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Many of us have pets. Here is a way to make and preserve yummy treats for them and have them handy when you need them for that extra special trick they do. Buy a cheap roasting chicken and cook it in the crock pot. It cooks off the bone and falls apart.
Let it cool and take the good meat off and save for your favorite casserole dish, soup, chicken dumplings, etc. Hand remove all the bones. Take the extra meat left over (not really good for human consumption) and hand pick through it again to be sure the bones are gone. Divide it and put into ice cube trays. Add some of the chicken broth from the cooker. There will be quite a lot of broth. Pour into the trays compartments to add flavor. Freeze. The next day, pop them out and store in a zip lock freezer bag in the freezer until Rover does a fantastic trick that he deserves a reward for.
By Donna from Millbury
Instead of buying pricey, high-calorie dog treats, we give our dogs ice cubes as treats. They love them! The ice cubes are free, zero calories, and help keep the dogs hydrated. They come running every time they hear ice falling into a glass. :)
By Wendi from WI
Freeze pet treats in broth to give a nice cooling refreshment. Add whatever your pet likes. I have added drained spring water from tuna, and beef or veggie broth from the slow cooker. I add whatever amount of snacks and treats will fit in the container and set them in the freezer until frozen. I even added some peanut butter. Our dog Blackie loves them!
I have made several ahead and now can pop them out of the containers and slip them down into a ziplock bag. Here's a short video I did: 
Source: I first saw this on Pinterest and then later realized it's an item for sale through Amazon.
By melody_yesterday from Sedalia MO
Our dog would constantly go after any ice cream left on the picnic table during summer and then whine if he couldn't get any. The problem is that dogs are lactose intolerant.
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By syntoniser from Canada
We have had two different Chinese Pugs, at different times, they were both given to us as adult dogs, and they just plain refused to eat any form of dog food. They wouldn't eat meat without ketchup on it. Vanilla ice cream wasn't eaten without chocolate syrup on it. They could tell the difference between real M&Ms, and the cheaper brand. They lived to ripe old ages.
A few licks out of your bowl when you are finished is ok but don't give her any huge amount. Do you know that they make a special doggy ice cream? It is called Frosty Paws and should be available at your grocery store - I know here in CA that Ralphs and Albersons carry it. Ask your grocer about it. Here is a link to their website: http://www.fros lt.aspx?tabid=37
A little lick or bite or two is probably okay once in awhile but please keep in mind the size, weight and age of your baby and that pets can get diabetes too :-( Perhaps you can ask for some ice or cold water as a treat to cool your baby down instead?
One of my first jobs as a teenager back in the
early 1950's was working for a Dairy Queen. I lived
in Florida, and you know how hot it can get in July
and August in our state.
My boss made a practice of "giving" anyone's
doggie a small cone with just a little bit of
vanilla soft ice-cream when their humans
came with them. Even back then, we were not the
only place in town who sold soft ice-ceam, but I'll
The owner and his wife were animal lovers, and they
knew how much a little treat meant to other people's
pets. They prospered wonderfully well and deserved
every bit of it. Wonderful people.
I would not hestitate to give my dog a cone with
a little taste of vanilla ice-cream today if I had a
dog. We give it to our Boxer GrandDoggie and she is as healthy as can be and she adores her old
Grandpa and Grandma...LOL
We do have a kitty (Sir Catty-Kit) who insists on
having a "bite"...and he gets it too. Very little as
I think it might upset his stomach. I know kitties
are suppposed to love milk and cream, but have
been told not to give it to them now. I wonder why.
Have a great day
Julia in Boca Raton
Thanks folks for all the great feedback. To Julia: Our doggie always gets the treat of soft ice cream when we go to Dairy Queen, they offer a dog biscuit but we buy her an ice cream lol. I had a cat who could not tolerate dairy products, it caused bowel problems and surgery. I grew up on a farm where the cats drank all the milk they wanted, but I do not feed any dairy to mine now just in case.
We always bought our dog an ice-lolly. Just one thing; watch out for wasps!
Hi Pookarina Julia,
Believe it or not, cats are lactose intolerant once they have been weened. I do give my Rachel a measured teaspoon of plain cream cheese every morning because it keeps her from having fur balls, but other than that I only let her lick my ice cream bowls. I don't eat ice cream very often so she really loves that extra treat. ;-)
No most dogs should not have that much dairy product at one time. Always check with your vet. You could prob call one. Jeannie
Dogs love ice cream. Our dog, a golden retriever, waits patiently for her ice cream every night. She doesn't know it, but we switched to fat free yogurt or fat free sherbet years ago. Just a couple of teaspoonfuls makes her happy.
Can you feed a dog vanilla ice cream? Just a few licks of a bowl daily.
By margie from Murrieta, CA
I have on occasion. That's my family. Delicious to them and certainly a whole lot better for them is plain yogurt. The kind with no sugar and lots of ophilus's in it. They love it. Helps with immune system, and they feel so special getting their own desert.
Hi,
Two of our four dogs just adore ice-cream, and it hasn't had any ill effects at all. I reckonn follow the rule that too much of certain food groups isn't good for any body so let them have a little a a treat and don't overdo any 'naughty' foods. My Mum had a little Pomeranian who died a couple of months ago at the grand old age of 17 years three months. My Dad gave her a little bowl of ice cream at least every second day all her life and it never harmed her!
Cheers
Vicki, Australia
Ditto for "human snacks".
Maybe letting them lick the bowl every now and then is ok but I wouldn't feed it to them. There is a product called Frosty Paws, ice cream made especially for dogs without all the bad things in it. You can usually find it with the dog food in its own little freezer case. Ask if you don't see it. My dogs love it!
