Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Need raw beef

I'm off today to find some raw meat for the dogs. I really need to find a good supplier of preferably organic beef. I also need some bones for their teeth, it is amazing what raw bones can do for their pearly whites. Dogs were meant to eat raw eat; it has enzymes in it that cooked or processed food does not.

I have yet to feed raw chicken, it just seems to be a more delicate act trying to be sure that it is fresh. But I know lots of people do feed raw chicken, I'm just not there yet. Dogs have a great ability to deal with bacteria and a dog that is not immune compromised can eat stuff that we can't.

Take wolves for instance, they stash their food away for later use. If we ate that same meat we'd probably die, if we could ever get it past our noses that is.

Taken from USAtoday.com

Predators and scavengers can eat rotted meat thanks to a germ-hostile digestive system. All vertebrate predators have remarkably similar systems: a short pipe — six times the body length — with a bulge (the stomach) in the middle.

Because it's short, food doesn't stay long in the gut. Bacteria have little time to multiply and cause problems. The stomach, moreover, brews a vicious batch of hydrochloric acid that not only dissolves gobbled meat and fat but also kills most bacteria and other microorganisms.

"Practically the whole gastrointestinal tract of a carnivore is sterile," says Barry Groves, British nutritional scientist.

Rotting meat is rich in protein, amino acids, fat, lipid components, and minerals. Scavengers usually find dead meat soon after a kill so it loses little nutritional value. Eating rotted meat helps the species to survive.

"Hunger will drive most animals to feed on what's available," says Dan Stahler, project biologist with the Yellowstone Gray Wolf Restoration Program, National Park Service. "These meat eaters can handle a high bacterial load due to their short digestive system and appropriate digestive enzymes and acids."

So can we. In Europe, people "regularly hang beef three weeks in a fridge before eating it," says Groves. Inuits leave fish to rot for months. By then, according to the anthropologist and Arctic explorer, Vilhjalmur Stefansson, it has the consistency of ice cream. "At first repelled, he grew to like it," says Groves.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Oldies but goodies

Tilley has not been well for the last couple of days so I have been having to prepare her food special. As a senior she has special food requirements and that is easily digested food and low fat. She still needs as much protein but the fat is hard on her so all protein is low fat.

Low fat can often mean the way you prepare a protein or choosing low fat to start with. If I am cooking up meat of some sort I make sure that all fat is either trimmed or rinsed. With the hamburger I simply run the kitchen water very hot and rinse. Luke is getting a bit more fat in his food; as much as he can tolerate for the added calories.

It's not a science but it is definitely a trial and error act.

Jack Spratt could eat no fat, his wife could eat no lean. And so between them both you see they licked the platter clean. Works for Tilley and Luke very nicely.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Garlic and fleas

I like to offer my dogs a wide variety of protein sources,so yesterday when I bought the regular standby of ground beef I bought ground turkey as well. Cooking it up this morning I added some garlic; as you know I have said many times before that Luke loves people food, lasagna, sausages, steak and shortbread. So I thought by adding some garlic it might be more to his liking.

I only use small amounts of garlic; there is a big controversy over the good and bad of garlic for dogs. I do think that you can give your dog too much of a good thing but a shake or two of garlic powder while preparing their food adds flavor and they say keeps fleas away. I have no evidence of it working on fleas; I don't battle them often but if I do I use a weekly bath to kill them.

Fleas drown very easily so giving a bath with any type of shampoo once a week when there are fleas present really helps. Make sure to make a nice soap ring around the neck and tail/private area so that the fleas cannot flee and hide in there. Leave the sudsy shampoo on for at least 5 minutes. If there are fleas you will see them coming to the surface to try to escape; don't let them. Plop a big pile of suds on top of them and then wash them down the drain.

I never use toxic flea treatment anymore; best to use management and safe, healthy alternatives.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Up to my eyeballs
















Good evening everyone; I have been cooking and baking around the clock it seems. If it's not goodies for the humans, it is either goodies for the dogs, dinner for the humans or the dogs.

I want to wish everyone the very best Christmas ever. My guys are patiently awaiting present opening; yes they all get two to open. They will be eating turkey and the gizzards from the turkey. I bought ground beef and ground turkey for over the holidays and they will be eating a combination of all these as well. As I wrote several days ago; I bought 10 lbs of liver so I also have that on hand. But with all of these seniors we've had pretty bad farts from the liver.

