10 pet-safe pumpkin treats

Pets are part of the family, but it can be tricky to involve our best fur-iends in the Halloween fun. Everyone should be able to enjoy spooky season. So, we’ve teamed up with the vet experts at Joii Pet Care, to bring you some pawesome, pet-friendly recipes for pumpkin treats!

Does your pet hate pumpkin? They can still join in; thanks to the super squash and sweet potato recipes we’ve included for them, your pet can get still their paws on some fang-tastic treats.

Health benefits of pumpkins for pets

Pumpkins are popular this time of year, but they could be beneficial to your pet’s health all year ‘round.

As well as being tasty to most pets, pumpkin offers brilliant benefits, including:

• Plenty of vitamins and minerals which are great for their digestive system.
• The ‘bulking out’ of stool, which may prevent anal gland issues!
• Special types of soluble fibre, known to ease symptoms of constipation and diarrhoea.

For more on how this superfood can help your pet, check our article all about pumpkins for pets with diarrhoea.

Not all forms of pumpkins are safe for pets to eat, though. Raw pumpkin isn’t good for pets to eat, and you should never give any part of a carved pumpkin to your pet.

Both the stalk and rind (hard shell) of a pumpkin are inedible for pets. Also, pumpkin stalks and rind can pose a choking hazard, as well as increase the risk of intestinal blockage.

Please note: You will need to take your pet to a vet immediately, for emergency treatment, if they swallow pumpkin rind.

If you’re considering pumpkin as a treat for your pet, make sure it is:

• Tinned – without additives (e.g. salt, sugar, xylitol, etc.).
• Cooked – for at least 30 minutes, without additives.
• Puree – without additives.

It’s also possible for pets to enjoy pumpkin seeds! 

However, it’s essential that any pumpkin seeds you feed to your best fur-iend are roasted and ground up – to prevent them from becoming a choking hazard.

Here are the recommended amounts of ground, roasted pumpkin seeds you can feed to your pet:

• Cats – a teaspoon’s worth per day.
• Small dogs – 3–5 seeds per day.
• Medium dogs – 5–10 seeds per day.
• Large dogs – 10–20 seeds per day.

Dog-friendly pumpkin treats

Carve a little time to create great treats for your canine companion this Howl-oween!

Recipe for dog-safe pumpkin treats

Adult supervision is required for this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of plain oats.
• 1 cup of plain, tinned pumpkin (or plain pumpkin puree).
• ½ cup of (xylitol-free) peanut butter.

Method:

Step 1 – Break down oats in a food processor or blender for a few seconds.
Step 2 – Place baking paper onto a baking tray, or plate, that can fit in your fridge.
Step 3 – Mix oats, peanut butter, and pumpkin puree together in a large bowl.
Step 4 – Roll small amounts of the mixture into balls.
Step 5 – Place each treat ball onto the baking paper.
Step 6 – Leave the treats to chill for at least an hour before giving any to your dog.

Recipe for dog-safe pumpkin ‘pupcakes’

Adult supervision is required for this recipe.

Ingredients for the ‘pupcake’:

• 2 cups of plain oat flour.
• 2 eggs.
• ½ cup of plain pumpkin puree.
• ½ cup of (xylitol-free) non-fat, plain yoghurt.
• ½ cup of water.

Ingredients for the frosting:

• 1 block of plain, fat-free cream cheese.
• ¼ cup of (xylitol-free) peanut butter.

Method:

Step 1 – Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Step 2 – Put small pieces of baking paper into each section of a cupcake tin.
Step 3 – Mix oat flour, pumpkin, and water in a large bowl.
Step 4 – Add eggs to the mixture and stir until smooth.
Step 5 – Scoop a spoonful of mixture and add to each section of the cupcake tin.
Step 6 – Bake until fully cooked, with lightly brown underside, for around 25 minutes.
Step 7 – While cupcakes are baking, whip cream cheese and add the peanut butter.
Step 8 – Add frosting to a piping bag.
Step 9 – Wait for cupcakes to cool completely before decorating with the frosting.

Recipe for ‘pup-kin’ spiced latte

Get your kids involved with this easy-peasy recipe!

Ingredients:

• ½ cup of oat milk.
• ¼ cup of plain pumpkin puree.
• A dollop of plain whipped cream.
• Crushed doggy biscuits.

Method:

Step 1 – Add doggy biscuits to a bag, seal the bag, then crush biscuits into crumbs.
Step 2 – Tip oat milk and pumpkin puree into a large cup or bowl, then mix.
Step 3 – Pour a little of the oat milk pumpkin mixture into a pup-friendly cup.
Step 4 – Put the dollop of plain whipped cream on top of the ‘latte’.
Step 5 – Sprinkle some crumbs of your dog’s favourite biscuits on top of the cream.

Cat-friendly pumpkin treats

Don’t miss a trick this Halloween, by making eerie-sistible treats for your feline friend to enjoy! 

Recipe for cat-safe pumpkin treats

Adult supervision is required for this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 160g of rice flour.
• 145g of plain, tinned pumpkin (or plain pumpkin puree).
• 60g of (additive-free, xylitol-free) plain applesauce.
• 55g of grated carrot.
• 25g of plain oats.
• Sprinkle of plain flour, for rolling the dough.

