Low-fat treat recipes for dogs with pancreatitis

Updated: Oct 29, 2024

Everyone (and yes, that includes our beautiful pets) needs a treat some time. But often, certain medical conditions get in the way of that, for instance, a sensitivity to fat in certain breeds (e.g., breed-specific hyperlipidaemia), specific types of inflammatory bowel disease (e.g., lymphangiectasia), or dogs with a history of pancreatitis and a need for a low- or even ultra-low-fat diet.

Unfortunately, the range of options available commercially can also be quite limiting - we're working on this, though ;)

Below, we have some treat recipe options for dogs with a sensitivity to fat that require a low- or ultra-low-fat diet.

For those who are not keen to become the next MasterChef (for pets at least) or are time—and/or budget-constrained, we've also listed some alternatives that you can grab in a hurry and feed on-the-go.

Please note:

These recipes are for treats, so they aren't complete and balanced.
We recommend that a maximum of 10% kcal per day from treats, so be careful not to feed too many.

Recipe 1 - Pizza bites (ultra-low-fat):

These treats are:

Ultra-low in fat; may be suitable for dogs with lymphangiectasia, hyperlipidaemia, and/or a history of pancreatitis (please consult with your family veterinarian first)
High in carbohydrate, so not suitable for dogs with diabetes mellitus

Ingredients:

200 g sweet potato - steamed
150 g self-raising flour
50 g mozzarella cheese (approximately 24.5% fat) - grated
30 g tomato sauce
20 g mushroom - steamed
10 g spinach - steamed

You can use orange, red, or purple sweet potatoes – whatever you prefer.

Preparation:

Preheat your oven to 180°C.
Steam or microwave the finely chopped mushrooms and spinach until soft, then set aside and allow to cool.
Steam or microwave the chopped and peeled sweet potatoes until soft, then mash them together in a large mixing bowl.
Add the self-raising flour to the mashed sweet potato, then mix the sweet potato and self-raising flour together to make a dough - get your hands in there; they do the job best ;)
Sprinkle some flour on a benchtop surface, then roll out the dough until it's about 1 centimetre thick.
Grab your favourite cookie cutter (some ideas below) - we recommend using a round shape, given the aim is to make it pizza-like, but you're welcome to be more creative here. Cut the dough into the desired shapes.
Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on top of each cut-out bit of dough, then sprinkle on the cheese (grated), mushrooms (finely chopped), and spinach (finely chopped) evenly across the pieces of dough/mini pizzas.
Transfer the mini pizzas onto baking paper on a baking tray and pop them into the oven.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until the base starts to turn golden, and the toppings are melted and deliciously combined.
Remove from the oven and allow the mini pizzas to cool before serving them up.

The mini pizzas can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

Nutritional information:

Each batch provides: 845.23 kcal across approximately 450 grams

12.83% protein ME basis or 13.23% on a dry matter basis

12.00% fat ME basis or 12.48% on a dry matter basis

75.17% carbohydrate basis or 74.29% on a dry matter basis

Recipe 2 - Sweet potato and carrot biscuits (low-fat):

These treats are:

Low in fat; may be suitable for dogs with a history of pancreatitis (please consult with your family veterinarian first)
High in carbohydrate, so not suitable for dogs with diabetes mellitus

Ingredients:

100 g sweet potato - steamed
100 g carrot - steamed
180 g self-raising flour
20 g butter (unsalted) - melted

You can use orange, red or purple sweet potatoes – whatever you prefer.

Preparation:

Preheat your oven to 180°C.
Steam or microwave the chopped sweet potato and carrot until soft, then mash them together in a large mixing bowl.
Melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave, then add it and the self-raising flour to the bowl containing the sweet potato/carrot mixture, and combine it all together - the best way to do this is with your hands! If the dough mixture is quite sticky, you can add in a smidge more self-raising flour.
Sprinkle some flour on a benchtop surface, then roll out the dough until it's about half a centimetre thick.
Grab your favourite cookie cutter (some ideas below) - we recommend using a dog bone shape, given the aim is to make them biscuit-like, but you're welcome to be more creative here. Cut the dough into the desired shapes.
Transfer the dough biscuits onto baking paper on a baking tray and pop them into the oven.
Bake for 12-15 minutes (depending on your oven - keep a close eye to make sure they don't overcook).
Remove from the oven and allow the biscuits to cool before serving them.