Homemade Frozen Dog Treats
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In today's Internet age, it's the rare "dog mom" who hasn't purchased, made or at least heard about Frosty Paws for dogs. Those who haven't have been missing out, or more perhaps accurately, their dogs have been missing out! Frosty Paws are creamy, nutritious, healthful and inexpensive frozen treats that dogs adore. Enjoyable year round, they're especially welcome in the summer months as they're the canine equivalent of ice cream. Homemade versions are more healthful than store brands if for no other reason than the lack of preservatives.
The Basic Frosty Paws Recipe
32 oz. plain yogurt
1 mashed ripe banana
2 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons honey
Mix all of the ingredients with a blender or mixer and freeze in ice cube trays. Small paper cups and disposable egg cartons also make good molds. When frozen, microwave for a few seconds, unmold, and place the treats in a plastic bag and store in the freezer. (Note: if using Styrofoam egg cartons or cups, rest the containers briefly in a partially filled pan of warm water to loosen contents. Unless the Styrofoam is labeled as microwave safe, it could melt.) If you want to be fancy, bone and paw shaped molds are available.
Variations
This is where the fun part begins! Using only the yogurt as a base, there are any number of ways to vary the original recipe. You're only limited by your imagination. Because these treats are frozen, their consistency is less important than when experimenting with baked goods. Below are a few variations my own dogs have heartily endorsed.
Use fruit and flavored yogurt instead of plain. I've used vanilla, blueberry, and strawberry/banana with good success.
Mix the yogurt with a packet of low sodium powdered chicken bouillon (Herb Ox has sodium free chicken granules) and a cup of low sodium chicken broth.
One large jar of baby food is approximately equal to one banana. So instead of the banana, use the baby food of your choice. My dogs LOVE meat flavored baby food. Unfortunately, this only seems to come in small jars. Use three or four jars of the meat of your choice in place of the banana, peanut butter and honey.
Puree the yogurt in a blender with a can of mackerel or salmon.
Scramble or boil several eggs, and puree them with the yogurt. You can use raw eggs, but then enters the (small) risk of salmonella poisoning. (I occasionally use raw eggs, but I raise my own free range chickens and have control over the cleanliness of their nests.). Raw egg whites destroy biotin, a necessary B vitamin. Raw egg yolks, however, are a rich source of biotin and offset the raw egg white. Do not feed raw egg whites by themselves as over time this practice could lead to a biotin deficiency.
Puree the yogurt with raw chicken or beef liver. Raw liver purees with ease. Liver is rich, and a little goes a long way. Too much will give a dog diarrhea.
You get the idea ... you truly ARE only limited by your imagination!
Broth Based Treats
For dogs on a a diet, or who cannot eat dairy, instead of yogurt, defatted chicken broth may be used as a base. This is easy to make. Place a whole chicken in a big pot and cover with water to which you have added carrots, garlic, and low sodium bouillon.Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until cooked, approximately one hour. When done, remove the chicken, strain the broth, and refrigerate over night. The fat will rise to the top and harden.The next day, skim off the fat. What remains is your broth base. The broth alone makes a nice doggie popsicle, but jars of meat baby food, canned fish, cooked eggs, or diced, cooked chicken, are all great additions. Sometimes I hide a small cooked treat in the half frozen broth when I use the broth alone.
Perhaps my dogs' favorite frozen treat is this:
Save chicken carcasses in the freezer until you have several, and then put them into a pressure cooker with enough water to partially cover. Cook at fifteen or twenty pounds of pressure for an hour and a half. When cool, the bones are so soft that they "mush" when touched. Transfer the contents of the pressure cooker to a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Mix the bone puree with equal quantities of defatted chicken broth, place in molds, and freeze. My dogs love these. Yours will too!
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Frosty Paws are inexpensive? Right there you lost credability with me. At $5 per tiny container they are more expensive than haggan dass.
last time i checked at my local shop rite they were $87/pound.
My dog did not like the frozen yogurt treats at all. He usually eats just about anything but he was NOT into these. :(
Great idea! We gave our dog Frosty Paws and he barfed it up immediately. I like the idea of making it yourself so it's more natural.
I have just made these for my dogs and they are currently freezing so I have no outcome to share other than the fact that I poured the tiny bit of batter I had left into their bowls and they licked it clean! I am a blogger myself and am currently writing up an entry on homemade pet treats. I would like to add this recipe and link to your original recipe here on hubs. Im not a member here and it wont let me contact you directly, so If you could please send me an email at recycled_soup@yahoo.com with your approval. Thanks so much!
My two Goldens loved these! I'll be making them again once they eat all these.
I haven't made them yet, but will definitely make some tonight...! I'm sure my dogs are going to love their treats!
Interesting. I will have to give it a try. I have made home made dog treats sort of, but this looks good.