Method:

Step 1 – Preheat oven to 150°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Step 2 – Blend pumpkin, carrots, and applesauce in a food processor until smooth.
Step 3 – Mix the rice flour and oats together in a large bowl.
Step 4 – Add the pumpkin, carrot, applesauce mixture to the flour and oats.
Step 5 – Keep stirring the mixture until it becomes a dough.
Step 6 – Sprinkle flour onto a clean countertop, then roll the dough onto it.
Step 7 – Use a cookie-cutter to make biscuit shapes of about ¼ inch in thickness.
Step 8 – Place dough biscuit shapes onto the lined baking tray.
Step 9 – Bake the treats for around 12 minutes, or until they’re fully cooked.
Step 10 – Allow to fully cool before feeding a maximum of half a biscuit to your cat.

Recipe for cat-safe pumpkin muffins

Adult supervision is required for this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of gluten-free oats.
• ¼ cup of plain, tinned pumpkin (or plain cooked pumpkin).
• ¼ cup of maple syrup.
• 3 tablespoons of water.
• 2 tablespoons of coconut oil.

Method:

Step 1 – Preheat the oven to 190°C.
Step 2 – Put small pieces of baking paper into each section of a muffin tin.
Step 3 – Use a blender to mix the pumpkin, maple syrup, water, and coconut oil.
Step 4 – Scoop the mixture from the blender and put into a large bowl.
Step 5 – After cleaning the blender, use it to blend oats into a powder. 
Step 6 – Add oats to the pumpkin mixture and whisk until smooth. 
Step 7 – Scoop small amounts of mixture out, placing into each section of muffin tin.
Step 8 – Bake for around 15 minutes, or until the mini muffins are lightly golden.

Recipe for cat-friendly pumpkin popsicles

Adult supervision is required for this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 fully cooked, cooled chicken breasts.
• ½ cup of water. 
• ¼ cup of plain pumpkin puree.

Method:

Step 1 – Chop the chicken into small pieces.
Step 2 – Put ¼ cup of water, chicken, and pumpkin puree into a food processor.
Step 3 – Gradually add more water to the mixture until it’s smooth.
Step 4 – Add small amounts of the mixture into freezer-safe ice lolly moulds.
Step 5 – Pop your cat’s pumpkin popsicles into the freezer.

Safe alternatives for pets who dislike pumpkins

Your four-legged foodie may not like the taste of a pumpkin. Luckily, there are alternative orange veggies that are just as purrfect!

Butternut squash is packed with fibre, vitamins, and immune-boosting minerals. However, it’s important not to feed raw butternut squash to your pet, because it can become a choking hazard.

Another alternative to pumpkin for your pet is sweet potato. As well as being packed with nutrients, sweet potato provides plenty of protein and fibre, too. Sweet potato can also be used as a replacement for pumpkin in pet-friendly recipes.

Butternut squash dog treats recipe

Adult supervision is required for this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of roasted, mashed butternut squash.
• 1 cup of plain rolled oats.
• ½ cup of (xylitol-free) peanut butter.
• ½ cup of unsweetened, dried coconut flakes.
• 2 tablespoons of coconut oil.
• 2 tablespoons of honey.

Method:

Step 1 – Melt coconut oil, either in the microwave or a saucepan on the hob.
Step 2 – Place baking paper onto an airtight container.
Step 3 – Tip coconut flakes into a bowl.
Step 4 – Put all ingredients, except coconut flakes, into a food processor.
Step 5 – Mix ingredients in the food processor until they become a dough.
Step 6 – Move the dough into a mixing bowl, then roll small amounts into balls.
Step 7 – Roll each treat ball in the coconut flakes.
Step 8 – Place coconut-covered ball onto baking paper in the airtight container.
Step 9 – Close the container lid, then place into the fridge for an hour to set.

Sweet potato dog treats recipe

Adult supervision is required for this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 sweet potato.
• 140g of (xylitol-free) peanut butter.
• 140g of wholewheat flour.

Method:

Step 1 – Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Step 2 – Peel and chop the sweet potato, then boil it until it’s soft.
Step 3 – Mash the sweet potato, before adding the peanut butter and flour.
Step 4 – Mix the ingredients until they become a dough.
Step 5 – Roll the dough flat, then use a cookie-cutter to make biscuit shapes.
Step 6 – Place dough shapes onto a baking tray. 
Step 7 – Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes.
Step 8 – Allow to fully cool before feeding any of these treats to your dog.

Butternut squash mash recipe for cats

Adult supervision is required for this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash.
• Water.

Method:

Step 1 – Wash, deseed, and peel the butternut squash.
Step 2 – Cut the squash into cubes.
Step 3 – Place the cubes into a saucepan of boiled water.
Step 4 – Bring water to the boil, then check squash cubes are soft using a fork.
Step 5 – Drain most of the water, leaving a cup’s worth of water with squash cubes.
Step 6 – Put squash into blender to whiz until smooth, or mash squash in large bowl.
Step 7 – Allow the mash to fully cool before offering it to your cat.

Recipe for sweet potato cat-friendly fries

Adult supervision is required for this recipe.

Ingredient:

• 1 sweet potato.

Method:

Step 1 – Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Step 2 – Peel the sweet potato and cut it into batons.
Step 3 – Place sweet potato batons onto a baking tray, then into the oven.
Step 4 – Cook batons for 10 minutes, turn tray, then cook for another 10 minutes.
Step 5 – Allow to cool, before giving up to six ‘fries’ to your feline friend as a treat.

To check which treats are best for your pet, it’s worth speaking to a vet.

If you’re an Animal Friends dog or cat customer, video consults with the vet experts at Joii are available 24/7 for FREE!

Share pics of your homemade pumpkin pet treats, and tag Animal Friends to be in with a chance of being featured on our Facebook and Instagram pages.