Frozen Dog Treats for Hot Weather: Bone Broth Ice Cubes

Hot weather can make hydration a bit more interesting. If your dog is not drinking as much as you would like, or you want a simple cooling enrichment idea, bone broth ice cubes can be a tasty way to help encourage fluid intake.

They are easy to make, easy to use, and far more exciting than plain old water. I mean, your dog deserves a Michelin-star popsicle occasionally.

Just remember, tasty frozen treats are a support tool, not a substitute for shade, rest, fresh drinking water, and sensible hot-weather management.

Frozen Dog Treats to Help Hydrate Your Dog

Bone broth ice cubes for dogs are exactly what they sound like: dog-safe bone broth poured into an ice cube tray and frozen. They can be offered as a cooling treat, added to your dog’s water bowl, or used in enrichment toys.

They are especially useful in warmer weather because they add flavour, moisture, and a bit of low-effort enrichment without encouraging your dog to run around and overheat.

This is where frozen enrichment for dogs can be really helpful. Instead of trying to tire your dog out with more activity in the heat, you can give them something calm to lick, chew, and work through indoors.

If your dog is reluctant to drink, a small amount of flavour can sometimes make water more appealing. Bone broth ice cubes can be one simple way to do this, but your dog should still always have access to clean, fresh water throughout the day.

For a wider hot-weather safety guide, including walking temperatures, heatstroke signs, travel tips, and cooling products, read my full guide on how to keep dogs cool in hot weather.

Which Bone Broth Should You Use?

I recommend using a ready-made, dog-safe bone broth for dogs. Bear personally prefers the beef flavour, but there are different options available including beef, fish, lamb, and chicken, depending on your dog’s taste.

You can buy powdered versions of bone broth, but personally I prefer the ready-made liquid version. It is easier to use, freezes nicely, mixes well into enrichment toys, and in my experience it is much more appealing for dogs. If I am going to the effort of making frozen treats, I want something Bear actually thinks is worth getting out of bed for.

Whatever you use, always check the ingredients carefully and make sure it is suitable for dogs.

How to Make Bone Broth Ice Cubes for Dogs

This one is wonderfully simple:

• Pour dog-safe bone broth into an ice cube tray.
• Pop it in the freezer for around five hours, or until fully frozen.
• Offer one or two cubes as a cooling treat.
• Add a cube to your dog’s water bowl to make drinking more appealing.
• Use them inside enrichment toys for a longer-lasting activity.

You can make your own bone broth if you have the time, but if you are more of a “that sounds like effort” person, ready-made bone broth for dogs is a very easy option.

Easy Ways to Use Frozen Bone Broth

Bone broth ice cubes are versatile. You can keep it simple or turn them into a more calming enrichment activity.

• Add one to your dog’s water bowl to encourage drinking.
• Pop a few into a Kong Classic.
• Freeze bone broth into a Toppl for longer-lasting enrichment.
• Spread bone broth over a LickiMat and freeze it.
• Use a LickiMat UFO if you want a bowl-style option that can hold softer mixtures.
• Try the LickiMat Slomo XL for a larger frozen licking activity.
• Mix a tiny sprinkle of Fettle Pumpkin Powder into suitable fillings for a simple frozen enrichment variation.
• Add a small drizzle of Bugalugs Scottish Salmon Oil if it suits your dog’s diet and you want to make the mixture extra tempting.
• Use them as a small cooling treat after a short toilet break.

Frozen licking and chewing activities can be especially useful in hot weather because they give your dog something to do without adding lots of running, chasing, or high-arousal play.

That matters because in hot weather, the aim is usually calm enrichment rather than winding your dog up. Licking, gentle chewing, and slowly working through frozen food toys can help occupy your dog while keeping activity levels sensible.

If you want more ideas like this, have a look at my guide to frozen enrichment for dogs and my Toppl ideas for dogs. Both work really well alongside this article.

Can Dogs Have Ice Cubes?

Yes, many dogs can have ice cubes safely, but use common sense. Supervise your dog, choose an appropriate size, and avoid giving large, rock-hard cubes to dogs who are likely to gulp, crunch aggressively, or swallow things whole.

If your dog is very small, has dental problems, or tends to inhale food like a furry vacuum cleaner, smaller cubes or frozen enrichment spread thinly on a LickiMat may be a better choice.

For dogs who get very excited around food, you can also let the cubes soften slightly before offering them, or use them to flavour water rather than giving them as a standalone treat.

If you are using frozen treats in a Kong, make sure the toy is the right size and set up safely. You may also find my article on safe Kong use helpful.

Bone Broth Safety Tips

Not all bone broth is suitable for dogs. Always choose a dog-safe option and check the ingredients carefully.

• Avoid onion and garlic.
• Choose low-salt options.
• Introduce slowly if your dog has a sensitive stomach.
• Use as a treat or supplement, not a complete diet.
• Supervise frozen treats and enrichment toys.
• Speak to your vet if your dog has medical conditions or dietary restrictions.
• Introduce additions such as pumpkin powder or salmon oil gradually if your dog has a sensitive stomach.

And one important point: frozen treats are not a treatment for heatstroke. If your dog is panting heavily, drooling, weak, wobbly, vomiting, collapsing, or not recovering quickly, stop activity immediately, move them somewhere cool, begin active cooling, offer small amounts of water if they can drink safely, and contact your vet urgently.

Bone broth ice cubes are for prevention, enrichment, and gentle hydration support. They are not for cooling a dog who is already seriously overheating.

For the emergency side of hot-weather safety, read my guide to heat stroke in dogs. It is worth knowing the signs before you need them.

Hot Weather Hydration Products

If you are preparing for warmer weather, these are useful products to have ready:

• Bone Broth for Dogs for making frozen treats.
• LickiMat for frozen licking enrichment.
• LickiMat UFO for softer frozen mixtures and bowl-style enrichment.
• LickiMat Slomo XL for larger frozen licking activities.
• Toppl for stuffed and frozen enrichment.
• Kong Classic for a simple frozen food toy.
• Fettle Pumpkin Powder for simple enrichment mixtures.
• Bugalugs Scottish Salmon Oil for adding a small drizzle of flavour to suitable fillings.
• Travel Water Bottle for walks, days out, and car journeys.

These products do not replace sensible hot-weather management, but they can make hydration and calm enrichment much easier.

I would also avoid relying on communal water bowls when you are out and about. Taking your own water is usually safer and cleaner. You can read more in my article on why I avoid sharing dog water bowls.

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