I’m sure you’ve all hear people say that their dog doesn’t get cold, but in reality, if you’re chilly or cold, your dog most likely is too. With the weather starting to get cooler, warming foods just sound good, like a cozy sweater for our insides. I know my mind thinks of a steaming cup of soup or perhaps a warm casserole on a cold day. So I’m sure tons of you are wondering, can warm foods also help your dog beat the chill?
Dogs actually digest food in a very similar manner as we do, so we can surmise that warm foods benefit them the same way they would benefit us. There are actually many benefits to heating up your dog’s food during colder months, so let’s talk about them.
Certain dogs, such as seniors or even flat-furred breeds, such as Chihuahuas, Weimaraner, Chinese Cresteds, Greyhounds, and German Pointers, are more susceptible to the chilling effect of cold temperatures. These dogs may benefit even more from consuming warm foods on chilly days.
Warm foods actually work their magic in a couple of ways, providing an immediate sense of internal warmth and also help to increase blood circulation. When we are cold, everything in the body constricts, and the blood concentrates in the body’s trunk to warm and protect your internal organs. Eating warm food helps to reduce constriction, enabling the blood to flow away from the core to the extremities, creating a sense of warmth.
According to traditional Chinese medicine, warm foods are also quicker and easier to digest than cold foods. The body needs to bring the temperature of food closer to its own internal temperature in order to efficiently digest it. If the food is already warm, the body does not need to expend as much energy heating it and can get right down to the business of digestion and absorption.
I’m sure you’ve all walked into a bakery and began salivating due to the aroma of freshly baked bread and cookies in the air; scent, plays a powerful role in inducing appetite for us as well as our furry friends. A dog’s sense of smell is tens of thousands of times more sensitive than a human’s. So the better food smells to a dog, the more appetizing it becomes. Warm foods release aromatic vapors, which stimulate a dog’s desire to eat.
The simplest way to feed your dog a warm meal is by simply heating up commercial canned or kibble dog food by mixing some gently warmed water to create an enticing cold-weather stew. If you feed dehydrated or freeze-dried food, simply re-hydrate the with warmer water than usual.
Here at Paws Give Me Purpose, we have many dogs of different breeds, ages and different nutritional requirements. We do make many homemade meals and treats, and at least one meal a day is a warm one. Some of our recipes are even human friendly.
Want to share a warm meal with your dog? Try this delicious Butternut Squash Soup recipe, it will have you both licking the bowl clean!
Butternut Squash Soup:
Ingredients:
- 1 10-ounce bag frozen butternut squash
- 1⁄4 cup canned, unsweetened light coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon natural maple syrup
- 1 1⁄4 cups water
- 1⁄8 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1⁄8 teaspoon turmeric
- 1⁄8 teaspoon ginger
Instructions:
- place squash into a medium-sized saucepan
- add 1⁄4 cup of the water
- bring to a boil, and reduce the heat to medium
- cook until the squash is completely tender, stirring frequently and breaking up the chunks, about 10 minutes
- once the squash is fully cooked, stir in the coconut milk, maple syrup, and remaining water
- add cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, and stir.
*If you prefer a smoother consistency, use an immersion blender to puree the mixture or transfer the soup to a blender, puree, and return to the pot.
Most important to note, please be certain that the temperature of your dog’s portion is warm but not hot. You can use it as gravy on their meal or just offer a warm bowl of delicious soup.
There are many benefits to heating up your dog’s food during colder months. According to traditional Chinese medicine, every food possesses an energetic quality that makes it either warming or cooling. Dog-friendly foods to warm include gluten-free oats, quinoa, rice, kale, squash, and coconut. How can you tell if your dog feels toasty after having a warm meal? Observe his/her body posture. A dog will curl up to keep warm just as we do, so if your pup sprawls out after a warm meal, they are not cold.
Give this recipe a try, and let us know what you and your pup think.