Sunday, April 10, 2011

Sunday Snapshot ... Cooking for the Dogs

Right now, there are two pots simmering on the stove and the house is filled with a delicious aroma.  Much to the disappointment of The Husband and our daughter, all this cooking isn't for the humans.  Every Sunday, I whip up a batch of what we call Dog Stew, and this supplements our dogs' meals for the next week.  I started doing this a few months ago, at the insistence of Emma's holistic veterinarian.  Dr. Tran wanted Emma to eat more 'real food' and less kibble. 



The pot on the left contains vegetables (peas, carrots, lima beans, green beans, kale, etc.), green beans, and kale.  The pot on the right contains ground turkey, lean ground beef, and brown rice.  This simmers for about an hour, until the rice is cooked ... then I stir it together, put it in the fridge, and I'm done until next month.

Meals for Emma now consist of a tiny bit of kibble, half a can of dog food (Kirkland brand from Costco), two generous scoops of Dog Stew ... stirred together and topped with either a blob of cottage cheese or canned pumpkin, with her Chinese herb tablets on top.  Daniel gets a bit more kibble, a spoonful of dog food, one scoop of Stew with cottage cheese or pumpkin, and no herbs.  Sometimes, if Emma has overdone herself or appears to be more painful than usual, I will add Rimadyl to the 'topping' for a period of time.

This new diet, along with monthly accupuncture treatments, has made a huge difference in Emma.  Her fur is shiny, her attitude is good, and she is obviously a lot more comfortable and mobile.  (Emma is 14 years old and she has two calcified discs in her lower back.)    This little bit of effort is really not too much to do for a valuable member of the family.

Happy Sunday, Everyone!
Connie

10 comments:

  1. I used to do the same thing when I was breeding dogs. I called it stew. The dogs thought it was gold! However, I added kibble to the stew at the end to absorb all the liquid.

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  2. Very een-teresting. Looks easy enough. Might give it a try. Our Brittany is 15. She's never been finicky until lately. I think it's because we "hide" Prozac in her food. She's no longer fooled by our efforts and the last couple of days just wouldn't eat. Maybe some fresh stew will conceal the scent of the pills. Thanks, Connie.

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  3. Glad to hear this all affects Emma so well. I fear for Handsome... he is getting a bit stiffer as the months go by and seems to enjoy time on his bed more and more. He's still doing good, but not as well as a 4 year old rottie should be doing... stiff back legs.

    Emma's food looks delicious!

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  4. My dogs want to come live with you.

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  5. love this post! i've been making a food supplement for my dogs (4 standard poodles) which i give them every two days or so - hamburg and peas - but your stew sounds delicious and more hearty - i am going to try it! thanks for posting the recipe!

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  6. I agree, nothing is too much for a valuable member of the family. A valuable, non judgmental, love you regardless, member of the family! I sure miss mine.

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  7. I use to make dog stew, but left out the corn. I used green beans and carrots. You are much more creative than I was, but somehow they always knew it was for them and not us. They loved it and it was so good for them too.

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  8. I can see how The Husband & daughter weren't happy! Kudos to you for the effort to make Emma comfortable. It is worth it to see them happier & healthier!

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  9. I make our doggie her food, too! We buy organic chicken legs/thighs and grind them, bones and all, with our heavy duty grinder. Then we cook it all up with a big batch of vegetables. We also feed her raw tripe, which smells horrible but she loves it!

    I like seeing other peoples recipes, it's nice to have variety in their diet and I get ideas from seeing what other people feed.

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  10. I've been doing something similar - although it's Dr. Harvey's mix (which is oats, grains, rice, and organic veggies and herbs). You mix the "slop" with protein (turkey, ground beef or chicken) - and viola - healthy dog food. My vet recommended it when Abbey had her cancer surgery. Ellie loves it as well!

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