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What do you do when a family member has a birthday? You either bake a cake or order a birthday cake from a bakery! Well, dogs are family members, too, and enjoy cake as much as the next guy! Most dogs enjoy a celebration on their special day—with wrapped presents and cake! So, treat your pup to a wonderful doggie birthday cake!
In this article, we’ll take a look at ingredients that are unsafe for dogs, try out some amazing healthy dog birthday cake recipes and even consider bakeries—or “barkeries”—where you can buy your pet’s birthday cake!
Food Ingredients to Avoid in Your Dog’s Birthday Cake
From dog cupcakes, dog biscuits, peanut butter dog treats, to even doggy birthday cakes, there’s no shortage of ways to celebrate your furry friend’s birthday!
However, there are a few ingredients you should avoid when making your pup’s celebratory birthday cake. These foods can be poisonous, or your dog just can’t metabolize the food properly. For example, baking soda is not safe for dogs to eat in large quantities, as it can cause intestinal blockages. Likewise, chocolate is not a good choice for a birthday party cake because it can be toxic to dogs if a lot is consumed.
Instead, dog-friendly birthday cakes can be made with ingredients like rice, oatmeal, fruit, or even homemade dog treats. Carbohydrates, potassium, vitamin a, vitamin c, calcium, and cholesterol are essential for dogs, but they should be consumed in moderation. Also, remember to keep any treats your dog eats safe by storing them in an airtight container or wrap. Using a cake pan with a non-stick coating is also a good idea to avoid sticking and messes.
So, whether you’re celebrating your pup’s first birthday with a cake or treats, make sure to keep them safe and healthy!
Let’s take a quick look at foods to void:
Xylitol: is a sweetener often used in diet foods. This can cause a drop in your fur baby’s blood sugar and can even cause liver failure. Watch for symptoms such as vomiting, fatigue and problems with coordination. This ingredient can even cause seizures in your dog.
Avocado: can be OK in small amounts; however, they contain a substance called persin. Persin eaten in large amounts can cause vomiting and/or diarrhea. Persin is found not only in the fruit, but also in the bark, seed and leaves of the plant. There’s also a chance your dog could develop an obstruction in his stomach or intestines if he swallows an avocado seed.
Onions & garlic: in all forms—from powdered to raw and dehydrated—can cause health problems in your dog. These foods cause anemia in your dog by destroying red blood cells.
Caffeine: in any form—cola, coffee, tea—can make your dog very sick. Caffeine can even be fatal for dogs. Caffeine is commonly found in chocolate, cocoa, cola, cold medicines and pain killers. Keep these things away from your dog.
Grapes & raisins: can cause kidney failure if eaten by your dog. Even a small amount of these fruits can make a dog sick.
Dairy products: can cause digestive problems in your dog. Small amounts every now and then are OK, but try to avoid giving these to your dog as much as possible.
Macadamia nuts: can make your dog very sick, even if he only eats a few.
Chocolate: contains caffeine, but also contains a substance called theobromine. This can cause your pup to vomit, develop diarrhea and can even cause heart issues and other problems. Chocolate can also be fatal.
Persimmons, plums and peaches: the pits in these fruits can cause obstruction of your pooch’s intestines. The seeds also contain cyanide, which is poisonous.
Sugar: too much sugar can cause your pup to put on weight and destroy her teeth. Did you know dogs can even develop diabetes from eating too much sugar?
Nutmeg and other spices: are also toxic for dogs.
Now we’ve taken care of ingredients to avoid in your dog’s birthday cake, let’s move on to the party hardy doggie birthday cake recipe ideas!
Doggie Birthday Cakes: Are They Difficult to Make?
So, how hard it is to make a birthday cake for your fur baby? It’s relatively easy, compared to baking a cake for us humans. All it takes is a little flour, some binder (a little oil or fruit/veggie puree), an egg and then tasty ingredients your dog will love. That’s it!
Sweet Substitutions
You can use fruits and vegetables for your dog’s cake, including apples (and apple sauce), pears, bananas, carrots, and more. These sweet ingredients can often be substituted for honey. Just cook the fruit or veggies down until soft, then puree with a food processor, blender or immersion blender.
Another option is to use baby food fruits and vegetables, rather than making your own purees.
Just be sure to look for simple, natural ingredients without preservatives, sugur and food colorings!
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Ask a Vet Live NowHealthy Dog Birthday Cake Recipes
Now let’s take a look at some healthy dog birthday cake recipes for your pup’s special day!
Peanut Butter Delight Doggie Cake: Cheryl, at Moms & Munchkins, as a delightful peanut butter doggie cake recipe. She uses carrots as the base of the recipe, with a wonderful banana cream cheese icing—healthy and tasty for your pup! The ingredients are easy to find—you may already have them, or you can easily find them at your local grocery store. This cake bakes up quickly in about 25-30 minutes. All you have to do is let it cool and then decorate as desired!
Banana Carob Oat Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting: over at Baked by Joanna, Joanna Meyers has created a wonderful doggie birthday cake with carob, bananas and oats. Carob is a chocolate-like ingredient substituted for chocolate in recipes for dogs. They love this stuff! Joanna’s recipe also uses bananas, carob chips and other healthy ingredients you may already have on hand or can easily buy at your local food store.
Both of these homemade dog cake recipes are creative with frosting. Using simple ingredients, both recipes have come up with some yummy frosting variations that are both safe and healthy for dogs. These recipes completely avoid sugar, too!
