We all know the scenario—summer, warmth, sunshine, friends, good food. It may be easier to go to a restaurant and order your favorite meal, but spending a nice evening with friends or family around a good barbecue is priceless. If you've decided to make homemade burgers, bought more meat than you needed, and are wondering what to do with the leftover ground meat, we have a solution. Treat your dog to a great evening as well. These quality leftovers for your dog contain plenty of protein, vitamins, minerals, and fats that are beneficial for your dog, and it would be a shame to throw them away.

Burger Meat

Beef burgers are excellent, containing up to 23% protein and higher amounts of iron. If you prefer pork, it contains around 18% protein but more fat, so give it to dogs with weight issues only in small amounts.

If you're making burgers following a recipe and have more meat than you need, it's important to set aside the leftovers for your dog. Homemade burgers can be seasoned according to your taste. However, they often contain more salt than your dog needs, so season your dog's portion of ground meat separately. For your own burger, you can add garlic, mustard, chili, and other tasty ingredients that your dog cannot have.

How to Flavor Meat for Dogs...

You can season ground meat for your dog with herbs, for example. It's also a great way to mix in vegetables or fruits that dogs might refuse to eat otherwise. You can even hide a deworming tablet in it, avoiding the stress of forcing the tablet down your dog’s throat. Ground meat is particularly suitable for puppies, seniors, dogs recovering from illness, those with eating difficulties, or when transitioning from kibble to BARF. If you have too much leftover meat, it's better to freeze it and give it to your dog at another time.

Be Cautious with Certain Kitchen Leftovers

Don't forget that kitchen scraps from cooked and seasoned meals are dangerous for dogs. You can give your dog various trimmings left over from cleaning meat. However, never give your dog cooked or baked bones. The meat can be lightly cooked, for example, with carrots, but it should not be salted or seasoned with human spices. Many such seasonings contain preservatives that are harmful to both humans and dogs.

We hope this article helped you find a useful way to deal with leftovers that would otherwise end up in the trash. Your dog will also be happy to spend time with you during the barbecue.