Treats are a great way (in moderation!) to help with training, show your pet you love them and now you can even use them to cool your pet down. You don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen mixing and baking for these simple ideas.
Ice
Good for: dogs and cats
How to: When we said easy, we meant it. Ice cubes are great for cats and dogs. You can either pop them in their water to keep it cool, put one on tiles or lino for them to chase, or pop a couple in a food bowl for your pet to lick. But if they’re crunching on large cubes maybe consider ice chips instead. Remember not to give ice cubes to a dog suffering from heatstroke - find out what to do on our first aid page.
Meaty treats
Good for: dogs and cats
How to: If you have wet food for your pet, a really simple treat is to just freeze portions of their food into a small puzzle feeder. If your pet eats dry food you can soak the biscuits in water and use them. Use a spoon to put the food into the feeder then freeze overnight and voila! Try a few different shapes and types of feeder to keep your dog entertained and cool.
Fruit coolers
Good for: dogs
How to: Another nice simple one! Bits of fruit chopped into small bite-sized pieces, such as apple, watermelon, strawberries and bananas, are a great healthy treat for dogs. If you want to turn these simple treats into cooling ones, just freeze your bits of fruit overnight. Apple freezes really well, just make sure to get it in the freezer as soon as you’ve chopped it up (remember to remove the core and seeds). Check out our list of safe fruit for dogs.
Tuna chews
Good for: cats
How to: These aren’t chews so much as licks. Mash or blend tuna with a little water, then put small cat-treat-sized dollops onto some greaseproof paper or into ice cube trays and pop in the freezer overnight. Remember to get tuna in water rather than tuna in brine or oil.
Remember to give treats to your pet in moderation (even fruit, as this can be quite sugary). Lower their daily food allowance if you’re giving them treats and follow our other top tips to help keep them cool in warm weather.
If you want more advice about feeding your pet, check out our free guides on feeding your dog and feeding your cat.