I leave them out, just because I remove them and clean them, then stack them on top of the dehydrator, and use them as I need them. I also use the dehydrator to make yogurt in quart jars, so the trays are usually out.

I've not made dog treats in the dehydrator, though. I've made some in the oven, if that would help.

Annie

That's the neat thing about a Nesco, use one tray or up to 12 - whatever the job requires. Since the trays stack you can't add quart jars of yogurt. Annie has a different dehydrator where the trays slide out leaving a void large enough to add the quart jars. There isn't enough room for that in a Nesco.

I've only made dog treats once and they were baked, but there was so much garlic in the recipe my home smelled like it for two days. Wish I would have had a dehydrator recipe. When I need to dehydrate strong-smelling things (onions, garlic) I park the dehydrator in the garage, but you'll want to make sure the temperature isn't extremely cold or it will take a long time. Dehydrators don't work efficiently in cold temperatures or in high humidity.

I'd suggest doing a Google search for raw dog food treats. The link below has a number of recipes, including grain-free.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Raw Dog Food Recipes

Thank you both! Okay, now for another weird question. I'm making food for my aquarium snails. I boiled & blanched some veggies then blended it together with fish flakes and cooked shrimp. It's the consistency of oatmeal. Will this be too moist for the dehydrator? I can add more shrimp to thicken it, maybe some dog food too. (Yes, it's gross and it smells.)

I'm just mixing it up tonight and plan to put it in the dehydrator tomorrow after work. It will only take up one shelf.

I have a dehydrator (not a Nesco), and my two mutts adore dried bananas and sweet potatoes. I don't do anything special - just slice them and dry them. They know the words "banana candy" or "tater candy".

All of the other dog treats I make are baked (peanut butter cookies, banana bites with carob filling, things like that).

Oops, guess I was typing while you were posting.

What you might do with your snail food so you don't have to run the dehydrator so long is partially dry it, cut it into serving sized pieces, then freeze it. That consistency will probably take a long time to thoroughly dry out.

Just a thought...

I could try that, Malna, thank you. And I'll try the bananas and sweet potatoes for my dog too.

Someday I hope to use the dehydrator on myself! ;)

For the snail food, I would treat it like fruit leather and use the fruit leather sheets - and also treat it like jerky due to the ingredients. You may want to read the information at the link below and see if it applies to your mixture.

Using a small off-set spatula (the simplest, and most effective, tool for the task), spread the mixture on the fruit leather sheets as thin as possible. Place in your dehydrator at 10-degrees F. After several hours, see if the mixture is set enough to peel off the fruit leather sheets. If it is, remove it and place the snail food back on the tray without the fruit leather sheet. This is a good time to flip the food so what was on the bottom next to the sheet is now facing up. Continue drying, and you may want to flip it once or twice more.

I also wonder if the Nesco jerky maker would also work with this mixture. You could load the mixture into the jerky maker and extrude it onto your regular drying trays if it's about the consistency of raw ground meat.

If you are planning on pulverizing this into a powder, dry it until it is crispy dry.

You may also want to pasteurize the finished product in your oven (see information about making jerky) when done, due to the ingredients, to make sure any potential bacteria is killed. I would also store it in the freezer or refrigerator.

I now have something new to share with my next dehydrating class for yet another use for their dehydrator - making snail food. ;-)

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP - Fruit Leather and Jerky

Treating it like fruit leather or jerky might be the way to go. Or if you can grind some kibble to a flour, or close, in a coffee/spice grinder, it would absorb some of your moisture. Might be good to try and get to a cookie dough type mixture so you could roll it thin. A food processor might give you a nice stiff mix.

For dog treats i use the dry pulp from my juicer, usually carrots, beets, greens, apples, etc.
Then add cooked pumpkin, squash, rice etc, whatever i have leftovers to make a 'dough'.
Sometimes liver or ground meats. Coconut oil or olive oil. The pulp is just a good extender for the rich liver. A smashed banana or a bit of peanut butter. I don't usually go out of my way to make them. Just if the timing is right, after making juice for us, i'll make a stiff dough if i have time. No real recipe. The pic is a gift giving batch. I usually just cut with a pizza wheel. Because of the pulp, they dehydrate better than baking. Before i had a dehydrator, i just dried in a low oven, mine is gas and will go as low as 150.

My pups love sweet potato and beet chips and so do we. So that is a win/win. Treats for everybody. I don't salt or season them. Sliced very thin, card stock thin, they are crispy like potato chips. I just rub with a very thin amount of olive oil or coconut oil. A mandolin is the best way to get thin even slices.

-this batch was for the shelter bake sale a couple years ago so i'm sure it was grain-free. I'm remembering dried blueberries and dried parsley. No ofal/meats. I keep all homemade treats in the freezer. Fine in the fridge for a week.
Without a juicer, a cheese grater or chopped and pulsed in a food processor would work.

Thanks for all the tips, ladies!

Okay, snail food is in the dehydrator! It was a paste consistency and I spread it on the tray. It's about 1/8" thick. It's been an hour and a half so far and seems to be drying fairly well. Feels tacky, kind of rubbery. I'll try to pry it off at the 2-hr mark and lay it right on the rack. Hoo boy is it stinking up the basement. If it were warmer I would've stuck it in the garage. Next time for sure.

sleevendog - those treats look good enough to eat! My dog would love those. He has allergies to chicken and possibly wheat too. These would be great for him.

Bought some apples, bananas, and sweet potatoes today - will try those next. Can I dry different items at once? Seems like the smells would mingle and affect the flavors of the other...?

If the snail food is a hit I'll post a pic of the feast.