Don’t be afraid to experiment when it comes to baking a healthy cake for your pup. What about cakes for dogs with health issues, such as wheat or gluten allergies?
Dog Birthday Cake Recipe Grain Free
Does your fur baby have a wheat or gluten allergy? Does he have problems digesting foods made with grains? Then a dog birthday cake recipe grain free will be just perfect for him! Here are some ideas!
Swap out whole wheat flour for gluten free or grain free flours such as rice flour or almond flour. These flours can be substituted in your dog cake recipe without any problems. Combine these flours with the other ingredients in your pup’s birthday cake, and you’ll have a happy, healthy fur baby on your hands! The cake batter will be slightly different, but it will still taste great.
Try this grain free doggie birthday cake recipe from Pretty Fluffy—it uses almond flour, honey, coconut oil and berries for sweetening. The icing has been made from a combination of plain yogurt and almond butter, but you could also use peanut butter.
Here’s another grain free cake to try—it uses chickpea flour, apples, peanut butter and other yummy ingredients to create a perfectly scrumptious birthday cake for your dog. This recipe comes from A Cozy Kitchen—it sure looks good!
You can preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit before beginning to bake the cake. If you are using a cake pan that is not nonstick, you may want to grease it with butter or cooking spray. Large egg whites will help to make a light and fluffy cake. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg whites and sugar until they are light and fluffy. Add the oil, vanilla extract, and baking powder to the bowl, and whisk until well combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix until everything is well combined. Pour the batter into your cake pan, and bake for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely before serving.
Dog Cake Recipe Without Carrots
Your pup’s not fond of carrots? Then we’ve got recipes for you to try!
Check out this recipe from Better with Butter—it’s a pumpkin peanut butter puppy cake—sure to make your pup drool! The cake uses flour, an egg, and pure pumpkin puree and peanut butter. They stress that you shouldn’t use pumpkin pie mix, as these are high in sugar. Instead, make sure you use pumpkin puree, which has no other ingredients. This will be a healthier option for your pup!
Here’s another recipe you can take a look at from Dog Treat Kitchen. This recipe uses apples, dried apple rings and apple sauce to sweeten this doggie birthday cake. The frosting is made with a drizzle of a cheddar cheese sauce you make with flour, milk and grated cheddar. What dog, or human for that matter, wouldn’t just drool over this wonderful apple and cheddar birthday cake?
As you can see, it’s possible to make easy dog cake recipe without carrots—just try these recipes or make your own yummy concoction!
Dog Cake Mix
If you’re not in to baking a cake from scratch, you can check out a dog cake mix, instead! A cake mix makes it fast and easy to bake your fur baby a wonderful 1st birthday creation! check out.
Puppy Cake mixes are a great choice. They’re fast and easy to bake—or you have the option of microwaving the cake, instead! Just follow the directions on the box. The mixes are made with ingredients safe for both dogs and their humans, and even contain the icing for the cake. You also can use this mix to create a regular cake or individual “pupcakes!” These mixes come in a variety of flavors and even gluten free versions.
Decorating Your Dog’s Birthday Cakes
The sky’s the limit when it comes to decorating your doggie birthday cake! For instance, the cake’s frosting can be made from any number of ingredients safe for dogs. You can use a base of plain white yogurt, pureed bananas, cream cheese, peanut butter, etc.
Add tasty ingredients such as maple syrup (sparingly), carob and/or carob chips, fruits (such as apples, pumpkin, etc.) to add some flavor. Plain greek yogurt can also be used as a binder, providing a creamy texture.
If your dog loves to lick his cake, you can frost it with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting. You can also pipe the frosting using a star tip to create a “sparkly” effect.
You can even use the sprinkles in your pantry for your dog’s birthday cake!
You can also decorate edible treats such as dog bones or biscuits, you can create frosting flowers from ingredients safe for dogs, and much more!
As you can see, you have many options to decorate your dog’s cake. Use your imagination and create a wonderful, mouthwatering cake for your pup! Even if you don’t want to decorate in a big way, your pup will be happy with just icing that’s safe and healthy for him! Put a candle in it and celebrate!
Dog Birthday Cake Near Me
Maybe you don’t have time to bake your dog a cake, or you’re not exactly handy in the kitchen. No problem! We’ve got you covered! In some larger towns and cities, you can find “barkeries” (bakeries) that make treats and cake especially for dogs!
How to find a dog birthday cake near me? Just do a quick Google search. Type this phrase into Google’s search bar, “dog birthday cake near me,” and let Google do the work of finding local bakeries that cater to dogs!
Not only will a dog bakery offer birthday cakes safe for your precious fur baby, but they also offer other treats safe for dogs!
We’ve covered several different recipes and options for making your dog a cake. We’ve also considered ordering a cake from your local “barkery!” Whatever you choose to do, your pup will enjoy his special day with a cake made just for him with dog-safe ingredients! He may be so excited that he won’t wait to blow the candle out before taking a big bite of his doggie birthday cake!
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Julie
Julie is a graduate of the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, where she studied Animal science. Though contrary to the opinion of her parents she was meant to study pharmacy, but she was in love with animals especially cats. Julie currently works in an animal research institute (NGO) in California and loves spending quality time with her little cat. She has the passion for making research about animals, how they survive, their way of life among others and publishes it. Julie is also happily married with two kids.
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