treats?

Drying meat for dog treats is a very simple process that just takes time. It can be done on a baking sheet in your oven, or in a food dehydrator for a less intrusive option. To dry meat strips for your dog, pull the meat from the bones and cut them down as thin as your desire, the thinner they are the faster they will dry.

You can use raw or cooked meat for your Jerky Dog Treats, just take care to trim excess fat from the meat. If you are drying the meat strips in your oven, you will arrange them in a single row on a baking sheet and place them in your oven at 250 degrees F for roughly one hour, turning them halfway through.

If you are using a food dehydrator, set it at 145 degrees F and lay the meat strips out so they are not touching or too crowded. Set the timer for one hour, turning the pieces over if necessary to ensure even dehydration. The strips are done when they are fully dried and stiff.

Turkey Jerky  Dog Treats

• Dogs do not need carbs or fillers. They are well designed to metabolize meat proteins both cooked and raw.
• These Homemade Turkey Jerky Strips have no salt, preservatives or added chemicals making them much healthier for the dogs. Commercial jerkies use salt for preservatives.
  • Symptoms of too much salt include vomiting, diarrhea, depression, tremors, high temperature, and seizures. Dogs cannot handle salt the same way humans do.

Avoid extra seasonings when making Jerky Dog Treats

Leftover meats are great for this recipe if they are unseasoned. Beware highly seasoned meats for dogs as they cannot digest them, this includes salt and onions. Oils are also not a good ingredient for your pups, so take care to ensure that no oil has been used in preparation of the meat.

How do I store Homemade Dog Treats?

Once the meat strips have been fully dehydrated and cooled, they can be store in a cool, dry area inside an airtight container for up to one week. To store dehydrated dog treats longer, place them in an airtight bag and store them in your fridge for several weeks.

Jerky Dog Treats can absolutely be stored for months at a time in the freezer when kept in an airtight and freezer safe bag or container. Be sure to thaw them completely before giving them to your dog. Frozen treats pose a choking hazard and can be very hard on their digestion.

Turkey Jerky Dog Treats Instructions

Grinding up cooked turkey in your blender or food processor is an option for dogs with teeth problems. Dry it as a spread similar to fruit leather and cut it into small portions.

Raw meat is what dogs love and digest best. Be sure to follow all applicable food safety standards. For raw meat we recommend you slice up whole chunks of meat rather than ground to protect against a high bacteria count.

Use fresh, good quality raw meat. Dry the meat to whatever doneness you choose but only very hard jerky can be stored short term at room temperature.

Preparing raw or cooked meat

• Pull the meat off the bones also removing excess fat from the meat.
• Cut or hand pull the turkey meat into long strips going in the direction of the grain.
• Lay the strips onto your un-greased trays.

Oven Method

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• Put the tray in and set the timer for one hour.
• Check the strips and turn them over as necessary for even heating. Repeat as necessary.
• When the strips are dried remove the tray and cool on your counter.
• Store in an airtight container at room temp for up to one week or in the fridge for several weeks.
• Freeze for several months using ziplock plastic bags or a vacuum sealer.

Food Dehydrator Method

The best tool for a large load of Turkey Jerky is a food dehydrator. These are handy tools to have on hand as they can be used to make fruit leather and other dried treats.

• Lay the meat strips on your dehydrator trays for your brand dehydrator and stack the trays.
• Set the heat for 145 degrees F.
• Set your timer for 60 minutes.
• Check the meat strips and turn them over as necessary. Repeat until the smaller pieces dry.
• Pull the small pieces out and set aside as the longer strips dry.
• Add the remaining undried turkey strips to your lower trays and continue drying for another hour.
• Repeat this process until you have all you strips dried.

Nutritional Information: (FYI-This is for people)

36 CALORIES/serving

•  Fat               2%   2g
• Carbs           0%   0 g
• Protein          9%  5 g

PLEASE discuss this with your vet if you have any questions about the information in this post to determine what are the best treats for your dog.

*This is good article for those of you looking for further info on ground meat treats. Manual of Man Ground Turkey Doggy Treats.