Are dried pigs ears for dogs safe for your furry friend? Get the simple facts you need to know!
So, I decided to try my hand at making those dried pig ears for my dogs. You know, the ones they sell in the pet store for a small fortune? I figured, how hard could it be? Plus, I like knowing exactly what my pups are eating. No weird stuff added.
First off, getting the ears. I went down to my local butcher. Had to ask specifically for raw pig ears. Got a few funny looks, but hey, they had them. Came back with a bag of, well, floppy pig ears. Not the prettiest sight, gotta admit.
Next up was the cleaning. This part wasn't my favorite. I gave them a really good scrub under cold water. Got rid of any dirt or weird bits. Some people boil them first, but I decided against it this time. I just wanted them clean and patted them down really well with paper towels until they were quite dry.
Drying Time
I have a dehydrator, which made things easier, I think. If you don't have one, I guess a low oven would work too, but it might take longer and maybe smell up the house more.
- I laid the ears out flat on the dehydrator trays. Made sure they weren't overlapping.
- Set the temperature relatively low. Around 160F, maybe 165F (that's about 70-75C). Didn't want to cook them, just dry them out slowly.
- Then, the waiting game started. And let me tell you, it takes a while.
I left them going overnight and checked them in the morning. They were starting to get hard but still had some give. I kept the dehydrator running. Checked again several hours later. You're looking for them to be hard and kinda brittle, but not burnt. You should be able to snap one, eventually. Took pretty much a whole day and then some, maybe close to 20-24 hours total for the ones I had.
The smell? Honestly, not too bad while drying. Just a faint porky smell, nothing overwhelming in my kitchen.
Once they looked done – really hard and dry, no soft spots – I took them out and let them cool completely on a wire rack. This is important, makes sure they are fully dried through.
And the result? My dogs went absolutely nuts for them! Seeing them happily crunching away made the whole effort totally worth it. They looked just like the store-bought ones, maybe even better because I knew they were just plain dried ear. Definitely doing this again. Saved some money and the dogs got a great natural treat.
