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I recently discovered that my dog loves mango.
And I don’t mean like “oh, he’ll take a piece of mango if you offer him one.” No, I mean, Kolchak will rock you like a hurricane if you’re eating mango and you don’t offer him a piece.
When Kol first started asking to share my mango, I wasn’t sure if mangos were safe for dogs.
Kol loves pretty much everything (except raw apple and green pepper, both of which he says are trash), so even though he would love to share everything I make, the foods I enjoy aren’t always safe to give him. It took a hot minute and a call to our vet to find out if dogs can have mango. I was thrilled to find out that mango flesh is totally safe to share.
A few things to keep in mind when giving mango to your dog:
- Mango skin can be hard for dogs to digest. Mango skin is high in cellulose (a type of fibre), but since dogs do not produce cellulase to break it down, it does not add to the nutritional value. It’s best to peel mango before sharing it with your pooch.
- Mango pits contain natural cyanide. Much like any tone fruit, the pit or seed in the centre of a mango is not dog-safe. Make sure you cut it out before giving mango pieces to your dog.
- Mango is naturally high in fibre. While some fibre is a good thing for your dog’s digestive system, too much can cause stomach upset or diarrhea. Feed mango in moderation as a small part of a balanced canine diet.
I love fresh mango and usually have a couple in the house during mango season, but I have a bad habit of buying more than I can use before they get overripe. You can put mangos into the fridge for a few days to prolong their shelf life, but once they get squishy, I usually freeze them to use in baking or smoothies.
You can also use mango as the perfect flavour addition to homemade chicken jerky for dogs.
I had two overripe mangos last week, so I decided to try an experiment: Would Kolchak like mango just as much in a homemade jerky dog treat as he does fresh?
Spoiler alert: he absolutely ADORED these mango chicken DIY dog treats.
I decided to add turmeric to these dehydrated treats because I thought the meatiness of the chicken and the sweetness of the mango would take the edge off the spiciness of the turmeric. So why give turmeric to your dog at all? Well, it’s an anti-inflammatory with some serious health benefits. These treats alone don’t contain enough turmeric to be considered a therapeutic dose, but when combined with a mealtime supplement, they’re a tasty way to add some turmeric goodness to your dog’s diet. (A dog Kolchak’s size can have 1/4 – 1/2 tsp per day of turmeric. These treats contain approx 1/4 tsp each – if you use every last bit of the mango marinade.)
I decided to try this recipe in my old countertop dehydrator that doesn’t have a temperature setting. After our last dehydrator dog treat recipe, we got a lot of questions about how to safely make jerky for dogs if you aren’t sure your dehydrator gets hot enough to kill off any bacteria. I gotchoo, boo. We wrote this recipe especially for you! That said if your dehydrator has a temperature gauge or a specific “Meat” setting you can skip steps 1 – 3 and start at step 4.
How to make DIY Dehydrated Chicken Dog Treats with Mango & Turmeric Marinade
Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken breast chunks
2 ripe mangos
4 tbsp. ground, dried turmeric
Tools:
Countertop dehydrator
Food Processor (Optional – see notes)
Preheat oven to 350F
Slice chicken into 1″ strips and place it on a baking sheet.
Bake for 25 to 35 minutes until chicken is no longer pink inside but has not started to brown. While chicken is cooking, roughly slice two mangos and put them in the food processor.
Add the turmeric to the mango and pulse until the puree is smooth. You can add a small splash of water if needed. Pour mango mixture over chicken pieces, coating each evenly.
Refrigerate chicken pieces in the marinade overnight.
Layout mango marinated chicken pieces on your dehydrator trays.
Dry for 12 – 24 hours until treats are dried through and are no longer flexible. (Cook time will vary based on the temp of your dehydrator, airflow and humidity in your area.)
Allow the treats to cool completely, then store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place for up to 6 months.
I love these dollar store jars for storing dehydrated dog treats. The lids screw on, so they’re airtight. They’re glass, so you can write on them with a dry or wet erase marker and they’re cute!
How do you store your dehydrated dog treats?
