The past week has seen highs of up to nearly 40 degrees, and as a result, Phoebe and Frank have been on strict house arrest. We’ve had the windows open, the fan on, plenty of water down, the curtains drawn, cool mats down – you name it. As we all know, this kind of weather can be extremely dangerous to our pets, so the Scamps have been allowed out for around 10 to 15 minutes at a time for wees and a quick perimeter check before coming back inside.
As part of our cooling routine, we’ve made sure to stock up on things like dog ice cream and ice pops. And recently, we picked up some of the Pets at Home Sunny Daze reusable lolly moulds so we can make our own ice pops over and over again. The £3 moulds were launched as part of the retailers summer line last month, alongside their cooling vests, and have been a godsend when it comes to offering the dogs fast but tasty relief from the heat.
Pets at Home said: “Treat your dog to some make-at-home ice pop fun with this Sunny Daze Peanut Flavour Ice Pop Mix Dog Treat which comes with a reusable tube. Make the ice pops at home and then reuse again and again to enjoy all summer long.”
The ice pop tubes come in two varieties – one is orange and comes with a peanut butter mix, while the other is blue, containing a blueberry treat. The sachets are mostly dried yoghurt powder with no added artificial flavours or colours, and they’re really easy to make.
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To make one ice pop, add the sachet of powder to around 60ml of water and pour it into the silicone mould. Place the lid on, and then pop it upright in the freezer. In around five hours, the iced treat will be ready to enjoy – though I do find it easier to make them in the evenings ready for the next day.
The moulds are reusable and a breeze to wash, too, so you’ll definitely get a lot of use out of them over the summer because there’s very little faff. Pets at Home sell four sachets of powder to make more lollies with for £3 each, which are suitable for dogs over six months old, but you can just as easily make your own at home.
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If you didn’t want to buy the refills for the moulds, you can always make your own recipe. We find that a few tablespoons of natural yoghurt with a bit of water and some chopped fruit works really well, and offers a soothing and calming snack to keep pets refreshed and cool. Of course, because the mould is silicone, you do have to hold it for them, else there would be puncture marks left, right and centre where the Scamps had tried to get to the lolly.
Phoebe and Frank really look forward to these, and have started asking for them at the freezer door. We have four moulds in total so that we can always make sure we have some ready in the freezer for the next day, so we’re never caught short when the mercury rises. For £3 and some ingredients you probably have in the fridge anyway this summer, they’re a godsend. You can find them online here.
