Doggie Ingredient Tuesday: Pumpkin

Well today was only a high of 85 degrees and when I stepped outside I was pleasantly surprised by these "cool" temperatures. It made me excited for the approaching fall weather (in two months or so). Then I took a stroll through Hobby Lobby and saw all of their Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations and then I decided, that I indeed was excited and ready for all, and am going to pretend it is right around the corner and it won't be too long until I get to wear my boots :)  **wishful thinking!!**

To celebrate this "cooler" weather and Hobby Lobby decorations, I will discuss what I have found helpful about pumpkin when it comes to dogs eating it.

My dogs LOVE pumpkin!! LOVE IT! What is nice about pumpkin, is that it's easy!! I have not found anywhere that says fresh is better than canned or yada yada...which is good news for us, cause that means we can find the same great benefits of pumpkin in a can without having to grow pumpkin in our backyards! :)


Benefits:

Constipation: What I read everywhere is that pumpkin is good for constipation in dogs. They recommend adding it straight from the can, to the dog's food, or even serving several times during the day. Anywhere from 1/4 cup - 1 whole cup every day.

Weight: Pumpkin is an excellent source of fiber for your dog and is great when trying to achieve weight loss in your dog. I have cut back in small amounts on my dogs food before and substituted pumpkin to help my dogs lose weight in the past.


How to use?

Like I said, I just (and have read) that it is as simple as opening a can of pumpkin and scooping it onto your dogs food, or just feeding them by the spoonful! I keep pumpkin around all the time (one, because I use it in my dog treats), but also because it is so easy to just scoop on top of my dogs food to give them a boost of fiber and the nutrients associated with this wonderful vegetable!

So there ya have it, PUMPKIN!!! YUM! My dogs love it, and I have to admit, I love it too! I can't wait to start making some goodies with it, although, I think I do need to hold off a little. It is hard to enjoy a nice pumpkin chocolate chip cookie while I am still sweating from the heat :)

Here are some of my pumpkin dog treats! I mix pumpkin and blackstrap molasses to create the ultimate autumn dog treat! They are delicious!