When I first rescued my pup Prismo, he was in poor shape. I remember thinking I might suffocate from his horrible doggie farts on the ride home from the shelter. He was badly underweight and had diarrhea. His teeth were covered in tartar, and calculus was forming along his gum lines (beginnings of periodontal disease). He was also VERY itchy--waking me 2-3 times in the night with his incessant scratching. He checked out at the vet for any major problems, but it was clear that his health needed drastic improvement. I taught myself about proper doggie nutrition and eased him into a raw diet. He improved drastically in just a month. Today, Prismo has been with me for almost 6 months, and he's found a healthy weight at 40 lbs. His coat is shiny as ever and his teeth are pearly white! This treat is a throwback to the first days we spent together trying to fix his horrible digestive issues. Though he no longer needs the pumpkin in his diet for a healthy poo, he still enjoys this treat for good health from time to time!

Step 1: Easiest Recipe Ever!

1/4 cup peanut butter (unsalted, unsweetened, NO XYLITOL)

1/4 cup cooked pumpkin (if its canned make sure it's unflavored)

2 tablespoons parsley

Blend ingredients well, pour into ice cube trays, and freeze--that's it!

Peanut butter in a dog treat is an obvious choice. Dogs go crazy for it! It's a great way for me to coax Prismo into eating his greens. Why pumpkin and parsley?

Pumpkin is a fiber-rich prebiotic that aids in digestion and often calms mild cases of diarrhea. It's packed with vitamins and minerals and is a great source of carotenes. Parsley, while also rich in vitamins and minerals, is loaded with chlorophyll--the reason why dogs often go for the grass on your lawn! It replenishes red blood cells and aids in digestion and detoxification.

I love this recipe because it only takes about 3 minutes of my time to prep, and it's a super healthy and tasty treat on a hot summer day. If the peanut butter is a little dry, adding some water will help you achieve a more smoothie-like consistency. This recipe makes about 16 treats for my 40-lb dog, so if your dog is much smaller, you can decrease the serving size as needed. Of course, all of these ingredients can be swapped or combined as you like with other healthy options such as the ones listed below.

Other yummy things to try:

yogurt

carrots

peas (cooked)

oatmeal (cooked)

sweet potatoes (cooked)

apples (without the seeds!)

pears

bananas

blueberries

Step 2: Enjoy!

The key is to feed these treats in moderation and add variety! I hope your dog loves these as much as Prismo. You can follow our adventures @pickledprismo :)