Watermelon is the perfect food (did you know that it’s considered to be a veggie instead of fruit?) to beat the summer heat and one that everyone in my pack goes bonkers for. My pups Missy & Buzz start drooling as soon as they see me cut up a watermelon and can’t wait to get their share of it. I’ll admit that I’m a bit obsessed as far as healthy doggie treats are concerned, but I have no problem sharing watermelon with the pups. Here’s why:
- It consists of 90% water and helps in rehydrating the body.
- Since one cup of watermelon only has about 45 calories, it’s a wonderful low-calorie treat, especially for those doggies who need to watch their figure.
- According to Traditional Chinese Food Therapy, watermelon is considered to be food with cooling energy, meaning it cools the body from within regardless of whether or not it’s frozen.
- It’s a single ingredient treat, so I know exactly what goes into my pups’ bodies (& mine!).
- It’s chock-full of antioxidants and vitamins A, B6 & C.
- Watermelon is perfectly safe human food you can give to your dog
Fresh watermelon can even be enjoyed by toothless dogs or those that have tooth problems because of its soft texture. While this post covers how I turned a fresh watermelon into frozen treats, toothless pooches could enjoy a slice of fresh watermelon as is. If you didn’t want them to miss out on fun edible art treats, you could have some summer “baking” fun with a cookie-cutter.
I used a bone-shaped cookie cutter to create some fresh watermelon treats for Missy & Buzz before making the frozen ones.
Which Parts Of The Watermelon Can Dogs Eat?
Dogs can have the pink flesh of the watermelon, but they can’t have any seeds or rind because it causes digestive upset. That’s why I only purchase seedless watermelons. It eliminates the painstaking process of having to dig out the black seeds. Who has time for that, right?! I personally am not too crazy about eating watermelon with seeds myself, so seedless watermelons make it on my shopping list either way. They’re fairly affordable as well – I’m able to find a large seedless watermelon for $5.99.
How I Make The Frosty Treats
One thing to keep in mind is that there’ll be quite a bit of dripping when cutting up a watermelon, so I always use the largest cutting board I have to better control any mess. Once I cut the watermelon in half, I’ll scoop out one of the halves and use the water that accumulates in the process to fill an ice cube tray. That’s the most organic way of getting watermelon ice cubes.
I divide the other half into two-quarters, one of which the pups & I tend to devour immediately, especially in our crazy NC summer heat. I cut off the rind from the pups’ watermelon slices so that they aren’t tempted to eat it.
Here’s what I do once we get our fresh watermelon fix:
- I transfer the scooped out watermelon into a blender.
- I purée/liquify it.
- I then pour it into some of my silicone molds.
- I also add a little greek yogurt to get the white/red look of the frozen treats.
Once all the molds are filled, they go into the freezer overnight, and the scooped out watermelon half goes into the fridge. The frozen treats are ready to be “harvested” the following day. I like to put them into the empty watermelon half for visual appeal – it’ll add a nice touch to your next doggie party!
Hope your pets will enjoy it and that you will have fun! Are you on Pinterest? Feel free to share it with your friends by hitting that save button below 😉
