Beat the heat. Whip up these quick frozen treats for your dog and his canine pals with food you have on hand. All you need is 5 minutes, a few ingredients, and a freezer.

Poochie Pupsicles

BASIC RECIPE

1 ripe banana
4 cups orange juice
1/2 cup plain yogurt

Puree all ingredients in a blender—or simply mash the banana by hand and combine with the juice and yogourt—then pour into a popsicle mold, freeze, and serve to your favourite hot dogs.

VARIATIONS

Switch up your fruit. Try subbing in:
Blueberries
Strawberries
Peach
Watermelon
Or mix in some peanut butter.

You can also vary the juice you use. Try pineapple juice or apple juice; just check to be sure the juice you use is all-natural and has no added sugar.

Modern Dog pup-approved combinations include:

* watermelon, strawberry, pinapple juice, and yogurt

* peanut butter, banana, apple juice, and yogurt

Savoury Pupsicles

Homemade (no salt) chicken-broth pops

Had barbequed chicken for dinner? Don’t chuck the carcass! Throw it in a large pot, cover with water, and let it simmer for an hour and a half. Cool, then pick the meat off, discarding the bone but keeping the cartilage, meat, and broth. Left over cooked carrots and/or peas? Mash them up and mix them in! Pour the chicken broth into your popsicle mold (save whatever’s leftover as a tasty addition to your dog’s next few meals) and freeze. Best served outside.

 

 

Feeling lazy?

Simply cube some Watermelon, chuck it in a Ziplock baggie, and toss it in to the freezer for a natural, on-the-go “freezie” you and your dog can share.

Tip

Don’t have a popsicle mold? Freeze in small Tupperware or empty single-serving yogurt containers. Run the container under warm water to release the frozen pupsicle.

 

* Editor’s note: there is a story making the rounds that ice can cause bloat in dogs. While extreme cold, such as drinking a bucket of ice water, might cause the stomach to spasm, it’s unlikely to cause either bloat (the stomach fills up with gas) or torsion (the stomach flips over and twists the entrance and exit-a life threatening problem). At any rate, we suggest that people only give their dogs one pupsicle at a time; they’re intended to be a treat, not eaten 12 in a go anyways. 🙂

 

Check out more pops for pups recipes to beat the summer heat!