The Healthy Hound Cookbook: Over 125 Easy Recipes for Healthy, Homemade Dog Food--Including Grain-Free, Paleo, and Raw Recipes! (9 page)
Authors: Paris Permenter,John Bigley
Blueberries and strawberries are popular with most dogs, while others enjoy melons, peaches, and apples. This recipe is easy to customize for your dog’s favorite fruits. These pupsicles have molasses for added sweetness and nutrition; some dogs are a bit reluctant to eat some fruits at first. If you don’t want to add the extra sugar of the molasses (since the fruit contains sugars), just omit it.
YIELDS: 56 ice cubes
1 cup cored and diced fresh fruit (
not
grapes or raisins)
4 cups water
1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses (optional)
- In a large bowl, mix fruit with water and molasses, if using.
- Freeze the mix in ice cube trays or small tubs. When frozen, store in a zip-top plastic bag in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Always discard peach pits; they’re toxic to dogs if they chew on them, as are the pits of other fruit, such as apricots and plums. If you use apples, discard the seeds for the same reason.
It’s always important to keep your dog well-hydrated during the summer months. All your dog will know is that he’s getting a tasty, cool treat with this easy-to-make Beefsicle.
YIELDS: 35–40 servings
1 pound ground beef
1 cup peas (fresh, canned, or frozen)
7 cups water, divided
- Place ground beef, peas, and 2 cups of water in a blender or food processor.
- Mix on low, then increase the speed to purée the mixture. Add 1 cup water and continue to liquefy.
- Continue to liquefy for 1–2 minutes; this will spin off much of the fat of the ground beef. (You’ll see a white film of fat building up on the inside of the blender.)
- Pour the mixture into a 10-quart saucepan. Discard fat clinging to the blender.
- Add remaining 4 cups water. Cook on high until the water reaches a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and allow it to cook at a slow boil for 30 minutes.
- Remove from heat.
- After the mixture has cooled completely, pour mixture into plastic tubs or ice cube trays. Freeze overnight. Store in an airtight container for up to 6 months in a zip-top bag in the freezer.
You can find doggie ice cream in the freezer section of your grocery store, but it’s also very easy (and inexpensive) to make at home. With our long Texas summers, we are always looking for ways to cool down our pooches!
YIELDS: About 50 servings
3–4 ripe bananas
4 cups low-fat plain yogurt
1
⁄
2
cup organic unsweetened peanut butter
- Peel bananas and add to a blender along with yogurt and peanut butter.
- Blend until smooth, then pour into ice cube trays.
- Freeze and serve frozen. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Plain yogurt is always the best choice for dogs because it doesn’t include the added sugars of flavored yogurts. Also, to ramp up the nutritional value, watch for yogurt made from the milk of grass-fed cows, which contains more conjugated linoleic acid (a fatty acid that’s credited with anti-cancer and weight-management properties), and organic yogurt (to avoid added hormones).
Low-calorie watermelon is a tasty and nutritious way to cool off during the dog days of summer. Packed with potassium and magnesium, plus vitamins A and C, watermelon also helps prevent dehydration because it is filled with fluid.
YIELDS: 4 cups, or about 56 ice cubes
2 cups cubed seedless watermelon
1
⁄
2
cup strawberries, hulled
1 tablespoon molasses
1
⁄
2
cup coconut water
1 cup ice
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix.
- Serve in a bowl as a slushie treat, or pour into a KONG
®
and freeze for long-lasting cooling fun.
Many dogs love plain watermelon slices. Be sure your dog doesn’t eat the seeds or rind—but otherwise, feel free to share your summer slice with him!
You may be tempted to compete with your canine for this delish frozen delight. Super simple to make, it’s nutritious, too.
YIELDS: 2
1
⁄
2
cups, or about 36 ice cubes
1 cup Pumpkin Purée (see
Chapter 15
)
1 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1
⁄
2
cup organic unsweetened peanut butter
- Combine all ingredients in a blender, then pour into ice cube trays.
- Freeze and serve frozen. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Along with serving as small treats, this ice cream also makes a fun filling for a stuffable, rubber, treat-dispensing toy for some longer-lasting fun.
YIELDS: 2 cups, or about 28 ice cubes
1 cup blueberries
1 cup low-fat plain yogurt
- Purée blueberries and yogurt in a blender.
- Pour in ice cube trays and freeze. Serve frozen. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
To be sure you get rid of any bacteria and pesticides used on fruit, the best way to wash berries is to give them a good rinse under cold running water right before use.
Everything’s better with bacon, right? It’s higher in fat than fruit ice cream, but a cube of Bacon Ice Cream makes a nice reward after a training class, a vet visit, or a nail trim.
YIELDS: 1
1
⁄
2
cups, or about 22 ice cubes
1 cup low-fat plain yogurt
3 bacon slices, cooked and finely crumbled
1 teaspoon bacon fat
- In a large bowl, mix all ingredients. Pour into ice cube trays and freeze.
- Freeze in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
The last decade has seen a boom in all things bacon, but our dogs have long held a love for this porky product. While humans may get creative with novelties like candied bacon, chicken-fried bacon, and chocolate-covered bacon, dogs know that simpler is better.
Jerky and Chews