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Spent Grain? Make Your Best Friend Cookies!

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Please remember: Hops are extreamly dangerous for dogs to ingest, it may cause Malignant Hyperthermia. (I only know this cause the recent kit I got warned me.)
 
Please remember: Hops are extreamly dangerous for dogs to ingest, it may cause Malignant Hyperthermia. (I only know this cause the recent kit I got warned me.)
Will dogs eat hops if given the choice? I just realized that I have some hops drying in a spot that my dog could get to if she wanted, no way to be 100% sure that she didnt eat a cone or two already. Or is this warning more concerned with making sure there aren't any hops mixed in with the spent grain used to make these cookies?
 
Will dogs eat hops if given the choice? I just realized that I have some hops drying in a spot that my dog could get to if she wanted, no way to be 100% sure that she didnt eat a cone or two already. Or is this warning more concerned with making sure there aren't any hops mixed in with the spent grain used to make these cookies?

Im not sure the details. I almost worded the warning exactly.
 
Hops aren't good for dogs to eat, PERIOD. It doesn't matter if its a whole cone or its mixed in with the cookies. They are bad news for your best friend.
 
I've been promoting this for years on other boards. All doggys seem to love them...

Alterations that seem successful:
Pizza Sauce to replace the PB.
2 eggs vs the one
Basted with Iams sauce/real gravy
Use real gravy vs the PB
Carob Chips
V8 replaced the PB (dry longer)

I make these and give them out at xmas and sometimes carry a sack with me to the local farmers market. Feed the pups as we shop.

As for the hops and dogs, yeah becareful. Per my vet only a handful of dog breeds are extremely susceptable. They won't eat hops off the bine but any hops mixed in your wort/trub/mulch pile etc... can be a serious threat. They tend to be more attracted to the sweet wort. Anyhow as a fellow brewer, I hope he is right.

None of my dogs have any interest in spilled wort... they all would rather lay down in the brewing area and sleep. :mug:
 
Has anyone used spent grain to simply make a whole batch of dog food? Just wondering if there would be a preferable grain bill and a few other things to add to it. I just made a batch of these using the OP's recipe, but there was still plenty more grain to be dumped (don't really have room or need to compost anything at my current place).
 
Quick question... my neighbours have dogs, and I'd love to make these for them, both sets have had a few concerns about the fibre in the grains having the usual -- and I'll say for politeness' sake -- "all-bran" effect. Have these cookies help your pets move the mail way too quickly?
 
Quick question... my neighbours have dogs, and I'd love to make these for them, both sets have had a few concerns about the fibre in the grains having the usual -- and I'll say for politeness' sake -- "all-bran" effect. Have these cookies help your pets move the mail way too quickly?

I wouldn't say "too quickly" but they sure are healthy :) If this is a concern just make sure you limit them to so many per day. I've never had my pup get montazuma's revenge and they kept her pretty regular.
 
I was tossing these into a ziploc bag and I was really hungry and ate a few, they were pretty f'ing delicious (at least compared to the other dog food i've had).
 
I was tossing these into a ziploc bag and I was really hungry and ate a few, they were pretty f'ing delicious (at least compared to the other dog food i've had).

I hear eating these keeps your teeth clean and gives you fresher breath,...

..... and rock frinkin hard dumps! :D
 
My dog was getting into the compost pile and eating tons of grain. His poop looked like tubes of grain. I have frozen a lot of grain from brewing and hope that it did not go sour so I can make treats when I'm not already busy brewing.
I have read a lot about hop - dog poisoning and I throw away any hop trub from brewing to keep the dog away from it. When soaked with sweet wort dogs can be very temped to eat the hops.
 
I was tossing these into a ziploc bag and I was really hungry and ate a few, they were pretty f'ing delicious (at least compared to the other dog food i've had).

It's just grain, peanut butter and flour, tasty if I do say so myself.
 
Made a batch of these yesterday, the Dude in my avatar loves them. Dump the ingredients into a bowl, and use your hands to squish and mash (not that kind if mash :) ). Easy to make, taste pretty good, but the grain hulls get stuck in my teeth like popcorn hulls. :tank:
 
I made a triple batch from my Saturday brew session. The dog seems to love the stuff but she is not all that picky. That being said, she is more excited about these compared to say onion.
 
Haven't seen it mentioned so I gotta ask,

Are you drying the spent grains first? :confused:

I just made a triple batch a couple nights ago after brewing.. and I did not dry the grains. They kinda did that in the oven. I did not bake them nearly as long (and actually had much more variable temps, since we baked some chicken too). They came out pretty good, I tasted them and they remind me of the nature valley granola bars (but not as sweet). My dogs do love them (2 labs and a chaweenie..)
 
Delarob: I didn't dry the grains first, the two stage baking process drys out the biscuits so that they don't mold. Next time I do this, I'm going to make a double batch. Good luck.
 
fascinating, as my dog loved onion... and hated alcohol.

Do not feed your dog onion... the thiosulphates can cause an anemic response and in some cases can be fatal. Onion toxicity in dogs is widely documented.


As far as the cookies go - I have been making them for years. My golden and irish setter both freak out over them... I do not dry the grains before I use them in the recipe. But you must account for the water they still hold.

Me and a buddy of mine munch on them at my bar sometimes... lol

dog_bis_001.jpg

dog_bis_002.jpg

dog_bis_003.jpg
 
ijsut mademy first batch a few nights ago. the dogs love them. LOVE. we made a second batch and double the peanut butter and ground the grains better in a food processor.

being that I own a dog daycare facility, we gave all the cleitns free samples. of course their dogs love them, and they were quite iompressed that we are making our own treats.

working on modifying the recipe with cranberries and glucosamine aqnd gonna start selling them at the front desk..
 
I keep saying I'm going to make these, but by the time I finish my brew day I just don't have the energy or motivation for it.
 
I keep saying I'm going to make these, but by the time I finish my brew day I just don't have the energy or motivation for it.

You don't have to do them right away. The grains freeze very well. I have some grains from May that I just thawed 2 weeks ago, dogs can't tell the difference.;)
 
Made a couple batches yesterday. Don't put a double batch in a single sheet pan, it's a little too thick. I made half peanut butter and half honey. I hope the dogs like honey or I'll have a lot of grain snacks to share with people who come over to drink.
 
+1 for freezing... I told my wife about freezing my spent Crystal 60... she asked if I thought of her as a b!tch over that... damn, I just cannot find the right tone tonight.
 
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