Top 5 Ways To Show Your Pet Love This Valentine's Day

written by Ellie Walker

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and there’s no better day to show your pet how much you care about them. If you’re looking for some inspiration, just take a look at our top five ways on how to show your pet some love this Valentine’s Day.

Switch to a fresh diet

The way to your pet’s heart is often through their stomach, so one of the best ways you can show your love is by making the switch to a fresh diet. Refrigerated, fresh food offers numerous benefits including:

Healthier skin and coat

Better digestion

Weight management

Allergy relief

Maintenance of high energy levels as they age

Every Freshpet recipe is made using fresh ingredients that are gently steamed in a process that is similar to home cooking. This method of cooking helps maintain the high bioavailability of essential nutrients, which is a fancy way of saying that our pets have an easier time absorbing the nutrients.

Cook them a batch of pet-friendly treats

Since the classic Valentine’s Day gifts of chocolate and candies are off the table, homemade treats are a great alternative! We know that baking isn’t everyone’s forte, which is why we love dehydrated veggies and fruit treats. All you need to do is choose some pet-safe fruits and veggies and bake them for a few hours at a low temperature until they’re nice and crispy.

To stay with the Valentine’s Day theme, why not choose some red and pink foods such as:

Strawberries: Strawberries are loaded with vitamins C, B1, B6, and K, as well as potassium, magnesium, iodine, and folic acid.

Cranberries: Cranberries are a great antioxidant, helping to prevent inflammation. They are also high in potassium and manganese.

Beets: Beets are loaded with fiber, vitamins, and minerals, such as vitamin C, potassium, folate, and magnesium.

When given in small portions, these fruits and veggies can make for delicious – and healthy – treats.

Create some sustainable DIY toys

Some of the best pet toys don’t have to cost a dime – just ask any cat parent if you don’t believe us! Instead of heading to the store in search of some Valentine’s Day gifts, why not try and craft some with items around your house?

Crinkle chew toy: If your dog loves the sound that crinkly toys make, try covering an empty plastic water bottle with a sock or two. Your dog will go nuts for the crunchy, crinkly sounds it makes when they chew on it!

Sock kicker: You can make a kicker toy for your cat by filling an old sock with scraps of fabric and some loose catnip. To secure it, simply knot up the top.

Treat puzzle: Choose a small to medium-sized box and cut a few holes along the side and the top that are large enough to fit your pet’s paw. Once you tape the box closed you can fill it with a selection of treats – such as your homemade ones – which your pet can try and fish out.

Treat them to a spa day

Another way you can show your pet some love is by treating them to an at-home spa day. All you need is your pet’s favorite low-scent or scent-free shampoo and nail clippers. Once your pet is in the bath, a great way to get them all lathered up is by giving them a little massage. Start at their head and work down their neck to their back, gently rubbing in small circles with your thumbs. If your pet enjoys this, you can repeat the process after you rinse off the soap.

Once your pet is out of the bath, it’s time to clip their nails! Using their preferred clippers, trim any excess nail – leaving between 3 and 4 millimeters of space in front of the quick. If this is your first time clipping your dog’s nails, take a look at our guide.

Put together a special evening

Once your fur baby is feeling nice and relaxed from their pampering, you can wrap up the day with a special evening for just the two of you, featuring all of your Valentine’s Day goodies. Start the evening with a serving of their new Freshpet recipe and for dessert, give them a few of your homemade treats. After dinner, you can dedicate some time for a play session featuring their brand-new DIY toys. By the end of the evening, your pet will surely be feeling the love!

We hope that you’ve found some inspiration on how to show your pet love this Valentine’s Day. Have some ideas we didn’t cover? We’d love to see them in the comments!