Cozy up with your pup this Valentine’s Day and enjoy a dog-friendly charcuterie board!
With his unwavering loyalty and never-ending love, there’s no better Valentine’s Day date than your dog. He’ll give you his undivided attention, dole out plenty of kisses, and it’s an absolute guarantee that he won’t ghost you! Whether you’re coupled up or single, lockdown 3.0 may be stopping you from having a classic date night. But Valentine’s Day isn’t ruined! There’s no better way to celebrate the day of love than with food and your pooch. This guide will help you put a dog-friendly twist on a Valentine’s favorite – the charcuterie board!
First up, drinks
Water is always the best drink for your dog. In fact, he should drink approximately 29ml of water per pound of body weight every day. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve a treat though! If you fancy getting creative in the kitchen, try whipping up a ‘pup-kin spiced latte’’ or a ‘very berry smoothie’ to quench your hound’s thirst.
Next up, food
While you and your two-legged Valentine would share a charcuterie board packed with meats, cheese, crackers, fruit and a variety of condiments on the day of love – a lot of charcuterie staples, unfortunately, aren’t suitable for dogs. Instead, you’ll have to improvise!
Meats
Cured meats like salami, serrano ham and chorizo are high in sodium and fat, which isn’t good for your pooch. Instead opt for unseasoned cooked white meats, such as chicken and turkey or ground beef – perfect alternatives to the cured meats you would usually see on a charcuterie board.
And don’t worry! You can still heap a pile of prosciutto on the board you make for yourself.
Cheese
The most important part of a charcuterie board is the cheese. Dogs can eat cheese in small amounts, but steer clear of blue cheese as it can be detrimental to your pup’s health.
If you don’t want your dog to miss out on the cheesy V-day celebrations, add a little bit of cottage cheese to your board. It’s considerably lower in sodium and fat than most other cheeses, so it’s a good way to give your dog a well-rounded charcuterie experience.
Crackers
Many crackers are typically high in sodium even for us – so they’ll have too much salt for your pup! Healthy low-calorie dog biscuits and treats are the ideal substitutions, or you can take the time this Valentine’s to bake your pup some homemade cracker substitutes! These ‘spinach and bacon biscuits’ and ‘duck crumb cookies’ make the perfect addition to your personalised charcuterie board.
Don’t have time to bake? No problem! Sub out the crackers for some healthy dog-friendly veggies! Sliced cucumber, carrots, celery, red bell peppers and mushrooms are all healthy choices that your pup can enjoy.
More than ever before, your dog deserves to celebrate Valentine’s Day with you this year! Not only has he made the pandemic so much more bearable, he’s also added unconditional love to your entire life. If that doesn’t make him worthy of a charcuterie board, what does?
