Lamb Kibble

Makes 20 to 30 servings

In the United States, lamb was originally introduced as a substitute for beef or chicken, often combined with rice, for dogs with allergies. The use of a previously unfed protein is how veterinarians typically determine the presence of a food allergy. Lamb is no longer effective in isolating food allergies in dogs because it is now found in most commercial dog foods.

Today we have lamb, fish, duck, sweet potato, and several other interesting foods to choose from when feeding our pets. Here is a homemade lamb kibble recipe that your dog is sure to love! It will keep for 2 weeks in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer in an airtight container.

4 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups rye flour
2 cups non-fat milk powder
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 teaspoons bone meal
1 cup plain wheat germ
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, or 2% tablespoons parsley flakes
4 eggs
1 cup safflower, olive, or corn oil
4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 cups water
4 cups ground lamb, cooked and then pureed well
2 cups cooked and pureed sweet potatoes
2 cups frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Spary a large baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flours, milk powder, rolled oats, bone meal, wheat germ, salt, and parsley.

3. Beat the eggs and blend them with the oil in a smaller mixing bowl. Add the Worcestershire sauce.

4. Add the water to the flour mixture and mix well.

5. Fold in the egg mixture and combine evenly.

6. Add the lamb, sweet potatoes, and spinach and press into the dough.

7. Spread the dough in the baking pan, making it very flat and thin. Use a knife to cut it into small squares.

8. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the kibble is golden brown and not doughy when you break a piece open.
    During the baking process, take a wooden spoon or spatula and move the kibble around on the baking pan so
    that it bakes evenly. Then turn off the oven, keeping the door closed, and let it dry out in the off oven for at
    least 4 to

9. hours or overnight.

10. When you remove your kibble from the oven, it will still be slightly warm and moist. Let it sit on cooling racks
     for another hour or two until it is completely dry and cool. Once dry, break the kibble into pieces.

Kibble Tips

When making homemade kibble, you can roll out the dough if you want to, but I use a big spatula and make it as flat as I can on a very large cookie sheet. Then I use a knife to score it into little squares—or I make fun shapes with very small cookie cutters. Kibble makes a great welcome-home gift for a friend.