My rule for dealing with the farts; deal with it. Luke is eating like a champion so he is getting liver and the girls get it just because they like it too. I will be on high alert for Jessie and her food stealing binges. Please make sure that your dogs do not have access to any type of chocolate; especially the dark type over the holidays.

Give all of your dogs a huge hug and kiss for me.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Soup day

Today is definitely a soup day. I just told my husband the other day that I think that not only eating soup is Therapeutic but making it is as well. I love having a pot on the stove simmering all day long. So today will be dog soup day; I'm sure the humans are going to be too happy about it. Maybe I'll simmer some for the humans as well.

So what will go into the soup? Everything but the kitchen sink; liver, turkey, organic chicken broth, spinach, sweet potato, green beans and whatever else I can find. It is a great way to add extra flavor to their meals. You can prepare their normal food and add a ladle full of warm soup on the top.

So get out your pots and make some good ole dog soup.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Mishmosh

Yesterday was very busy so breakfast was a mixture of many things. Luke surprisingly ate very well and the girls of course ate great. I had to run out and get more meat, liver etc for them so it was an everything but the kitchen sink breakfast so to speak. There was leftover lentils, rice, ground turkey, granola, yogurt, apple, pumpkin and a couple of eggs thrown in.

I have been giving the dogs dog food occasionally so that they can be fed it if I have to go away for a day or two but I was out of that as well. Their breakfast was actually a very good one but because I was scrounging for items to give them; it makes me feel like it not as good as if I had planned it out. But after looking into their bowls before I offered up the Wednesday morning caserole to them I realized it was a pretty great meal.

Feeding dogs real food can seem like a huge undertaking; it's actually quite easy. Most dogs are willing to eat just about anything you offer them. And if you make sure that they are getting a good source of protein, veggies, fruit and a complete supplement then your off to the races.

I finally got my hands on more liver lastnight and bought 10 lbs. I got quite the stares at the store and the cashier just had to ask. That means today I'm going to be on the barbeque for a good while. Once it is all cooked I'll freeze most so that we have a nice supply to keep Luke happy for the Holidays.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Partially cooked


















I've been on the hunt for liver again. Yesterday I went to the store where I got it last time and nothing. I don't frequent this store and went there strictly for Luke and they were actually out of liver; the delivery truck was 8 hours late. Luke has not been eating great with the absence of liver.

So lastnight I cooked up some ground turkey; they like this and it is a good and inexpensive protein source.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=125

I don't typically feed raw poultry but though I'd give partial cooking a try. Luke loves raw meat so I cooked the turkey only until it was a sort of pinky beige. Amazingly this was enough to entice him to eat his whole meal. When you don't thoroughly cook meat you must take much more care about how long you keep it and that it is well refridgerated.

But if this is all it takes; I'm all for it. Less time in the kitchen and a fatter boy. :)

Monday, December 15, 2008

Blueberries






















Blueberries; what is not to love about them? They are amazingly good for you and your dogs. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=8

Cut and paste the above link to find out all you ever wanted to know about Blueberries.

I often slip blueberries into breakfast or dinner for my pooches. The girls of course enjoy them but Luke is not a fan. And again because Jessie does not chew them I cut them up so that they can get every speck of goodness out of these fabulous little antioxidant fruit.

Another great way to get a few blueberries into your dog is to add it to plain yogurt as a midday snack. Use frozen, fresh or dried.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Yes it is work


















We are having a party this weekend; which means I've been in the kitchen just about everyday all day. With preparing food the party, feeding the family and the dogs my kitchen is well used. I have often been in several million dollar homes for training when the topic of dog food has come up. "I'm not cooking for my dogs; I don't cook for my family." Standing looking at the enormous kitchen I think to myself what a waste.

But yes; cooking for the dogs is alot of work. It wouldn't be near the work if it was just Jessie; one little 15 lb mouth to feed. And it definitely wouldn't be as much work if it were not for Luke; I am constantly challenged by his fussy palate. But I enjoy cooking and baking; not always mind you. There are days when I want to throw in the towel and not set foot in the kitchen. One of my favorite things to do is dine out.

