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Recommendations for healthy summer treats for dogs
It isn’t surprising the temperature is rising. During hot weather, both humans and pets alike need to stay hydrated by ensuring we drink lots of water and other fluids
Dogs and cats sometimes need to be encouraged to drink plenty of water so they stay hydrated in hot weather
We hope the following suggestions will help encourage them to take on board fluids
Plenty of water
Just like humans, your dog will lose fluid as they pant a lot more to keep themselves cool.
Make sure that plenty of fresh water is available for them to drink. Try and put fresh water bowls in every room. You must also regularly clean their water bowls (ideally daily). This will help the water to look more tempting and to taste fresh (although some say dogs prefer puddle water to fresh tap water)
Different bowls –If you notice that our dog doesn’t want to drink from their bowl and it’s been cleaned, why not try a different one? If you have an older dog that suffers from aches and pains, then using a raised water bowl may make the difference.
Water fountain – Maybe consider a water fountain that will provide a steady flow of water to drink from rather than a bowl.
Some great ideas for snacks to keep cool for both dogs and humans
As well as providing fresh drinking water, a selection of tasty treats can help rehydrate and cool down your dog during the warmer months. Many of these tasty treats are recommended by vets
Like all teats and toys, etc., it is important to supervise them, especially as they don’t know how to avoid or indeed understand brain freeze
Remember to reduce your dog’s daily food allowance by however many calories you provide in these treats to avoid obesity – esp as dogs tend not to exercise as much in the heat
Dog-Friendly Banana-berry frosty
(Make sure you use fruits that dogs can eat.)
Take some bananas and a fruit selection (ensuring the fruit is safe for your dog). Now put them in a food processor and blitz for a minute or two until mushy (a small amount of water can be added if needed)
Now, fill an ice cube tray with the fruit paste you have just made.
Place in a freezer overnight, and you now have a delicious lickable treat suitable for both dogs and humans (when I was on a fluid-restricted diet, they quenched the thirst well)
Dog-friendly Savory pupcicles
This one is similar to the above. This time, take some leftover chopped chicken (or other suitable lean meat), some fruit (such as apple), and a small amount of water, and put it in the food processor.
Blast for a minute put the mixture into bone-shaped moulds (or ice cube trays), and freeze overnight.
Frozen vegetables
If your dog likes a bit of carrot or banana, place them in the freezer- A great cheap and healthy summer treat that will help cool them.
Peanut butter is a healthy summer frozen treat for dogs
This one is great for frozen kongs or similar toys. Take some natural peanut butter suitable for dogs (make sure it doesn’t have xylitol, as this is toxic to dogs), then pop it in the freezer.
As well as providing some brain work for your dog to keep them occupied will help cool them down in the heat.
Green smoothie (super for small pets)
This is a healthy superfood smoothie for you, your dog, rabbits and other small furry animals. Place some kale in a food processor along with ice cubes and give it a quick blast until it becomes slush.
Ice cubes are great for dogs.
One of the things my dogs love is a second bowl of water. Take a bowl and fill it just over half with water. Place it in your freezer overnight. Now, place it next to the normal water bowl. They will enjoy licking it t and have a second bowl of cool water as it defrosts.
You may also be interested in our article on How to help your dog cope with the summer heat
Many vegetables can be blitzed in the food processor and frozen to make healthy summer dog treats.