Please know that this post is no way intended to be judgmental of how anyone chooses to feed their dog. I understand that some of us are very passionate about how and what to feed our beloved pets. I believe that all of us do the best we can with the resources we have, time, money etc., to ensure that our pets get the best we can give them. This is simply me sharing my journey with Tessie. My sweet girl had a very sensitive digestive system. So here we go.
I started home cooking for my dogs as a last resort. Our Tessie had digestive problems for most of her young life. To the point where she would just stop eating. I would get down on the floor and try to bribe her with rotisserie chicken, left over steak, deli meat anything to try to get her to eat. Often I would have to “prime the pump” with her by actually putting food in her mouth to get her started. If she did start to eat, my husband and I would freeze, practically holding our breath waiting for her to finish. She also went through periods of diarrhea and loose poop. We had her tested multiple times for parasites, had bloodwork done. Vet found nothing wrong.
We tried different kinds of food, from the cheap stuff to “money’s no object” all with the same disappointing results. I was throwing away more food than she ate. When she went into bouts of diarrhea we would put her the hamburger or chicken & rice diet for a few days and she would clear up, for awhile. She would go back on dog food and the cycle would begin again. I really believe that her picky eating wasn’t really being picky, I think she just didn’t feel good in the tummy. The last time I made up a batch of boiled chicken and rice I decided that maybe that was all she could eat and be comfortable.
I knew she needed more nutrition than just boiled meat and rice, and that is when I began researching home cooking for dogs. I started making some recipes and she loved them. Now instead of hiding under the dining room table when I start preparing her meal, she comes into the kitchen. Sometimes now she even barks “hurry up Mom I’m hungry!” Since I began making her food she has gained 3 pounds, which she needed. She was always painfully skinny. Miraculously she has perfect poop!
Home cooking worked so well for us, I wanted to share so that others that have the same problems might benefit from it. I’m sure we are not alone. Our other girl, Lassie, who has no tummy trouble, is highly food motivated and seems to be able to eat anything really enjoys these meals as well. So much so that we had to get her a slow feeder bowl.
I started introducing quality grain free kibble into he homemade food, to ensure they are getting the vitamins and minerals included in the dog food. So far both dogs are doing great. I do use some supplements as well, I will them list with links below.
Thank you for reading about our journey, now let’s get cooking!
Recipes:
Note: I user a slow cooker/crockpot but you certainly could prepare these recipes in a dutch oven on the stove.
Tessie’s Favorite Chicken, Pumpkin & Rice
This is the recipe that started it all!
3 pounds boneless chicken breast cut into chunks
1 1/2 cup brown rice
1 can pumpkin puree
3/4 cup green beans
1/2 ish cup of frozen kale or spinach
3 eggs
3 cups water
Put the rice and pumpkin in the slow cooker, stir in the water add the veggies, eggs and meat. Set to low and cook 6 - 8 hours. Cool a bit and blend with an immersion blender (you could also blend in batches in a blender or food processor) until it’s smooth. Store in the fridge for a few days, freeze what you won’t be using.
Lassie’s Favorite Beef Stew
Lassie from the 60’s ate Alpo Beef Chunks Dinner, our Lassie enjoys this healthy modern take on the classic!
2 1/2 lbs lean stew meat (don’t use “chuck” stew meat, it is too fatty)
1/4 pound beef heart (optional)
1 can pumpkin puree
1 cup brown rice
1 cup spinach
1/2 cup frozen cut green beans or peas
2 cups water
Mix rice, pumpkin and water in the slow cooker. Add the spinach. Cut the beef heart into small cubes and add with the stew meat. Cook on low for 8 hours. Cool slightly. Take a few chunks of the meat out, blend the rest with an immersion blender and add the chunks back in. Put what you will use up within a few days in fridge and freeze the rest.
Collie Approved Turkey & Rice with Sweet Potato & Cranberries
3 lbs ground turkey
1/4 lb. beef heart diced
1 1/2 cups brown rice
1 diced sweet potato
1 diced carrot
1 cup chopped broccoli
3 eggs
Handful of frozen cranberries
3 1/2 cups water
Mix up the rice, sweet potato & carrot with the water. Add the eggs, broccoli and beef heart. Break up the ground turkey and add. Toss in a handful of frozen cranberries Cook on low for 6 - 8 hours. Cool and blend with immersion blender. Store what you will use in 2-3 days in the fridge and freeze the rest.
Notes on recipes: I usually figure about 1/2 cup of rice per pound of meat and about 1/2-ish cup of green veggies per pound of meat. You can adjust to your dog's liking. The same thing with canned pumpkin or fresh sweet potato.
Notes on portions: I have found that my dogs do best with a big breakfast and a lighter supper. Usually I give them a heaping cup of quality kibble and 1/2 cup of homemade food for breakfast. For supper they get 1/2 cup of kibble and 1/2 cup or so of homemade. They are both at healthy weight. They also get snacks and treats. I also adjust their food according to their activity level.
Equipment
Slow Cooker — I like to batch cook, and have two collies. A 6 quart cooker holds a lot of food, if you are cooking for one or smaller dogs a 4 quart will do you fine. You can find a good manual slow cooker on-line for under $40. If you have a Saver's store in your area there are usually a bunch of used ones for around $10.
Hamilton Beach 6 Quart Manual Slow Cooker
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Immersion Blender - mine is a Kitchen Aid
Souper Cubes - I LOVE Souper Cubes ! These are the best for freezing perfect portions and they are dishwasher safe.
Pyrex 6-8 cup glass storage containers - when I make a big batch I put some in the fridge and freeze the rest.
Optional Supplements
Bernie’s Perfect Poop - probiotics, prebiotics and digestive enzymes
Zesty Paws Skin & Coat - fish oil and omegas
Eggshellent - this s powdered egg shells which are full of calcium. It can be added at the end of the cooking time. It comes with a little scoop and has clear directions on how much to use per pound of meat.
Organ meat: beef heart. Liver, kidney
When I buy organ meat, I cut it into 1/4 pound portions to be added to any meal. They are nutrient dense but also very rich and should be used in moderation
Healthy Snacks
Cottage Cheese - 1/4 cup each
“Pumpkin Smoothie” - 1/2 cup plain yogurt with 2 tablespoons of pumpkin puree, I mix this up and split it between the two of them.
Water packed sardines - one or two per dog
I hope you enjoyed the post
Let us know if you try any of the recipes. Please feel free to share your recipes for meals and treats. Maybe we will put together a CWB Cookbook!
The official taste testers! Tessie & Lassie
These beauty shots were taken by my talented daughter, Lauren Sullivan. You can see more of her dog photography on her Instagram: @pawfectpic
First attempt at a blog post!