We love the Starbucks Puppuccino for our dogs on a hot summer day. But pupsicles are a great alternative that can be fun to make at home. So, what are homemade dog popsicles and how do you make them?
Homemade dog popsicles, or pupsicles, as they are fondly referred to, are frozen treats made at home using a liquid base paired with meat, fruit, or vegetables. You can blend them into frozen smoothies or freeze cubes of your dog’s favorite ingredients into a block of ice for them to discover as they go through it. Moreover, they are a fun way to keep your dog cool and hydrated on a hot day. They’re also great for sneaking fruit and veggies into your fussy pooch’s diet.
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A Quick Note
Please consult with your veterinarian before changing your dog’s diet in any way. Also, please monitor your dog the first few times they enjoy a dog popsicle. This will help all go well, and you can act quickly if there’s an issue, such as their being allergic to something.
Also, each of the ingredients on the list below provides unique benefits for your dog. But these frozen goodies are only meant as an adjunct to your dog’s regular diet and should never be used to replace a well-formulated meal. Also, make sure to offer treats in moderation and use low-calorie ingredients for overweight dogs.
How To Make Dog Popsicles
Dog popsicles are made of one or many of your dog’s favorite ingredients frozen with a base liquid such as water, kefir, or broth. Some dogs like having whole chunks of fruit or vegetables to discover as the ice melts away, while others prefer to have it all blended into a yummy smoothie bite. You can make them even more realistic by placing a carrot or celery stick in the center of your mold before freezing to create a totally edible stick for the popsicle. Each type of pupsicle carries unique benefits for your dog.
Enrichment Blocks
Regular enrichment activities improve welfare by stimulating our dogs’ natural foraging behaviors, preventing boredom, and reducing stress and also anxiety. So, freezing various foods into a block of ice will keep your dog occupied and stimulate the seeking centers of their brain as they try to get the treats out of the frozen block.
Also, blocks made with a base of plain water are a great low-calorie option to keep your food-motivated dogs busy. Often, the coldness of the ice and the slight hint of taste from the treats within are enough to keep your dog interested. But for the pups that aren’t impressed by just water, low-sodium chicken broth is a great alternative.
Smoothie Treats
Smoothie treats are bite-sized pieces made by freezing the blended ingredients into ice cube trays or molds. They can be given as a mid-day snack or occasionally added to your dog’s bowl as part of their meals to keep things interesting. Picky dogs that don’t like vegetables will love them in a frozen smoothie treat, as long as they are combined with the right ingredients. We also love hiding vitamins and supplements within these treats.
Five Of My Favorite Recipes
Let’s start with the one I call Fruitilicious.
Fruitilicious
This is best as a smoothie treat/enrichment block.
Ingredients
The ingredients needed for this recipe are:
- Your dog’s favorite fruit. I chose:
- 2 large banana
- 4 strawberries, tops removed
- 1 apple, core, and seeds removed
- 2 ½ cups water
- 1 cup kefir or Greek yogurt (optional)
For Use As An Enrichment Block
Follow these steps:
- Slice the banana and strawberries, and cut the apples into roughly ½ inch cubes.
- Add the ingredients to one large mold or several smaller molds and freeze for up to 24 hours. Silicone bakeware or paper cups work well. Make sure to stop filling an inch below the brim to allow the liquid to expand as it freezes.
- To distribute the fruit across the block more evenly, fill the mold halfway with fruit and kefir mix and freeze completely before adding in the other half of the ingredients and freezing again.
For Use As A Smoothie Treat
Follow these steps:
- Combine all the ingredients in a blender
- Add in your usual vitamins and supplements.
- Pour into small bite-sized molds and freeze them before giving them to your dog.
Peanut Butter Bomb
This is best for smoothie treats.
Ingredients
The ingredients needed for this recipe are:
- All-natural peanut butter (avoid artificially sweetened peanut butter as it may contain xylitol which is toxic to dogs)
- Kefir or Greek yogurt
- Banana
- Carrots quartered lengthwise/jerky sticks/bully sticks (for ice pops)
For smoothie treats, combine all the ingredients in a blender and pour into an ice cube tray or silicone chocolate mold and freeze for up to 24 hours.
Chicken And Veg
This is best for enrichment blocks.
Ingredients
The ingredients needed for this recipe are:
- Chicken broth (If you use a store-bought variety, make sure it’s low sodium!)
