The Best Oil for Dog Biscuits

Any dog biscuit recipe calls for some type of oil to moisten the dry ingredients and hold the dough together. As a concerned doggy parent, you might hesitate to use oil in your dog's treats for fear of encouraging weight gain and other health problems. Oils are necessary for maintaining his good health, though. It all comes down to choosing the right kind of oil when you're baking for Barkley.

When shopping for ingredients for dog biscuits, the best oils to look for are ones that contain omega-3 or omega-6 fatty acids. These are the types that are essential for good health, but that the body doesn't produce naturally. The good news is that both are found in a number of oils, making it easy to include them and their health benefits in your dog's biscuits.

Fish oil and flaxseed oil are excellent sources of essential fatty acids, but they're not commonly found on grocery store shelves. That's OK because several other oils also provide healthy EFAs, and you might already some have in the cupboard. Among them are olive, sunflower, safflower and vegetable oil.

Getting the right kind of oil in Barkely's diet will help keep his skin soft and moisturized and help him maintain a soft, shiny coat too. Baking for him with oils that contain omegas may also help keep him healthy in other ways, such as by decreasing the symptoms of allergies, arthritis, asthma and high blood pressure.

Bake up a bevy of biscuits for Barkley using omega-rich olive oil and a little liver for added nutrition and flavor. Just puree 1/2 cup of fresh beef or chicken liver and combine it with 3 cups of oat flour, 1 egg and 2 tablespoons of all-important olive oil. Mix it to form a stiff dough before rolling it out to a quarter-inch thickness on a floured surface. Use a cookie cutter or a knife to cut shapes from the dough and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet, then bake them at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Turn the oven off but leave the biscuits inside the oven until they're cooled and ready to eat. This will give them added crunch.