In summertime, our dog’s diet may naturally change in response to the heat and summer activities. We can care for our furry friends best when we help them cool down, stay hydrated, well-nourished, and keep them safe from summer dangers like heat stroke in dogs. Not sure if your dog’s winter diet is the right one for summer too? Get some tips on the best foods for dogs in summer (and even an ice cream recipe) below!
Table of contents
- Summer nutrition tips for dogs
- Do dogs eat less in summer?
- Best summer foods for dogs
- Cooling foods for dogs
- Dry food, wet food, cooked food, raw food: what’s best for dogs in summer?
- Water, water water
- Strawberry coconut milk ice cream recipe for dogs
- Ingredients
- Instructions
Summer nutrition tips for dogs
First, let’s go over the basic tips you need to know about your dog’s diet in the warmer months:
- Consider serving up lighter, fresher meals in summer – just like us, dogs tend to eat less in warmer months.
- Add some wet food to your dog’s diet to up their water intake and stimulate their appetite.
- Don’t leave your dog’s dinner out for too long – hot temperatures makes food go bad faster (and bacteria grow more quickly). Your dog could get an upset stomach eating old or spoiled food.
- Incorporate fresh, raw, and cooling foods to your dog’s diet in summer, like fresh fruit.
- Make sure your dog has access to clean, fresh water at all times – they’ll need more water in summertime. Find out how much water your dog really needs.
- Give your dog water that water is cool or room temperature – not ice cold. Cold water can be a shock to a dog’s system in the heat of summer.
- Don’t forget to bring that water with you on a walk or trip.
- Feed your dog foods that have a high water content, like watermelon or cucumber.
- Change up mealtimes to the cooler times of day – early morning and night rather than a big meal in the middle of the day.
- Place your dog’s food in a cool or shady spot – indoors ideally.
Do dogs eat less in summer?
Many pet parents find that their dogs eat much less in summer. This should not be a cause for concern – as long as your dog is still eating and isn’t showing any signs of illness. If your dog stops eating completely, take them to the vet asap.
That said, it’s natural for a dog’s appetite to decrease in hot summer months. First of all, high temperatures tend to make your dog less active – they may feel like lying around to stay cool and avoid heat exhaustion. So they will need less calories, since they’re using less energy. Also, it’s easier to stay warm in summer than winter, so this is another reason why your dog needs less calories. Plus, sometimes they may just feel too hot to be interested in their food.
Luckily, you can tempt your dog to eat with these tasty summer foods for dogs.
Best summer foods for dogs
Just like us, our furry friends will appreciate light, fresh, delicious and nutritious summer foods. You can choose to feed your dog a mostly raw diet, or opt for processed wet or dry food for convenience. Feed your dog a blend of proteins and carbohydrates in summertime, and avoid feeding them anything too fatty.
The best summer foods for dogs are:
