We often get asked if the food colourings we sell are safe for dogs. Making treats for (wo)man's best friend is becoming big business, so to save you from barking up the wrong tree, we dug a bit deeper to find out what you can use safely...
Dogs are more than just a pet for most people; they are a member of the family, and as such they deserve festive birthday cakes and treats! Many of us like to make colourful cookies for our dogs even though dogs cannot see colours the way we do, and couldn't care less that their food all brown! But, let's be honest, the look of the treat is not about our doggos, it's about our Instagram feeds and the philosophical question "if we made a dog treat but don't post it on the 'gram, did we actually make it at all?" ;-)
We love our furry friends and we don't want to harm them, so what is safe to use in our dogs' food to brighten it up a bit?
Most experts say that it is safe to use artificial gel colours in your dog's food. It is unusual for humans to react to artificial colours, and so it is for dogs too. There is always the chance for individual sensitivities, but this is the case for anything. I'd recommend to maybe go for pastel shades of icing, rather than making it super bright to be on the safe side!
Freeze dried fruit powders not only taste great, they colour things too! Strawberry powder will tint things pink, mango will make a lovely yellow and blueberry will make a nice purple. As the powders are 100% fruit, there are definitely no added nasties in there. Did I mention they taste great?
Many spices and herbs can be used to colour your pup's food in a healthy way. You can use turmeric powder for yellows and oranges, spirulina* for greens, and beetroot powder* for pinks and reds. You can also puree fruit and veg to add colour: think sweet potato and carrots for orange, kale and spinach for green, blueberries for purple, and raspberries and strawberries for pinks.
*OK, these two may not be in your pantry, they certainly aren't in mine, but they're fairly easy to get hold of at health food stores!
It's actually a really lovely thing to make treats for your pooch. They are often much better received than by humans. My lovely American Staffy Lolli wolfs down anything baked I give her. I get a thank you lick and an adoring look too! Yes, I know that really she just wants one more treat, and sometimes she gets it ;-)
Here is the recipe to a lovely looking doggy birthday cake that I made for Lolli. I over cooked it a little but it was fine!:
https://www.recipetineats.com/drip-dog-birthday-cake/
(I know she looks sad here, but she very much enjoyed her cake!)
If you'd like to read more on how to dye dogs' food, please have a read of this great blog:
https://www.dalmatiandiy.com/using-natural-food-colouring-for-homemade-dog-treats/