Nothing says autumn nourishment more than fresh baked pumpkin. It's a treat you and your dog can enjoy together. When baking a pumpkin for a pie for yourself, scoop out a cup of fresh cooked pumpkin puree and set aside to make this Pumpkin Biscotti for your dog.

You will need:

1 cup fresh baked pumpkin puree (not the pre-spiced canned pie filling) – to make the puree, take a small pumpkin and cut in half through the stem. Scoop out the middle seeds and fiber and place cut side down in a glass baking dish with a little water in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for about 45 
minutes to 1 hour. Allow to cool then scoop out flesh and place in a blender and blend until smooth.

1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp organic, local wild honey
2 tsp olive oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp coarsely ground fennel
1/4 tsp ground rosemary
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder

If your oven is not still hot from baking the pumpkin, preheat to to 350 degrees. Mix together dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients. Form a well in the dry ingredient bowl and add wet ingredients. Using your hands, knead the dough until it is smooth. Roll out on a floured surface into 2 baguette shapes. Cut a few little slashes along the top of the baguette shapes. Place on a non-stick or prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 40 minutes. Allow to cool then slice into pieces about 1/2 inch thick. Place each slice on the baking sheet and bake an additional 30 minutes. Allow to cool and store in an air-tight container until ready to serve.

Pumpkin is loaded with fiber and beta-carotene which is full of nutrition for your dog. Just remember like many things, while a little is great, a lot is not necessarily better or even good. Moderation is the key. Too much pumpkin can cause Vitamin A toxicity, so you never want to feed pumpkin in large quantities. A good rule of thumb is a few teaspoons of pumpkin a day for a small dog and a few tablespoons a day for a large dog. As for cookies, a cookie a day for a small pup and two or three for a large dog.

Source: Examiner.com
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