Are we really suggesting you should make ice cream for a dog? Yes! When the temperatures are rising and you really feel like a delicious cooling – an ice cream is just the thing. Of course, our four-legged friends also like what we like. In our article today you will learn how to make ice cream for a dog yourself and what you should pay attention to.
How to make your own dog biscuits
Why make ice cream for a dog?
While we can manage with light clothing, our four-legged friends have no choice but to endure the temperatures and sometimes to refresh themselves in the cool water. Especially on the days when it is unbearably hot outside, we like to take a walk to the local ice cream parlor or help ourselves at the local freezer.
The reasons against human ice cream
Since it is natural that you give your dog a small piece of your icy refreshment, right? Surely your dog is happy about the delicious ice cream, but it is therefore still not tolerated. On the contrary, the consumption of ice cream, which is intended for humans, can lead to unsightly symptoms in your dog, so you should make ice cream for a dog.
This is mainly because of the many sugars contained in the normal ice cream. Sugar has no business in dog food, not even ice cream. It consists of empty calories and has no nutritional value for your dog. In addition, sugar leads in the long term to obesity and thus also to joint problems and cardiovascular diseases.
Significantly high intake of sugar can also lead to diabetes in your dog. Another point is that sugar is considered the main cause of tooth decay – not only in humans!
Dog ice cream in ice cream parlor
So that’s why ice cream is not suitable for your dog. But there are alternatives! Some ice cream parlors now offer in addition to the normal ice cream and an extra variety only for dogs. These are then produced entirely without sugar and are usually available in delicious variations such as liver sausage ice cream or banana ice cream.
Dog ice cream in the specialty store
The animal feed industry has also discovered dog ice. In some well-stocked zoo retailers you will also be able to discover one or the other dog’s ice cream. The disadvantage of this ice cream, however, is that it is manufactured industrially and may contain additives that are not necessarily part of a proper diet. Also, you do not know exactly which ingredients were really used. So it is better to make ice cream for a dog yourself.
But you can easily make ice cream for a dog at home. Even if you do not have much time, there are some recipes that will help you to make a delicious refreshment for your four-legged friend within a few minutes.
Make dog ice cream yourself – the ingredients
In particular, ingredients are particularly well suited to your dog’s taste, but can also be simply frozen.
A small list of fruits, vegetables, herbs and meat should make it a little easier for you to find the right combination for your four-legged friend’s favorite ice-cream. If you are unsure and want to try a ready-made recipe, you can find some delicious recipes below to help your dog get some refreshment in the heat.
Fruity fruit for sweet tooths
On fruit everything in the dog’s ice what the fur nose tastes and gets his stomach. Although most dogs like apples and different berries best, you can also try other fruits – maybe you have a little gourmet home?
Bananas
Raspberries
Nectarines
Apricots
Apple
Pears
Strawberries
Kiwis
Plums
Coconut
Watermelon
Blueberries
Fig
Attention: Please no grapes in the dog ice! Grapes, like raisins, are toxic to dogs. They quickly lead to digestive problems such as vomiting, diarrhea or stomach cramps. Severe overdose may even lead to acute renal failure.
Vitamin-rich vegetables for homemade dog ice cream
Vegetables are healthy and are gratefully accepted by many dogs – especially carrots. In grated form they find their place also in the dog ice. Here is a small selection of possible ingredients to make ice cream for a dog yourself:
Carrots
Beetroot
Jerusalem artichokes
Chinese cabbage
Quinoa
Zucchini
Cucumbers
Pumpkin
Spinach
Rice
Parsnip
potatoes
Of course, the vegetables should first be minced or, at best, pureed. That gives the ice again a special taste.
Attention: If you use vegetables then please be careful not to feed avocados. Even if the avocado is especially healthy for us humans, it can harm your dog. Avocados contain the toxin Persin. In addition to cough, indigestion, shortness of breath, general weakness and restlessness, the consumption of an avocado can also cause deadly heart muscle damage.
Sausage and meat in dog ice
Of course, our dogs are carnivores – so it makes sense to add a meaty component to the ice, right?