When I'm overwhelmed and busy beyond belief the dogs eat fast food. Fast food for them is more than likely raw meat; they had raw meat the other night. Not because I didn't want to cook but because I was just too busy; and like any kid they were very excited to have fast food. They all sit politely infront of me and I feed them with a fork; it's got to be novel for them, a nice change from eating out of the old feed bowl.

I know it is alot of work to feed the dogs this way but when you know the facts; it's hard not to. I also understand that many people don't have the time or desire to feed their dogs like I do. Everyone is different and every dog is different; doing the best we can is what matters. I enjoy feeding my dogs but if you don't want to cook or prepare your dog's food; just research all the dog foods out there and get the one you think is the best.

I tend to like the smaller companies; not so commercial. The ones who still care about the dogs and not just the bottom line. And don't be afraid to throw in some chicken, veggies, beef or whatever you bring home from the restaurant ;) as long as it is healthy food.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Pretty good



Tilley is my floor cleaner; very vigilant about her job.






Okay, these cookies are pretty good. They taste sort of like Cheese crackers.

1/2 Cup butter
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup grated sharp cheddar

I used my KitchenAid mixer for 3 solid minutes. Hand knead for 1 min to make sure all the cheese is blended in nicely. Roll out to 1/4" thickness using flour on your surface and top of dough. The dough is really nice to roll.

Bake large cookies 2 1/2" size for 20 min. Leave in for 25 min again at 275 to dry.
small size 1 1/2" for 15 min. Leave in for 15 min again at 275 to dry.

Photos to follow soon

The Double Quarter pounder


Since Luke started dropping weight from his mysterious illness I started stopping at McDs on a regular basis. My favorite coffee hands down is McDs; that is here in SoCal. Back home it is Tim Hortons ahead of McDs so when I stop for my coffee; or should I say when I stop to get a burger for the dogs I get to grab a coffee.

I get the double quarter pounder and they love it. Surprisingly there is no complaining from Luke; he eats it like a champ. Perhaps I should create some sort of burger type pattie that would be close to a balanced meal for him and the rest of the pooches. Like Luke the girls love it and I have to watch my fingers with Jessie when I feed the 1/4 lb; tuck em in or loose'm.

I have fed Luke some of the great RAW food brands of patties but it was work and he didn't eat them all. Taste is everything to Luke; so I'd have to put on my chef hat and come up with the perfect combination and a good amount of fat. Luke loves fat; the only problem with fat is that it tends to give regular dogs the runs in large quantities.

But dogs need fat just like we do. I was watching the Iditarod show a while back and it explained that mushers feed their dogs different foods. Most feed a combination of a high quality balanced dog food mixed with meats, high fat fish and added fat and oil. Sled dogs require between 6,000 - 12,000 calories a day during the run; an amazing amount of calories have to go into a meal. They also stop approximately every 3 hours or so for a snack, usually of frozen fish.

Most dogs on the Iditarod do best on a 60% fat diet; which is the equivalent of 60 Big Mac's. A diet consisting of 60% fat would turn both our dogs and us into fat cows. So we must regulate the fat content in our dogs food. Activity level of each dog plays a large role in caloric intake. And activity level is the amount of exercise and the level of natural activity a dog displays. That being a big difference between a very mellow dog and a high energy type personality. Luke tends to burn alot of calories during the day as he spins and carries on for greetings and throughout the day.

When I feed a burger midday to the dogs; Luke gets about 3/4 of it. The girls get enough between them to give them a little treat without adding extra pounds.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Making cookies again


I was out yesterday looking for some coasters for our new table when I spotted these. I had a bone cookie cutter years ago and somewhere during one of our many moves it got displaced. So I bought these and I will bake up some cookies with them today. Funny isn't it how we like to make cookies in the shape of bones or other cute dog items.

I don't typically make cookies in the shape of things for my guys but if I'm going to give them away which I am; I want them in cute shapes. Not that the dogs know; well maybe they do but they don't care. I do know that!