It sounds yummy to me but my dog Angus does not like banana.He like Filipino foods especially that comes from my plate. Anyway this is a great recipe to those dog owners. Voted up. Congratulation!
Congrats on Hub of the Day for this pet friendly hub. Love good dog owners! :)
Congrats for the hub of the day!
That's a very lucky dog. I'll recommend these treats to a friend of mine as I'm sure her dog will love them :)
Great Idea for Dog Lover's like me! thanks to share, keep it up
What a great idea! My Golden Retriever would LOVE these treats! I'll have to try one or two - I have some leftover beef broth, and he would be in heaven!
These are all fantastic ideas and a great alternative to store-bought treats. The first few steps (with the fruit and yogurt) are actually smoothies I've made for myself!
Our dog loves Frosty Paws. Will have to see how well he likes them homemade! Thanks--and congrats on HOTD!
What a good idea! I make my own dog biscuits for my pooches. My aussie loves ice cubes and I never thought to make frozen treats. They would love these. And I acutally have molds that are the shape of bones. I think I'm going to try this my next day off. Thanks for the ideas! Voted up!
This is a great idea, love the egg carton and ice cube trays too. Congrats on being the Hub of the day!
(smile) very nicely presented Brett Winn. Chocked full of ingenuity, fun stuff, wellness, and a dash of care. What a wonderful recipe. Being a friend to neighbors pups, yet not know of their nuances I have a pondering question - "do pups tend to like what their owner/master/favorite friend likes" and that is why some like and some don't like the yogurt or whatever? Just wondering , , ,
Oh, I'm sure my dog would love those! Thanks for the great recipe ideas. I'll definitely bookmark this Hub. Congrats on the Hub of the Day! Voted up, useful, and interesting.
I no longer have a dog - who disliked bananas - but a granddaughters' dog should love all these. Am bookmarking your hub to try several of your recipes. I appreciated your valid comment about the biotin/egg white which many do not realize. Also your mushed bone treat is excellent nutritional snackfood. GREAT hub, thank you!
gee, thanks so much ..maybe they'll quit begging
for food off our plates now!
What an excellent hub about healthy dog diet. Unfortunately, i don't like keeping dogs. Nevertheless it will be useful for dog lovers.
My dog thanks you in the most profound way he knows - with tail wags and kisses!! I've never been brave enough to make dog treats but this is SO easy to understand :) Beautiful work
My dogs would love this! Especially in the summer months! I am bookmarking this one.
I love the pressure cooking the chicken carcass idea!
Congrats on the hub of the day!
Thanks for this! My Bichon Poo "Happy" thanks you too!
Hey congrats for the Hub of the Day! And great idea. Will definitely be useful for dog owners.
This sounds quite interesting. I'll have to try it out myself. I wonder if my dog will like it.
Of Course What else would be a hub of the day! :D Ok Ok... Now jokes aside the only problem I see with this is that I might eat it before my dog get's any :) Looks yummy!
Congrats on getting Hub of the Day! Great idea for a hub. I don't have a dog, but I know that this will be useful for dog owners. Thanks for including so many variations.
great idea!
Yes, I know all about Frosty Paws.(Expensive too) I have 3 dogs. Well, one is actually a "Grand dog" who visits frequently in summer. I will keep this in mind and Congrats on Hub of the Day!
Interesting and sad. It is only sad as I had to put my pup to sleep after 14 years. She would have loved these!
Wow what a good stuff. Thank you for your posting such a dog lover.
Cool! I'm definitely going to try this out :)
I am glad I am not a dog, they look gross. I would never give them to my do, based on looks alone. Raw Veggies and fruit make great treats.
Congrats on hub of the day! I just wonder--does the yogurt and honey not have too much sugar in it? I know sugar isn't good for dogs. What do you think? Thanks!
Congratulations on Hub of the Day! I'm going to bookmark this and give it a try.
Great ideas. And something new to try.
All 3 of my dogs loved Frosty Paws, will give the recipe a try, thanks.
my dog loves this and as well as all his friends in the neighborhood!
I never thought about making a frozen treats for our
Pups! I am happy to read this. Thank-you, Brett!
actually, garlic and dairy are bad for your dog. be careful if youre going to use it and know the risks.
I'm only talking about a sprinkle for flavor, dogs love garlic. It's like chocolate ... if you feed a dog a bar of dark chocolate, you might be in trouble. A taste of a chocolate chip cookie or a last bite of chocolate cake does no harm. Since I posted this article, I've discovered, kefir, and use it in place of the yogurt. The beneficial bacteria in homemade kefir partly digest the proteins and use up the lactose ... it is actually quite good for them. I read recently where a vet attributed a dog's recovery from hip surgery to the kefir his owners fed him in recovery!
My husband's and my first dog...an Irish Setter...used to love munching on ice cubes. He would have LOVED these homemade frozen dog treats! I used to make homemade dog food and dog biscuits but never thought of making frozen goodies for them. Will keep this in mind for future reference. Your variations sound great! It is no wonder you got a hub of the day mention. Congratulations! Up and useful votes.
