DIY Frozen Dog Treats
The Summer season is about to start. This means a slight shift in pet care. Keeping your dog cool and hydrated should be at the forefront of your summer preparations. The Beach Dog has a fun and easy treat that not only becomes a summertime favorite snack but it also helps aid in toothbrushing for your dog. Yes, a snack that fights plaque. Follow along for some easy DIY Frozen Dog Treats
We buy our dog's snack-filled bones often. The bonus to these bones is that once your dog has gotten all of the bone filling out of the bone, they can be reused over and over. Typically once the treat filling between the bone is gone your dog becomes disinterested in the bone. Bone chewing is the best way for your dog to naturally brush their teeth, maintain healthy teeth and gums, and best of all…eliminate bad breath. Don’t discard the ignored bone. These empty bones can be reused continuously for creating snacks that keep your dog engaged and keep their mouth happy and healthy.
#1 Prep the Bone
Once your dog becomes disinterested in the bone you need to prep the bone to make it bacteria-free. We simply boil them or run them through the dishwasher. Then let the bone dry completely.
You can purchase dog bones locally. Our local Big Y grocery store carries them. But if you're not sure where to purchase, Chewy has many options to choose from. Make sure they are a good size for your dog. You want them big enough to create a vessel but sized so your dog can get some good chewing action.
#2: Peanut Butter Prep
The next step is to create a vessel out of your bone. A vessel will allow you to fill and freeze the bone with healthy snacks. The simplest way is to block the smaller end of the bone with peanut butter. Make sure to use dog-safe peanut butter. Some peanut butter brands use Xylitol. This is a sugar substitute that humans need to avoid giving to their dogs. Read this article for more information on Xylitol, peanut butter, and your dog. Below is a list of some peanut butter brands to avoid because they contain Xylitol.
DON'T USE THESE PEANUT BUTTER PRODUCTS
Go Nuts
Krush Nutrition
Nuts 'N More
P28 Foods
No Cow (formerly D's Naturals).
So now that you have a clean and dried dog bone, and your pooch-friendly peanut butter, we cap off one end to create a vessel. Use a spatula or a butter knife to push peanut butter into the smaller side of your bone. Not too far, an inch or two should do. Then cap the bottom like frosting a cupcake. This makes sure the bone is 100% sealed off. Then place the bone peanut butter side up and freeze. I do multiple bones at a time so I use a big plastic bowl to stand them in. This will also be useful in the next phase. Freeze until solid, overnight is best.
#3: Fill & Freeze
Step three is as easy as flipping the frozen peanut butter end down and filling the bone with whatever treat works best for you and your pooch. Think popsicle. The treats work best the less chunky the treat. But I have used a rice mixture. My dogs are very good at cleaning the bone. But smaller dogs might not chew as aggressively. Know your dog, know your treat. Some of our favorite bone fillings are any broth from any meat source. Use the drippings from your diner pans. We also like yogurt. You can use bone broth from the grocery store, but make sure it’s low in sodium. I always use the boiled water left over from veggies. For example, if you boil carrots or broccoli for dinner, set the water aside instead of throwing it out. Boiled veggie water is a great source of vitamins and makes a great doggy popsicle. It’s literally wasteful not to use it. Read this to learn more about nutrient-rich veggie water. Make sure the water is room temp before filling the bone. Fill each bone in the container you used when doing the peanut butter prep. Now back in the freezer overnight.
DIY Frozen Dog Treats is super simple to keep in your kitchen rotation. We freeze bone treats all year long. Keep in mind this is a good idea for teething puppies too. If your dog suffers from stinky breath, it’s a nifty trick to help them keep their teeth clean and bad dog breath at a tolerable level too.