I found a fairly good recipe but it is still not as good as I want it to be. I want Luke to eat them with the same gusto as he does his shortbread. I can't even eat shortbread without having a long blonde face staring at me. I don't know, I may have to resort to adding butter in the recipe. ;)

Monday, December 8, 2008

Water

Water is very important for dogs; good fresh clean water. Like us they need water each and every day. But; how much they drink depends on what they eat. When I switched to feeding my dogs real food from kibble the water consumption dropped dramatically. Even after a hard run the dogs rarely drink water. The only time they really seem to drink more is when it is hot out. And at that time they love ice in their water. After a long hot run they will wait very patiently for someone to fill their bowl with ice and fresh cold water. We also give the dogs spring water whenever we can. Yes they drink taop water sometimes but I try to keep it at a minimum. I figure if it isn't something I want to chug back then I should be having my dogs chug it back either. When they do drink it takes them a while; unlike us they lap their water with the back of their tongue. It may look like they lap up with their tongue in a laddle like shape but their tongue curls backwards and it is in the tiny pocket that they hold the water from the bowl to their mouth. The video above of Jessie shows this action.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Ah Raw


Luke is one happy boy; yesterdays meal consisted of RAW beef. I know dog noses are amazing but they still astound me. I can take raw meat out of the refriderater and Luke will be in the kitchen with 15 sec. Even when he is sleeping in the familyroom which is on the opposite end of the house; unbelievable. And when I come home from the grocery store with meat; it takes but a second for him to be hot on my trail.

Raw is very natural for dogs but if you have never given them raw before it can take a while for them to get use to it. When I first gave them raw beef Tilley spit it on the floor. I had to offer it to her several times before she realized she should eat it. But believe me it doesn't take long once they get the hang of it.

The only time I feed raw is if I just purchased meat from the grocery; it also has to have a best by date of several days from the day I am giving it to them. I do not feed raw ground beef or chicken. Many people do but this is my own decision only to feed solid raw beef.

So when I do feed raw beef especially; I have to make sure that whatever else is going with it is stuck to the raw beef or Luke will pick out the beef and that's it. I cooked up some oatmeal yesterday as it sticks very nicely giving Luke no option other than to eat the oatmeal. I also chopped Arugula very tiny and cranberries which both stuck nicely as well.

I made some cookies yesterday; a new recipe and they are pretty good. Luke ate some lastnight but they still don't compare to the shortbread.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Dog cookies




















Having been known as the cookie lady (for humans)for years; it seems only fitting that I make dog cookies. I've made several different kinds over the years but have yet to find one that is as good as I want them to be. So I'm on a mission to create a really good cookie.

Most dog cookies are very bland; even the "organic" type. And then there are the ones that taste like cardboard; they sure smell like cardboard. I want something that my dogs want to eat. Lastnight I was making shortbread; a big hit with all the dogs, Luke included. Shortbread is great for adding calories which is what Luke needs but I don't want the sugar in them. Not that shortbread has a ton of sugar; what makes shortbread really amazing is the butter. And we know how much Luke loves butter.

Tilley was my constant companion as I baked lastnight. I was using a cookie press so there is alot of radom bits and pieces that fly off the counter; she was there to clean up the mess for me. ;) So now I have to put on my thinking cap and come up with a recipe that taste good and is good for the dogs. Calories are not a concern; if they are high in calories then the girls only get a small piece and hopefully Luke will put on some much needed weight.

I'm off to experiment.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Weight gain

I've been working very hard to put some weight on Luke; as you know he is a very fussy eater and way skinny. I wish I had the same problem he does; don't we all? So I'm always trying to add high calorie foods to his meals and between meals. The only problem with this is that I'm not trying to fatten up the girls; they don't need any extra meat on them.

It can be difficult to add calories without causing problems. High calories are typically more fat content for dogs. More food is not the answer when you have a dog who rarely finishes his food so you must slip in more calories. Lastnight I put some bacon drippings on his food; only a small amount. The danger of adding more fat is loose stool or worse. So you must add it in small amounts.

The bacon flavor definitely did the trick for Luke; he ate all of his dinner lastnight which was turkey, chopped arugula, apple, brown rice, green pepper, liver and bacon drippings, yum. I can already feel that he is putting on some weight since he was sick. Not much mind you but a tiny coating of meat over his bones. He is never going to be a heavy dog; it just isn't who he is.

And for the girls; I'm constantly watching what they eat. With Tilley being almost 12 I don't want her carrying any extra weight and Jessie; well she puts weight on if she looks at food and not eating has never been a problem for her.