Whether for Christmas or a birthday; whether on the occasion of a passed exam or to thank for a litter of puppies – the occasions to give a gift to your faithful companion hardly differ from our celebrations. However, unlike baked goods for human use, a dog cake must meet very specific requirements to truly bring joy to animals. What you should do or better not do when creating, we explain to you here:

A Dog Cake? Of Course!

People who don’t keep animals themselves often shake their heads when the subject of a dog cake comes up. The idea of cooking for or baking for four-legged friends is alien to them. However, that shouldn’t stop you from surprising your pet with a delicious gift.

Especially when there are children in the house, such a ritual makes a lot of sense. The little ones understand the dog as a close friend, whose successes and anniversaries they want to celebrate as much as their own.

And of course they are right – because with the arrival of the puppy your family has grown by a full-fledged member. It has its own tasks and needs – and should be considered for them.

Suitable Ingredients For The Dog Cake

It goes without saying that dogs can’t have the same birthday cake as mom, dad or the kids. Their entire digestive system is based on the ancestor, the wolf. It belongs to the carnivores and therefore mainly eats animal food.

In addition count beside muscle meat, sinews and bones of its loot animals also their innards together with stomach and intestine contents. Furthermore, free-living specimens occasionally consume herbs and fruits to cover their needs for minerals, trace elements and vitamins. They do this instinctively and thus provide themselves optimally with all the necessary nutrients.

This colorful diet serves as a model for wet or dry food and the so-called Barfen, the biologically species-appropriate raw feeding. Treats such as a dog cake should also be based on this. After all, you want to bring joy with your gift – and not cause discomfort or health problems.

Tips For Feeding The Dog Cake

For this to succeed, the individual needs of your four-legged friend are paramount. Basically, the composition of dog pies should resemble the usual food and be administered as such. Because the well-intentioned creations affect dogs like any birthday cake: they are delicious; but also make you full and contain calories that must be processed somehow.

But this does not mean that your darling should do without special snacks. On the contrary: for a given occasion, the dog cake is welcome to contain a few special ingredients. However, you need to take them into account in the rest of the day’s menu and shorten the daily ration accordingly.

Of course, whether your dog is on a special diet – for example, because he is pregnant, nursing or still growing – plays a role in the recipe. Other factors that can influence the choice of ingredients are the health and/or training condition of your four-legged friend and the fact that he is currently on a diet.

Last but not least, the breed is also decisive for the recipe of the dog cake. Representatives with small or strongly shortened muzzle and/or typical tooth misalignments often need special food, because they cannot bite as well as other dogs. The birthday cake must also take this into account.

Small Collection Of Ideas For Delicious Dog Cakes

So far everything is clear and you finally want to get started? Then here are a few suggestions for very simple and somewhat more elaborate creations. Please check on your own, if the given ingredients are suitable for your darling. In case of existing intolerances you have to replace them with alternative products.

Simple But Effective: A Dog Cake Made Of Wet Food

If you have little time or deny yourself any skill, in this suggestion you will find the best recipe for a quick, uncomplicated surprise. All you need is

• a can of wet food with as solid a consistency as possible, i.e. without sauce
• a compote dish, small bowl or mini cake tin

All you need to do is open the can and push the food into the container with the help of a spoon. Then you put a plate over it and turn it upside down. The overturned mass is ordinary food for dogs, but it looks like a birthday cake.

Alternatively, get some wet food in the form of paté and cut out figures with cookie cutters. This works best with small assiettes. You can feed the leftover edges at a later meal.

Juicy And Natural: A Dog Cake Made From Minced Meat

The following recipe is almost as easy to make and offers numerous variation possibilities. The quantities are for larger dogs; you’ll need to convert a birthday cake for smaller breeds accordingly. The ingredients required are:

• 3-4 carrots
• 1 kg minced meat
• 150 g natural yogurt
• 250 g curd cheese
• 1 handful of oatmeal

To turn all this into a delicious dog tart, you won’t need more than 15 minutes. Peel the carrots, divide them into pieces and cook them in a little boiling water. Put the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and mix them together. When the carrots are soft enough, take them out of the cooking liquid, mash them and mix them in as well. Finally, shape the mixture into a cake using a springform pan.

Depending on your taste and availability, you can vary the carrots with other vegetables or fruits. Instead of mixing the individual ingredients, you can also layer them to achieve an even more realistic-looking dog cake. If you add two eggs to the minced meat mixture and bake it at 180 degrees for about 50 minutes, it will even become a real cake.

Delicious Bites For Dogs: Birthday Cakes In The Form Of Muffins

The increase in baked mince pie is a whole tray full of delicious muffins, which you can feed your darling in stages. If he likes liverwurst, as almost every dog does, he’ll love this baked good. For a muffin tin with troughs you’ll need:

• 170 g liverwurst from the pet store
• 250 g wholemeal flour
• 250 ml milk
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 sachet of dry yeast

First, whisk all the liquid ingredients (i.e. milk, oil and eggs) with a hand mixer. Then gradually add the flour, the sausage and the yeast until you get a homogeneous dough. While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to 180 °C. After about 1/2 hour, pour the batter into the cups of the muffin tin and bake for 25-30 minutes.

To Top It Off: Decorating Tips For A Hearty Dog Cake

To turn your creation into a real birthday cake, it still needs a topping. For this purpose, we recommend a cream of unflavored cream cheese and/or cottage cheese, which you spread on or around the finished cake. Then you can let your imagination run wild and decorate the dog cake festively

Candles are of course unsuitable for this purpose, because like any animal, dogs also respect open fire. In addition, the risk of injury is far too great and you do not want to have to provide first aid on the day of honor of your favorite. Replace them therefore better by special dog sausages or chewing rolls.

You have further design possibilities with vegetables and herbs. However, find out exactly which varieties are suitable for dogs to keep the birthday cake compatible.

You can achieve a special effect by filling leftover liver sausage or toppings into a piping bag and decorating the dog cake with dots or the name or age of your pet. For a freshly crowned tournament or show winner or a new puppy mom, you can customize lettering thematically.

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions About Dog Cakes

As always, at the end of our article comes the summary in the form of the most frequently asked questions:

Is It Silly To Bake Birthday Cakes For Dogs?

Every pet owner will understand that you want to do something good for your four-legged friend. Moreover, numerous Internet entries prove how widespread the phenomenon is. In this respect: No! And: Do!

Can I Give My Dog A Real Cake On Special Occasions?

The gift itself is fine; but he should not eat it under any circumstances. Human sweetmeats such as sugar, cocoa or chocolate are unhealthy for dogs and can even be dangerous to them.

What Can A Dog Cake Contain?

It’s best to base the composition on the feeding recommendations for his breed and age group. When choosing ingredients, also consider illnesses or unusual physical demands such as training, pregnancy or lactation.

Do I Need To Include The Dog Tart In My Daily Feeding?

Yes, because as a treat, the creation is then too huge. Just serve it to him instead of his usual daily ration.

Sources:

www.biologie-seite.de/Biologie/Fleischfresserwww.wolfsinfozentrum.de/nahrung-bedeutung-1.htmlwww.das-tierhotel.de/barfen