For pet parents, their canine or feline children mean the world to them. A happy occasion like Diwali is incomplete with including your furry friends in the celebrations. While Diwali is all about indulging in some good food with your near and dear ones, not all human foods are healthy for pets and must not be fed to them. Diwali sweets especially can be fatal to dogs as they have fat and are made with dairy products which could lead to diarrhoea and other health problems. While market is full of pet-friendly festive foods, one may also make some tasty and healthy treats for their pets at home. (Also read: Diwali 2022: 8 ways to pamper your pet this festive season)
“With a host of gift baskets full of sweets, treats and snacks coming into our houses, it becomes very difficult to repeatedly deny our pets a taste. To add to this, most homes in India get a lot of visitors around this festival and so the tables are almost always covered with some type of food. Instead of repeatedly saying no to our pets, which usually weighs heavy not only on the heart of the animal but also the heart of the parent, it makes more sense to keep or prepare a separate selection of goodies that’re safe for our pets to consume,” says Devanshi Shah, Founder & CEO – PetKonnect, Dietary tips for pets this Diwali.
While one may find a good pet friendly bakery to buy treats for their pets, you may also try to make festive food for dogs at home.
How to make Diwali sweets for your pet: Here are some healthy ingredients
“Use ingredients that’re easily available in your home and that you know your pet loves. Ingredients such as oats, some fruits, peanut butter, coconut and eggs are largely safe for dogs, cats and even birds and small animals. You could make cookies or even laddoos using a combination of the above ingredients, that your pet is sure to enjoy,” says Shah.
Recipe for healthy Diwali sweet for your pet
– Put raw oats in a blender to form an oat flour. This flour can now be combined with a variety of ingredients such as a banana and coconut meat shavings.
– To bring the mixture together consider adding some milk or water.
– Maintaining a thick consistency, the mixture can now be rolled into balls forming delicious banana and coconut laddoos or even flattened and baked to form banana and coconut cookies.
“Experiment with ingredients you know your pet is fond of to make the best treats for them. Do ensure to not give them sweets and treats made for humans which have very high levels of salt and sugar,” says Shah.