My 13 year old Schnoodle (schnauzer-poodle mix) is a picky eater. His entire life he’s insisted that the wet and dry food cannot be in the same container. Nope, they can’t touch. He will pick around the food and look at me and stomp his feet. As he aged he began to develop stomach issues with most of the purchased canned food. He also has lost a lot of his teeth. Which is common for poodles. For a while I thought I’d found him a great canned food. But his breath and gurgling of his stomach got incredibly worse. I searched through all the cans at the stores. It was disheartening to see food labeled Turkey and Potatoes; only to turn it around and have the first ingredient be chicken. He’s allergic to chicken. I had no idea what to do for him. I’d thought about trying my hand at making him food.
All the stuff I read online cautioned against making him the dog food. It all told me to buy the food. That the only way to make sure it was nutritious was to purchase it. Yet, most of the cans had more water in them now. And most had ingredients he was either allergic to, or they’ve found dogs should not consume: like peas. I was leery to make him his own food.
Then one night a new soft food was advertised on the television. It was made in small batches and came in small plastic pouches. I looked it up. They had no ingredients listed on their website. Just three different main types one could order. All of them had chicken in them. I eventually found the entire list of ingredients; on the dog food review websites. As I read the ingredients I realized I can make that. So I went about making my dog his own stew.
I ran the ingredients past his vet. She approved them all and recommended that I use a pet multi-vitamin if he primarily eats the stew. I then went about making him the food. I make it in small batches, and freeze it in containers. Each batch seems to last about a month because I supplement his dry dog food with it. The best part his stomach no longer churns, his breath smells a ton better, and he really likes the food. The biggest problem is that when I make a new batch, he loses interest in whatever is left of the old one.
Ingredients:
- Eggs
- Ground Turkey
- Sweet Potato
- Carrots
- Brown rice
- Water: enough water for the rice
- Zucchini
Directions:
In a large pot mix the ground turkey with the eggs. Turn on the heat and stir. Add in the brown rice and mix it well. Add in the sweet potatoes. Add in the water. Keep stirring to make sure the meat doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pan. Once the water comes to a boil, turn down the heat and put on the lid. Cook until there is about twenty minutes left on the rice. Add in the carrots and zucchini. Stir and put the lid back on. Let simmer until the rice is done and the water has evaporated.
The amounts that I use depend on how much Ground Turkey I have, and how big of a batch I’m making. I don’t put in a lot of carrots. The zucchini will add liquid to the stew as it’s got a lot of water in it.
Post Inspired by the Daily Prompt: “Describe the most ambitious DIY project you’ve ever taken on.” Making my dog his own food is the most ambitious DIY project I’ve taken on.
A Leisurely Chat 