We are almost halfway through September which means that fall is officially right around the corner! This year fall begins on September 22nd which is in less than two weeks. For most of us, the start of falls means pumpkin spice lattes, hayrides, rain, and going to the pumpkin patch with our families. But what about our family members who can not drink coffee or carve pumpkins? Just because you are not a human does not mean you can’t get into the festive fall spirit. Here are a couple of recipes to help your favorite furry friends feel festive!
- Dog-Friendly Pumpkin Spice Latte*
- In case you missed it Starbucks has started selling their famous pumpkin spice lattes again, and a new caramel apple latte. As you may know (or may not know) dogs and cats are a lot more sensitive to caffeine than us humans are. While a couple of licks won’t have any negative long-term effects, ingesting more caffeine or more concentrated forms of caffeine (such as caffeine pills) can be fatal for dogs and cats. That being said, we have a pumpkin spice latte recipe that doesn’t have coffee and is pet-friendly!
- Recipe:
- 1 Cup Goat or Coconut Milk
- 1 Cup Pumpkin Puree
- Dash Ground Cinnamon
- Dash Ground Ginger
- Organic Whipped Cream (optional)
- Directions:
- Measure out your ingredients and place them in a blender for 45 seconds to 1 minute.
- Serve a small portion to your pup with whipped cream if you choose. For a small dog, 3 ounces is good.
- Store the remaining pumpkin spice latte in an air-tight container in the fridge. Use within a week.
- *Recipe is taken from Cooking With Janica, https://cookingwithjanica.com/pumpkin-spice-latte-dogs-recipe/
- Autumn Leaf Dog Treats*
- These fun treats are a great way to spend time in the kitchen and give your pets a fun healthy treat. This recipe uses leaf cookie cutters but feel free to use any shape you like.
- Recipe:
- 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 1 bunch fresh carrots, finely chopped or grated
- 2-3 fresh bananas, peeled and mashed
- 1 beaten egg
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar (*optional)
- 1/2 cup cold water
- Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350* fahrenheit and grease your baking sheet.
- Combine dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal & brown sugar*) in a large bowl, then add in the carrots, bananas, egg, oil, and water until well combined into workable dough.
- Flour your workspace and roll out dough to desired thickness. The thickness is up to you, but ½ inch worked well. Then cut with any cookie cutter of your choice. The cookies will expand a bit while they bake.
- Place cookies on baking sheet and cook for 35 minutes.
- Then turn the oven off and let the cookies sit in the oven for 30-45 minutes to allow them to dry out.
- Freeze remaining cookies if you want them to last longer.
- *Recipe is taken from 17 Apart https://www.17apart.com/2012/02/how-to-carrot-banana-natural-dog-treat.html