Why should you give your pup dairy free ice cream for dogs? Its a safe and delicious way to cool them down fast!

Okay, so I noticed my furry buddy wasn't always feeling his best after some store-bought treats. Started wondering if maybe dairy was the issue, 'cause you hear about that sometimes with dogs. I like giving him little goodies, especially when it's hot out, so I figured, why not try making some dog-friendly ice cream myself? And definitely dairy-free, just to be safe.

Figuring Out What to Use

I didn't want anything complicated. Looked around my kitchen. What do dogs usually like that's safe? Bananas, definitely. Got a couple of those sitting on the counter, perfectly ripe, maybe even a bit too ripe for me, but great for this. And peanut butter! My dog goes crazy for peanut butter. Big warning here though – I double-checked the label to make absolutely sure it didn't have xylitol in it, 'cause that stuff is really bad for dogs. Found my jar was safe. Phew.

So, I had:

• Ripe bananas (like, 2 of 'em)
• Peanut butter (the safe kind, maybe two big spoonfuls)
• A little bit of unsweetened coconut milk (had some leftover in a can, maybe a quarter cup?)

I thought the coconut milk would make it creamier without using actual cream or yogurt. Seemed like a good plan.

Getting My Hands Dirty

Alright, here’s what I did. Grabbed a bowl. Peeled those bananas and just tossed them in. Took a fork and started mashing them up. It doesn't have to be perfectly smooth, dogs don't mind lumps, right? Got it pretty mushy.

Then, scooped in the peanut butter. Stirred that into the mashed banana. It got pretty thick and sticky. That's where the coconut milk came in. Poured a little bit in, maybe a couple of tablespoons at first, and mixed it all together. Kept adding a tiny splash more until it looked kinda like a thick smoothie consistency. Not too watery, not too stiff.

Taste test? Nah, not for me this time, it was for the dog! But it smelled pretty good, not gonna lie.

Freezing the Good Stuff

Now, how to freeze it? I didn't have any fancy dog treat molds. Just used a regular old ice cube tray. Worked perfectly fine. Spooned the banana-peanut butter mixture into each little compartment. Filled it up.

Then, carefully, carried the tray over to the freezer and slid it in. Made sure it was sitting flat so it wouldn't spill.

Waited a few hours. I think I left it in there for about 4 hours? Checked on it, and yeah, they were frozen solid little cubes.

The Moment of Truth

Popped one of the frozen cubes out of the tray. Called my dog over. Showed him the little frosty treat. He started sniffing like crazy. Put it down on his mat (didn't want peanut butter goo on the floor!).

And wow! He went straight for it. Licked it, chewed it a bit, licked some more. Gone in like, 30 seconds. Tail was wagging the whole time. Seemed like a big hit!

The best part? No upset tummy later. He seemed perfectly fine. So, the dairy-free experiment was a success!

It was super easy, honestly. Took maybe 10 minutes to mix everything up before freezing. Now I've got a whole tray of healthy, safe treats ready for him. Definitely doing this again. Might try adding a bit of mashed pumpkin next time, see how that goes. Simple is good.