Looking for a special way to celebrate your pet’s birthday, make them feel included on holidays, or just spice up their mealtime? Why not try a BARKuterie board? Like a charcuterie board, a barkcuterie board is a spread of delicious foods served up in a fun, festive way.
Why Make Your Pet A Barkcuterie Board?
While your pet will probably not appreciate the artistry of your BARKcuterie skills, they’ll enjoy discovering a variety of favorites on their very own board. For pets that tend to gobble up their food, have gotten tired of boring meals, or just love food, this is a fun, mentally stimulating activity that they’re sure to enjoy.
Safety Tips Before You Get Started
While the core idea is basically the same, a BARKcuterie board is not identical to a charcuterie board. A charcuterie board you might serve to people will usually have ingredients that are toxic to pets, including grapes, raisins, and chocolate. Cured meats like salami are also popular charcuterie fare, and while they’re generally safe for pets in moderation, it’s best to opt for low-sodium alternatives like meaty freeze-dried pet treats.
Charcuterie is all about sharing, but pets might not love the idea of sharing a board with their furry housemates. Always supervise your pets while they enjoy their Barkcuterie boards. If your pets tend to fight over food, try serving up separate, serving size boards instead.
And while the name implies that they’re just for dogs, cats too can enjoy a Barkcuterie board. Cats tend to be pickier and less likely to try fruits and veggies, so you may want to focus on protein-rich options for your kitty charcuterie.
Dogs and cats that have a sensitive stomach may experience gastric upset if you introduce too many new foods at once. Make sure the whole charcuterie board makes up no more than 15% of their daily food intake, and try to include foods that they’re used to eating.
Healthy Ingredients for Pet Charcuterie Boards
You can get creative with your pet’s charcuterie board, mixing and matching ingredients and flavor profiles for an enriching meal experience.
If you’d like, you can start with your pet’s usual food as a base, then add fresh foods to keep their palate guessing.
- Apples sliced or cubed, remove skin as it can be hard to digest
- Pears also must be cored and peeled
- Berries including blueberries, strawberries, raspberries
- Boiled eggs are high in protein and easy for most pets to digest
- Carrots peeled and chopped, are slightly sweet and rich in nutrients
- Cucumber peeled and chopped, is hydrating and high in soluble fiber
- Low-fat ricotta is a low-lactose soft cheese option
- Low fat plain Greek yogurt is high in protein and low in lactose
- Sweet potato chips avoid store-bought chips that can be high in sodium, try making at home or use Crumps Natural Sweet Potato Chews
- Freeze-dried treats like PureBites and Vital Essentials are delicious and high in protein
- Fish oil can be drizzled for a fancy flair, use any fish oil supplement for pets
- Squeezable treats like Churu sticks are great for decorating or drizzling
Make easy carrot hearts by cutting carrots into coins, then trim away edges to reveal heart shapes.
It’s easy to make impressive apple roses. Just use a mandoline to cut apples into thin slices, then lay flat in an overlapping row.
Tightly roll apple slices together to create petals.
Slice in half to create two perfect apple roses.
Building Your Barkcuterie Board
You can use any flat, washable surface to build a BARKcuterie board on. It can be a cutting board, silicone lick mat, or even a paper plate.
Measure out all ingredients before arranging to ensure you’re not serving your pet too much of any particular food, and that they get enough of the healthy essentials.
If you’ll be using your board to serve a main meal, measure out your pet’s regular food and place it in a small bowl or ramekin. Or, you may decide to mix their food with other ingredients or scatter it in small portions across the board to ensure they do not skip their meal in favor of other foods.
Build up your cheeses, meats, yogurts, and treats across the board, filling small spaces with fruits and veggies. Drizzle or schmear any soft or liquid ingredients.