- Sliced carrots
- Celery and green beans cut into 2” pieces
- Add vegetables to a paper cup and cover with chicken broth, leaving a couple of inches at the top to allow expansion.
- Once frozen, loosen the block by pouring warm water over the outside of the cup, and remove it from the mold before letting your dog enjoy it.
For a more authentic experience, you can fill a popsicle mold or paper cup with your chicken and veg mix and place a long piece of carrot or celery in the center to make the “stick” of the popsicle.
Frozen carrot sticks are great for removing plaque from teeth and keeping gums healthy by reducing inflammation. Not all dogs are going to be keen on chomping on a carrot, but you’ll never know unless you try it!
Pumpkin Pie
This is best for smoothie treats.
Ingredients
The ingredients needed for this recipe are:
- Pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling! The additives in pie filling can be harmful to your dog)
- Cinnamon powder (⅛ tsp per 15 pounds body weight per day)
- Turmeric powder (⅛ tsp per 15 pounds body weight per day)
- Kefir or Greek yogurt
For smoothie treats, combine all the ingredients in a blender and pour into an ice cube tray or silicone chocolate mold and freeze for 24 hours.
In the right quantities, cinnamon and turmeric have great anti-inflammatory properties and can help reduce joint pain in older dogs.
Purple Punch
This is best for smoothie treats.
Ingredients
The ingredients needed for this recipe are:
- Blueberries, beetroot, spinach
- Kefir or Greek yogurt
- Coconut water/plain water
- Combine the beetroot, spinach, and half of the blueberries in a blender.
- When smooth, fold in the rest of the blueberries and pour into an ice cube tray or silicone chocolate mold and freeze for 24 hours.
Leafy greens and purple foods like blueberries and beetroot are rich in antioxidants. Recent research has touted the importance of antioxidant foods for their role in fighting cancer, supporting heart health, and reducing inflammation, to name a few.
Some purple foods like grapes and cherries are not safe for dogs, so make sure you read the list below before tweaking these recipes to make your own personalized treats for your dog.
Mix ‘N Match – Ingredients I Recommend
Just like us, dogs have preferences for what they like to eat. In case your pup turns up its nose at any of the ingredients in the recipes mentioned, you can substitute them for anything on the following list. These ingredients are usually considered safe for dogs.
Fruits Dogs Can Eat
Here’s the list:
- Apples (without seeds)
- Bananas
- Melons
- Cucumbers
- Mangoes
- Peaches
- Pears
- Pineapples
- Berries (Raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, cranberries)
Vegetables
Here’s the list:
- Broccoli
- Celery
- Carrots
- Green beans
- Peas
- Pumpkin
- Spinach
- Sweet potatoes
Miscellaneous
Here’s the list:
- All-natural pure honey
- Coconut oil
- Coconut water
- Unsalted chicken broth (unless your dog has a chicken allergy)
- Unsweetened peanut butter
- Unsweetened greek yogurt
- Kefir
Ingredients To Avoid
There are of course some things you should never put in your dog’s food. Many of these will cause serious harm if ingested in large quantities. The benefits of consuming them do not outweigh the risks to your dogs and therefore should be avoided altogether (please note this is not an exhaustive list):
- Alcohol
- Apple, avocado, cherry, plum, peach, and apricot seeds/pits
- Coffee
- Chives
- Chocolate
- Dairy products
- Grapes/raisins
- Leeks
- Nuts, such as brazil nuts, macadamia, pistachio, and almonds
- Mushrooms (dogs can consume mushrooms from the store, but it’s best to avoid them altogether)
- Onions and garlic
- Salt and spices in large amounts
- Xylitol (artificial sweetener often found in gum, and sometimes in artificially flavored peanut butter, jam, and yogurt)
In Conclusion: Why Homemade Dog Popsicles Are So Great
So, homemade dog popsicles or popsicles are a fun project to do at home. Moreover, they add variety to your dog’s diet and allow you to share a summer treat with your four-legged pal on a hot summer day. Dogs are prone to thirst and overheating when the weather gets too hot, and these treats are a good way to cool them down and boost their water intake. Ingredients like coconut water and broth are especially good at hydrating and replenishing lost nutrients.
Also, for pups that hate taking their vitamins, prepping them into some yummy smoothie treats can be an easy, no-fuss way to get your dog to take them. Moreover, making them bite-sized ensures that your dog gets the full dose of their supplements and does not waste them in any unfinished food.
So, which of the homemade dog popsicles do you plan to make first? Let us know your thoughts and why in the comments below!