These hearty combinations will surely love your dog.
Instead of quark or yoghurt you can simply mix the meat with blood, this “raw” variant is usually very quickly noticed among the four-legged friends.
Leafy stomach
Muscle meat
Heart
Lips
Rumen
Liverwurst (is particularly popular)
Tip: If you do not like the handling of raw meat, you can simply use one or the other teaspoon of wet food instead.
Make dog ice cream yourself: herbs and other ingredients
To make a very special dog ice you can also mix herbs under the ice cream mix. This is not only a visual highlight but gives the dog’s ice an exclusive touch that many dogs like.
Borage
Nettle
Rosehips
Dandelion
Watercress
Parsley
To give your homemade ice cream a sweetish note, you can use a very small dollop of honey. But please be sparing with it, dogs basically need no sweeties in the ice.
By the way, sweeteners like xylitol should not be allowed when you make ice cream for a dog! Dogs react to sweetener with a massive insulin secretion that lowers the blood sugar level so that your dog could become comatose. Please always pay attention!
How often should you make ice cream for a dog
Just like us humans: an ice cream is just a treat and does not replace a full meal. Also, you must not constantly pamper your dog with the cool snack, otherwise quickly threatens an upset stomach.
As a general rule, small and medium dogs should only enjoy ice cream the size of an ice cube. Daily a portion. For large dogs, it may also be twice the amount. But you have to avoid more ice cream a day.
If you prepare the ice for your dog yourself, then of course you will need a stalk to keep the ice in place.
For this purpose, thicker ice sticks are particularly good – do you have a dog who likes to bite boldly? Then you can also fall back on the natural alternative. For example, sausages are an edible iced stalk, but ox slippers or long dog biscuits are also suitable. While your dog licks the ice, the stalk can thaw and be eaten with.
Make ice cream for a dog yourself – recipes
1. Frozen yogurt
ingredients
100 grams of yogurt
1/5 banana
50 grams of blueberries
1 teaspoon of salmon oil
manufacturing
For this delicious frozen yogurt for your dog, you first have to crush a banana with a fork. Then add the yoghurt, blueberries and salmon oil to the porridge. It is important that you only mix all the ingredients with each other and do not purée them. Larger pieces of banana and blueberries are wanted in this variant and offer your dog an extra fruity taste experience.
At the end, you fill the porridge in the little molds, put a stick in it and let it freeze for about 5 hours in the freezer.
3. Banana Split for the dog
ingredients
4 tablespoons quark
2 drops of coconut oil
1/2 banana
manufacturing
After crushing the banana with a fork, you can add it to the quark and add another 2 drops of coconut oil. Gently mix the mixture until you get a homogeneous porridge, which you can fill in the prepared molds and fill with a stalk.
4. Fruity water ice
ingredients
200 grams of watermelon
100 grams of cucumber
50 ml of water
manufacturing
For this simple recipe you have to puree the watermelon and the cucumber and dilute the resulting porridge with some water at the end. You either put the delicious mixture in small ice cube trays with a small stalk or fill them (for slightly larger dogs) into small yoghurt pots.
5. Basic recipe for varying
ingredients
3 tablespoons natural yogurt
2 tablespoons
oatmeal
manufacturing
The natural yoghurt is simply blended with the oatmeal and frozen – this is fast and tastes especially good for most dogs! You can also add more ingredients. Berries, for the fruity taste experience or a teaspoon of liverwurst to make it a little more hearty. Think about what your dog likes and try something around. You can taste the ice yourself as well, it’s not as sweet as regular ice cream, but it’s just as delicious!
Dog ice in combination with intelligence toys
In order to make the fresh pleasure for your dog even more interesting, you can simply fill the dog’s ice cream into the toy instead of small yogurt cups. Particularly popular here is the classic Kong. The dog ice cream can be easily filled and frozen. Your dog will obviously enjoy nibbling or licking ice cream from the Kong.
You can of course also fill other toys or cover with a thin layer of ice and freeze, but the toy should always be large enough that it can not inadvertently swallow your dog in the heat of the moment.
