Summer and sunshine at last! But with the high temperatures, our four-legged friends can also get pretty hot. No wonder, because when the outside temperatures rise, your dog's body is also in full swing.
Cool down! We have some cool culinary tips to combat the heat outside. So you can enjoy the summer with your four-legged friend in a relaxed way.
Summertime is fruit time: this also applies to your dog
Watermelon is particularly popular - juicy and slightly chilled. As the name suggests, watermelon contains around 90% water, but that's not all. It also contains a number of important nutrients that make watermelon a really healthy snack - for your four-legged friend too. The fruit fibers contain many vitamins, especially vitamin A and some vitamin C. There is also iron, zinc, magnesium, phosphate and calcium. Potassium is particularly noteworthy.
Watermelon is also a slimming fruit: it contains relatively little sugar, around 6 grams per 100g. In comparison, bananas have a very high sugar content with 17 grams of sugar per 100 grams of fruit.
Ice Ice Baby - dogs love a cool refreshment in the form of ice cream
As ice cream usually contains too much sugar for humans, it is less suitable for dogs. Simply make your own dog ice cream for your darling. It's not that difficult.
Basically, you can use anything that your dog likes and can tolerate. Dairy products such as natural yoghurt, buttermilk, kefir, quark or grain cheese are suitable for frozen yoghurt. You can also combine fruit, honey, broth, cooked and pureed liver or meat or even tuna. Just as your dog likes it.
A veggie frozen yogurt:
- 250 g natural yoghurt (3.8 % or 1.5 % fat)
- 2 tsp honey
- 1 banana
- ½ mango (it is particularly tasty when overripe)
Puree all the ingredients together and pour into suitable bowls or old ice cream tubs. Place in the freezer for 4 - 6 hours.
Hearty milk ice cream:
- 250 g low-fat quark
- 100 g cooked chicken liver
- 1 cooked carrot
- 1 tsp salmon oil
Puree all the ingredients together and pour into small bowls or old ice cream tubs. Place in the freezer for 4 - 6 hours.
If your dog does not tolerate dairy products, there are many options here too:
Veggie watermelon sorbet
- ¼ watermelon
- 50 ml coconut milk
- 1 tsp coconut flakes
Ice cream praline with raspberries
A cool treat for your four-legged friend:
- 100 g yogurt
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- raspberries
Mix the yogurt mixture with the coconut oil and fill into a silicone praline mold, insert the raspberry and cover with a little yogurt mixture. Freeze for approx. 3 hours and you have a refreshing snack.
The portion size should of course be adapted to the dog. For small dog breeds, a small ice cream is sufficient, for very small dogs, an ice cream the size of an ice cube is also sufficient. There is no upper limit.
The ice cream should be eaten slowly and not swallowed whole. There is also the option of filling the ice cream mixture into a Kong. This keeps the dog occupied for longer.
Fruit quark with honey
Here is another delicious recipe:
- 100 g quark
- 150 g yoghurt
- 150 g raspberries
- 1 tbsp honey
Don't overdo it with the amount you serve. A cool treat every now and then won't hurt, but it shouldn't be every day.
Summery light dog dishes
In hot weather, dogs tend to eat less or even refuse to eat. This shouldn't worry you, because humans also change their eating habits in summer and tend to eat more light food with vegetables and salads.
A light summer barf recipe
Meet your dog's needs and offer more easily digestible food in the form of chicken or turkey.
Recipe instructions for a 20 kg dog:
- 350 g turkey meat
- 50 g quinoa
- 50 g carrots
- 40 g zucchini
- 5 g lettuce
- 5 g raspberries
- 9 g meat and bone meal
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- + ½ tsp parsley sprinkled on top
Chicken fricassee for dogs
And another light cooked chicken fricassee meal for a 20 kg dog:
- 310 g meat plucked from chicken thigh
- 40 g chicken liver
- 50 g millet
- 40 g broccoli
- 50 g carrots
- 5 g spinach
- 5 g blueberries
- 3.5 g eggshell powder
- + 1 tsp cottage cheese
- + 1 teaspoon salmon oil
Have fun spoiling your four-legged friend!
