All of these recipes are dog friendly and come from a knowledge of what ingredients are safe and not safe for dogs to eat. If you are cooking for your dog please note there are a few ingredients that must not be used under any circumstances, some you probably know but some are a surprise.

Alcohol, Artificial sweeteners, Avocado, Chocolate, Coffee/Tea (caffeine), Grapes/Raisins, Hops, Macadamia Nuts, Onions (Garlic is in the same family but can be eaten in small quantities), Yeast Dough.

A note on Wheat:

Wheat allergies in dogs can cause a number of unpleasant problems such as itchy skin, runny tummies, wind and diarrhea. You might not even know your dog has an allergy.

 As wheat allergies are increasingly common in dogs I am happy to say that after a lot of researching and experimenting all of '4LF's' doggy treats are now made with 'non wheat' flour such as rye, oat, barley and spelt flour. Please note I do not claim these treats to be 100% certified 'wheat free' as not even the flour I use claims to be 100% wheat free as cross contamination with wheat flour can happen in the growing or manufacturing process of non-wheat flour for example a crop of wheat can be grown next to a crop of rye or a mill that grinds wheat flour might also grind wheat free flour.

There is also huge discussion over what exactly spelt is, is it a wheat or not? Many specialist websites refer to spelt as being the most popular 'non wheat' flours available, however it is not 'wheat free' as it is a relative of modern wheat. Confused? me too! From my research I can see that Spelt is considered to be an ancient relative of wheat and whereas modern wheat has been hybridised with other species to create wheat as we know it, spelt seems to be an untampered with species thats over 2000 years old.

Taxonomically speaking Spelt is in the same genus as wheat however it is a completely different species, it's a bit like comparing red cabbage and brussell sprouts, same family but both very different, and certain properties make Spelt very different to modern day wheat. Firstly it has a higher ammount of protein compared to modern wheat as all the nutrition is in the inner kernel which is kept during it's processing. Secondly the gluten in spelt behaves very differently, it is highly soluble and therefore easily digestable, this is why people who are unable to eat normal bread made from wheat flour are able to eat bread made from spelt flour. It is important to remember however that 'wheat free' and 'gluten free' are two different things. 'Wheat free' and 'non wheat' flour still contain small ammounts of gluten, even rye and oats and except for the wheat and gluten free biscuits on this website these treats are not gluten free and SHOULD NOT BE GIVEN TO COELIAC DOGS . Please consider these points and your own dogs dietry needs when purchasing these biscuits. If it is just personal choice to avoid wheat in your dogs diet then my treats are the perfect choice however if your dog has a strong allergy to wheat or gluten then its better if you play it safe and stick to the wheat and gluten free biscuits listed on the website.