Three Ingredients Changed How I Think About My Dog (And Capitalism)
Okay, so here's the thing. Last Tuesday I found myself at 2 AM reading ingredient labels on dog treats with the same intensity I usually reserve for skincare products. Which is... a lot. My dog Luna was sleeping peacefully (lucky her), and there I was, having what can only be described as an existential crisis in the pet food aisle of my brain.
Why don't I know what's in my dog's food?
I mean, I can tell you the exact farm where my coffee beans were grown (shoutout to Juan Carlos in Guatemala), but my dog has been eating something called "meat by-products" for three years and I just... never questioned it? That's messed up, right?
This spiral started because my neighbor shared this ridiculously simple dog treat recipe. Three ingredients. THREE. Oat flour, peanut butter, bananas. That's it. And suddenly I'm like, wait – if it's this simple to make treats at home, what exactly is in those $15 bags I've been buying?
The Rabbit Hole of Realization
So naturally, I went down a research rabbit hole (because that's what we do in 2024). Turns out the pet food industry is... well, it's an industry first and foremost. They're not evil, but they're also not your dog's grandmother who wants to make sure they eat well. They're businesses optimizing for shelf life, profit margins, and marketing appeal.
Meanwhile, my great-aunt Dorothy used to feed her dogs table scraps and homemade biscuits, and those dogs lived to be like 16 and could probably do their own taxes.
I'm not saying we should go back to the "good old days" – my anxiety brain knows that's not realistic and also, what about nutritional science? But there's something powerful about knowing EXACTLY what goes into your pet's mouth. It's like... taking back a tiny piece of control in a world that often feels completely uncontrollable.
The Recipe That Started a Revolution (In My Kitchen)
Here's what happened when I actually tried making these treats:
Ingredients:
- 1¾ cups oat flour (I made mine by blending regular oats because I'm apparently that person now)
- 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (the spottier the better – don't @ me)
- ½ cup natural peanut butter (and yes, I read that label THREE times to make sure no xylitol)
The Process:
- Preheat oven to 300°F (lower temp = gentler on nutrients, or so I told myself)
- Mix everything in a food processor (or just mash it by hand if you need to work out some feelings)
- Roll it out to ¼-inch thickness (mine looked more like abstract art but Luna doesn't judge)
- Cut into shapes (bone-shaped cookie cutters are cute but honestly? A pizza cutter works fine)
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden
- Cool completely before serving (hardest part tbh)
The whole thing took maybe 45 minutes including cleanup. FORTY-FIVE MINUTES to know exactly what my dog is eating.
What Luna Taught Me About Trust
Watching Luna try these treats was... an experience. She did this little dance – like she couldn't quite believe something this good was happening. And I realized: she trusts me completely. She has no choice but to trust that I'm making good decisions about her food, her health, her entire life.
That's a wild responsibility when you actually sit with it.
We've created this weird dynamic where we outsource our pets' most basic needs to companies we've never met, making products in facilities we've never seen, using ingredients we can't pronounce. And then we wonder why we feel disconnected from the process of caring for them.
Making these treats wasn't just about avoiding preservatives (though that's nice). It was about reclaiming something fundamental: the act of feeding someone you love with your own hands.
The Bigger Picture (Or: Why This Matters More Than You Think)
Look, I'm not about to become one of those people who makes everything from scratch and judges you for buying store-bought anything. Life is hard enough without that kind of pressure. But this little experiment made me realize something important:
Every small act of self-sufficiency is actually an act of rebellion.
When you make dog treats at home, you're saying: "I don't need a corporation to tell me what's safe for my pet." When you read ingredients instead of trusting marketing, you're saying: "I'm capable of making informed decisions." When you spend time making something instead of buying it, you're saying: "My dog (and my time with them) is worth more than convenience."
Plus, let's be real – it's actually cheaper. Those fancy "natural" treats at the pet store? $12-15 for a tiny bag. This recipe makes like 30+ treats for under $5.
Practical Stuff (Because Details Matter)
Storage: These keep for about 5 days at room temperature, or you can freeze them for up to 3 months. I portion them into weekly batches because I have commitment issues.
Variations: I've tried adding a tiny bit of cinnamon (dogs can have it in small amounts) and sweet potato instead of banana. Both were hits.
Safety notes: Always use xylitol-free peanut butter. Check with your vet if your dog has allergies. Start with small amounts to make sure their stomach agrees.
For anxious overthinkers like me: Yes, bananas have sugar. No, one treat won't give your dog diabetes. Moderation is key, but also, please don't stress yourself into paralysis over this.
Questions That Keep Me Up at Night (And Maybe Should Keep You Up Too)
- If we can make treats this easily, what else are we unnecessarily outsourcing?
- What would change if we taught kids to make pet food instead of just buying it?
- How did we get so far away from knowing what goes into the mouths of creatures we love?
- Is convenience always worth the trade-off of knowledge and control?
The Challenge
Here's what I want you to try: make one batch of these treats. Just one. Pay attention to how it feels to know exactly what's in them. Notice your dog's reaction. Think about what other small acts of care you might be able to reclaim.
And then tell me I'm overthinking this. (I probably am, but that doesn't make it less important.)
Because here's what I've learned: taking care of someone – whether it's a dog, a human, or yourself – is political. It's saying that care matters more than profit. That knowledge matters more than convenience. That love is worth the extra 45 minutes.
Luna finished her treat and is now staring at me with those eyes that say "more please" and also "thank you for seeing me as worthy of your effort."
And honestly? That's enough revolution for one Tuesday.
