DIY Cool Ice Treat For Dogs

We are entering the "Dog Days" of summer where it is hot, humid, and uncomfortable for more hours of the day.  We know that we need to keep hydrated and I suggest for humans that you add these herbs to your water to increase hydration and fight dehydration: Lemongrass, fennel, chamomile and mint. Hibiscus and rose added to water or drunk as a tea will help you stay calm and relax you so that the body does not overreact in the heat.

It is kinda hard to get our pups to drink tea, so instead you can create an ice block that they can chew on and lick to keep hydrated and cool down.

Making an Ice Treat for Dogs

There are dog ice treat kits you can buy and create for your dog, but it's easy to do it yourself with an ice cream pail, some water, and dog toys. Here’s how…

Step 1

Fill an ice cream pail 1/3 full with water and place a couple dog toys in it. Freeze. You can also add pieces of fake or real bacon and carrots which can be easily frozen to the mix of treats.

Step 2

Fill with more water until 2/3 full, add a few treats–freeze. 

Step 3

Repeat one more layer like this until you have filled the ice cream pail.

Step 4

Once everything’s fully frozen, set the pail in a sink full of warm water until you can pop out the big ice block filled with dog treats.

Step 5

Set the dog treat-filled ice block out in the yard, and let your dog have at it.

NOTE:

Your puppy might not have a clue what this is all about until you make him one a time or two. As the block melts down and reveals his toys and treats, make sure you spend time acquainting him with it. Once he gets the idea, he’ll be all over it and happily lick away at the ice to get at the treats.

DIY Cool Ice Treat For Dogs

There are dog ice treat kits you can buy, but they’re easily do-it-yourself with an ice cream pail, some water, and dog toys. Here’s how…

Fill an ice cream pail 1/3 full with water and place a couple dog toys in it. Freeze. Fill with more water until 2/3 full, add a few treats–freeze. Repeat one more layer like this until you have filled the ice cream pail.

Once everything’s fully frozen, set the pail in a sink full of warm water until you can pop out the big ice block filled with dog treats. Set the dog treat filled ice block out in the yard, and let your dog have at it.

Your puppy might not have a clue what this is all about until you make him one a time or two. As the block melts down and reveals his toys and treats, make sure you spend time acquainting him with it. Once he gets the idea, he’ll be all over it and happily lick away at the ice to get at the treats.

Another way to keep your pup cool in summer is to soak and freeze a bandana and then tie it around the dog's neck and if you add a few insect repelling herbs like lemongrass, pennyroyal and rosemary to the water you use to soak the bandana you can help keep away pests as well.

Doggy Bandana Freeze

Add a few sprigs of pennyroyal, lemongrass and/or rosemary to 2 cups of hot water.  Allow to steep 15 to 30 minutes.  Soak a puppy bandana in the resulting liquid than fold and place in the freezer.  Once frozen tie around the neck of your pooch to help cool the day and repel the bugs.

 

courtesy of animal planet

Cat and Dog Treats you can make at home!

My cats are bored.  The squirrels that play on my patio keep then entertained when there is daylight, but as you all know in the northern hemisphere this time of year the days are shorter and the nights are longer. 

As a result the cats get bored and start picking on each other.  We got them many new toys for the holidays, a catnip mouse and a small stuffed cigar that can be carried around in the mouth, which my one cat loves to do.  We even created a new cat sleeping area under my husband's desk that is getting rave reviews.   However, they still wake us up in the middle of the night with cat wrestling matches.

Malo Gato

So we decided to reward good behavior with treats.  Let us sleep through the night and you get treats in the morning.  Don't and you have to wait until night time for anything special.

I can make treats with tuna and chicken, but these cheese bites seem to be the most popular in the morning.  They are even more popular than squirrel watching!

Savory Cheese Treats

·   3/4 cup white flour

·   3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

·   5 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

·   1/4 cup plain yogurt or sour cream

·   1/4 cup cornmeal

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine cheeses and yogurt. Add flour and cornmeal. If needed, add a small amount of water to create a nice dough. Knead dough into a ball and roll to 1/4 inch. Cut into one inch sized pieces and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake for 25 minutes. Makes 2 dozen.

PaddyWhack

Now, just because the cats are getting treats, we cannot leave out the dog, so here is a treat for the pooch as well!

Dog Treats

biscuit dough:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup water
glaze:
1 large egg
2 Tablespoons milk

1. Preheat the oven to 275°.
2. In a large bowl: combine the flour, oatmeal, wheat germ, peanut butter, vegetable oil, honey, baking powder and water.
3. Mix the ingredients until thoroughly combined.
4. Roll the dough out to a ½-inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut into desired shapes and place on baking sheets.
5. In a small bowl, mix together the egg and milk. Brush the glaze on the biscuits.
6. Bake for 30 minutes. Rotate the pans, and bake for an additional 20 - 30 minutes, until biscuits are golden and firm.

Gifts for Dogs - Holiday Preparation

I decided that I needed to get a jump on my holiday planning as my teaching schedule has doubled this year leaving me much less free time.  As a result you get to reap the benefits.  Starting this week I will share a holiday recipe, gift idea, craft project,  or other relevant holiday themed idea at least once a week.  This will be in addition to the annual Advent Calendar which is chocked full of more recipes and crafty ideas.

Today I am starting with something for your dog.  I like to make dog biscuits and I found this recipe on the internet and fell in love with it.  Unfortunately I lost the citation in a resave accident so if anyone knows who originally posted this I would love to give them credit.

I liked this project because it can be a recipe or a gift to craft a recipe.  You can layer the items in a jar and present it as a gift with instructions or you can make the biscuits yourself and wrap those to be the gift.  It is simple and fun and your kids can help with it.

 

Layered Dog Cookie Jar Mix

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unbleached or whole wheat flour
• 1 cup of oatmeal, blended into flour
• ½ cup cornmeal
• 2 tsps beef or chicken bouillon granules
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 cup skim milk powder
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (I used the grated Parmesan that is commercially made to sprinkle on pasta)
• ¼ cup (approximately) of flour, or enough to fill a one quart jar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250° Fahrenheit.

Empty jar mix into a bowl. Stir together two eggs and 1 cup of hot water and add to mix. Combine with a fork until a stiff dough forms. Add a little flour or water if dough is too sticky or too dry to work.

Roll out dough on floured board to ½ inch thickness. Dip cookie cutters in flour before cutting out each cookie. A bone shaped cutter is preferred, but any shape will do. Re-roll the leftovers and cut as many cookies as possible.

You can place cookies close together on a baking sheet as they will not spread while baking. Bake for about 90 minutes, or until cookies are dry and hard, turning pan around at half time to ensure even cooking. You can turn off the heat, but leave the cookies in the oven to dry out without further cooking if necessary. Dog cookies are usually baked until they are hard and crunchy. Let cool completely before storing in an airtight jar.

Jar Preparation

Use a funnel to layer ingredients, in the order given, in a one quart jar, packing each layer firmly with the back of a spoon.

Decorate the jar, I used brown muslin, but burlap will work well too.  The fabric is 6 inches in diameter held in place with a ball mason screw top.  You can also put the fabric over the jar lid to cover the band and hold it in place with ribbon, raffia or a rubber band.  Both give you a place to tie on the directions.

You can add a cookie cutter to the jar to make the gift a complete package.

I made a sample label.  You print it out and fold in the center to give you a cover and directions on opposite sides.  I like that you get three to a sheet of paper.

All of these ingredients keep well in a mason jar, so you can make the recipe way ahead and save them for holiday treats.

Happy Crafting!