A Cold Ice Treat for the Dog

Parts of the country are moving through record-breaking high temperatures. The heat is also a concern for your dog. You want to check that the dog is not dehydrated and have water readily available for your pet.

There is also several ways to give the dog a ice cold treat. This is a method that farm people have used for generations. They use the water from boiling the supper vegetables and save that for the dog. The belief is that there are some vitamins in that liquid. If this water is put in the freezer section of the refrigerator, it can be made into ice cubes for the dog. These ice cubes can be crushed in the blender and it provides the dog with a cold, health ice treat.

To occupy the dog for a longer period, large blocks of ice of this vegetable water can be given the dog. These blocks can be made by putting the vegetable water into large plastic yogurt containers and freezing the water in these containers. It is very easy to remove the ice from these containers and the dog has a cold ‘toy’ treat for a longer period of time.

One way to create further interest in these larger ice blocks is to seed them with treats. For example, freeze some pieces of carrot in a few small ice cubes. When the ice has formed, freeze a large block. However, before the large block has become solid, put a few of the smaller cubes into the freezing yogurt container. Then the solid block will contain treats. And yes, your dog will know that there are treats there.

Remember to be careful with your dog. Provide water, provide ice treats and never – never – leave the dog in the car… not even for a few minutes.

Catherine Forsythe