Great suggestion (even sounds like a great people treat!). Definitely will give this a try (for the doggies, not me) and without the 15+ extra added preservatives and ingredients. Thank you.
My dog LOVES frosty paws!! Thank you!
Carrie, you are welcome! I hope your dog will enjoy these equally well!
Thanks for taking the time to post these great ideas! Can't wait to try a few.
Also, I read a few of the comment entries. I can't believe how rude some people are. Folks...if you don't like the ideas or recipes..don't use them. Just shut up and move along. This blogger has taken time to share ideas with you, no one is twisting your arm to try them.
Csea, thank you for taking the time to stop by, read my article and to comment ... and then to take on the naysayers ... wow, I am touched! Thank you so very much! You're one of those people who makes the world a brighter place. I hope your dogs enjoy the treats!
My do loves these! She is a very active puppy lab (okay so she's actually 2 years old, but still has the energy of a puppy!) I make these and then shove them way down in the bottom of her kong and then she has to work to get it out! I've also started putting a dog cookie in the ice tray after I fill it 1/2 way and it's even more challenging!
Paisley's Mom ... so glad your baby likes these! At two, I would say she is still a puppy, but hopefully a "mature" one, lol. I had not thought of using this as a Kong filler ... thanks for reading, the comment, and the great idea!
Frosty Paws here in GA are $3.49 for a box of 4. I don't consider this to be expensive. They are for a special treat for my dog, not an every day snack. That being said, I love the homemade recipe. My German Shepherd loved it and I like that I control the ingredients that go into it. I am a firm believer in feeding him No preservative, No chemicals, No additives, so we use all organic products for him. Thanks for posting this recipe.
I have to try some of these yummy recipes out. My dogs thank you!
Good idea! I tried it and my dog liked it. www.firstposition.blogspot.com
I am absolutely impressed with these treats! A friend just told me about this article, which by the way is very well written, and I plan to make them over the weekend! Thank you for taking the time to share it with us.
Sometimes people may or may not like what their reading but for the sake of complaining they will dislike anything.
My dogs will go crazy for these treats!
Well done! :)
Kelly, thank you so very much for your kind words! My dogs like these even in the winter, lol ....
We make these at my work, I work at a dog kennel. We stick dog treats in the middle.
I like that idea! Thank you for the nice comment!
Just made these and so far, my Boxers loved licking the bowl after I put them in an egg carton and mini round freezer containers that are about the size of Frosty Paws. Can't wait to save money and give my dogs healthy treats this summer after our walks!
Crystal, thank you so much for your sweet comment! My dogs really like these, and I live in the South where it can get pretty hot in the summer. It is nice to have something to give my dogs as a cool treat while I eat Popsicles and drink smoothies! I appreciate your taking the time to comment!
Anyone trying to figure out what to put them in. The 4 ounce OXO baby food containers work perfectly. And my lab doesn't chew them at all when he's eating his HM Frosty Paws.
This is awesome! Would love to add this to my e-cookbook for subscribers of dealwagger.com. I will e-mail you.
My Lab loved these! I used the small tupperware containers (about the size of frosty paws) and she just gobbles it up!
Jenna, I'm so glad! They will be especially nice to make as the weather continues to get warmer .... thanks for the comment!
So you don't cook these? Just freeze and give them to the dog?
Correct! It's like doggy "ice-cream!"
can 6 weeks old puppies eat these??
Taylor, theoretically, yes. However my experience with puppies is that their digestive systems are responsive to dietary changes and if it were me, I'd wait until they were a bit older before introducing anything this different from their normal fare. The worst thing that could happen is that you'd get soft stools, so if you might try giving your pup a TINY bit and then watch to see what happens. Some puppies appear to be more sensitive than others. I hope this helps!
My dogs love these!
Ha very nice. Thanks for your blog.
My dog loved these. My adult kids wanted to know why they were for the dog , ( original recipe)
LOL! I know what you mean. The best dog treats have only human ingredients, at least in my opinion. Glad your furry friend enjoyed them!!!
I made these for my dogs with your original recipe and I did one with yogurt and sweet potato baby foot and she loved both. The only problem was that she tries to swallow them whole and then chokes, so the second time I made them in small cups so she has to lick it out. Thanks for affordable alternative to Frosty Paws!
OK, I made some for my three dogs, a beagle, a black lab, and a newfie mix. They all LOVED them, the newfie so much that he ate the paper cup!!!
Kris ... My dogs love sweet potatoes ... they'll steal them from the box I buy each fall and take them outside and gnaw on them like bones. Thanks for the great suggestion!
I'm so glad they liked them! I once had a dog that ate muffin wrappers, lol ... so your comment made me smile in memory!
DonnaCSmith Level 1 Commenter 2 years ago
Sounds yummy enough to eat!