Kong Recipes For Your Dog !

BY:  Laurie Brzostowski, President, Snaggle Foot Dog Walks and Pet Care-Round Lake, IL

My beloved Lab Sebastian passed away in April so in May I rescued and adopted a puppy named Bandit.  Now that we are back into the crate training aspect I decided to start using kongs in the crate to help keep him occupied.

Because he is such a small doggie I bought 5 puppy kongs and I stuff them and put them in the freezer so I can put one in his crate when I have to leave him alone.

That got me thinking about what kinds of things can I stuff into these little kongs.  So far, I have stuffed non fat plain yogurt, fresh fruit, organic no salt peanut butter, organic sweet potato and organic pumpkin.

But, here on this post I decided to add some recipes so everyone who does use the Kongs for their dogs can get some ideas on what to stuff the kongs with.  It is kind of fun to try each of these different recipes and it gives the doggies something different from time to time.

Below are some recipes I have found that we all can use.  I have also put a link here if you would like more recipes.  http://www.kongcompany.com/recipes/

Just make sure all the foods you purchase are non fat, no sugar, no sugar substitutes, organic and good for your pets.


Fido’s Fruit Salad
You’ll need:

• Cottage cheese or yogurt (only use plain or naturally sweetened yogurt—not yogurt with artificial sweeteners, which can be toxic to dogs)
• Apples, banana and melon (any kind)
• One small marshmallow

Cut the fruit into chunks and put them into a KONG until the toy is about two-thirds of the way full. Holding the KONG upside down, spoon cottage cheese or yogurt into the remaining space. Finally, finish by putting a small marshmallow into the KONG. Serve at room temperature or frozen.

“Pupkin” Pie
You’ll need:

• Canned or freshly cooked pureed pumpkin
• Yogurt or cottage cheese (only use plain or naturally sweetened yogurt—not yogurt with artificial sweeteners, which can be toxic to dogs)
• Cooked oatmeal
• Low-fat graham cracker

Put a spoonful of cooked oatmeal at the bottom of the KONG to seal the small hole. Then put two spoonfuls of pumpkin into the KONG. Follow with a spoonful of yogurt or cottage cheese. Repeat, layering the pumpkin and yogurt or cottage cheese until the KONG is almost full. Then cram a few pieces of graham cracker into the end of the KONG. Serve warm or frozen.

The Nutty Monkey
You’ll need:

• Half a banana, cut into slices
• Peanut butter
• Roasted peanuts
• Plain, vanilla or strawberry yogurt (only use plain or naturally sweetened yogurt—not yogurt with artificial sweeteners, which can be toxic to dogs)
• A spoonful of wheat germ

Put a blob of peanut butter into an empty KONG to seal the small hole at the bottom. Add a few roasted peanuts. Mix the banana slices with a few spoonfuls of yogurt and the wheat germ. Then spoon the mixture into the KONG. Seal the KONG at the top with another blob of peanut butter. Serve at room temperature or frozen.

Late-for-Work KONGs (As Easy As It Gets)
Running late? If you’re busy and don’t have time to create culinary works of art, you can simply take a few seconds to try the following ideas. This is KONG stuffing at its fastest!

• Keep a stash of halved bananas in your freezer. When you’re on the run, just grab a banana half and slide it into a KONG. Or slice an apple into wedges and insert one or two of those into a KONG.
• Cram a large dog biscuit or two into a KONG. If necessary, squeeze the KONG when inserting the biscuits to change the shape of the hole and fit them in.
• If you feed your dog raw food, try purchasing frozen raw medallions, which easily pop into a KONG. Just turn the KONG upside down on a counter, large hole facing up, and push the medallion into the KONG using the heel of your palm.
• Use a squirt of Cheez Whiz®. Just insert the nozzle into the small end of the KONG and squeeze in some cheese. You can also use a similar product made by the KONG Company, called KONG Stuff’N™ Paste, which comes in liver and peanut butter flavors.
• Smear a spoonful of peanut butter or cream cheese (preferably low-fat) on the inside walls of a KONG. If you think that your dog might finish licking out the KONG too quickly, consider preparing a few peanut butter or cream cheese KONGs in advance and leaving them in your freezer for quick use when you’re in a hurry.

Have fun everyone !