Cool Treats For Pets

When the summer heat is upon us, we all enjoy an ice cream or a popsicle to help stay cool.  Our pets can also enjoy cool treats – Pupsicles for dogs and Puff Pops for cats. The Peanut Butter Pupsicles and Purr-fect Puff Pops recipes are courtesy of Banfield Pet Hospital.

Peanut Butter Pupsicles for Dogs

Ingredients:

4 cups rice milk or vanilla yogurt
1 medium mashed banana or 16 oz. jar of baby fruit
2 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. smooth peanut butter, without salt

Directions:

Mix ingredients well in a blender, then pour into 3 oz. paper cups or ice cube trays. Do not use popsicle sticks of any kind! Freeze for four hours or more. When ready to serve, tear off the paper cup or pop out of tray and place pupsicles in a bowl.

Nutritional Information:

Protein: 17.74%
Fat: 19.88%
Carbohydrates: 62.38%
Calories for Entire Recipe (please create portions appropriately): 1302

Alternatively, you can also make chicken pupsicles for your dog.  Combine 1 cup of low-sodium chicken stock, ½ cup of water, and 1 ½ ounces of finely chopped chicken meat in a bowl. Pour into popsicle molds or ice trays and freeze until solid.

Never use popsicle sticks or tooth picks for you pupsicles, since they could be dangerous if eaten or swallowed whole.  Instead, you can use carrot sticks or green beans as an added treat.

Purr-fect Puff Pops

Ingredients:

1 hard-boiled egg
1⁄2 cup of honey
1 long sliced carrot
6-ounce can of tuna in water

Directions:

Mash the hard-boiled egg and put it into a bowl. Add honey, carrot and tuna. Mix together and roll into marble-sized balls. Place the puffs in a sealed container and keep refrigerated until they turn into chilled pops. Then serve.

Serving size:

1 puff pop for an adult cat and 1⁄2 pop for a kitten.

Nutritional Information:
Protein: 21.65%
Fat: 17.80%
Carbohydrates: 60.55%
Calories for entire recipe: 972