Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Homemade Dog Food Recipe

I've asked the human I know as "Mom" to share how she makes food for me. It's hot today, and I feel more like laying around in a nice, cool dirt hole than writing...........

Posted by the human known as "Mom".......



Homemade dog food starts out like homemade soup!

 
Yago has asked me to share my homemade dog food recipe with other humans. (Honestly, he just doesn't feel like blogging this week!) I've been cooking for him for over four years. He is 15 1/2 years old and has no arthritis or joint problems. He's fit, well muscled and in really great shape! Homemade dog food? Yes! For those of us who REALLY appreciate our pets, it's the only way to go! It's economical and easy to make. You can also feed it your spouse, kids and in-laws! It's that good!

This homamade dog food recipe feeds 2 medium sized dogs for six days.


3-4 beef soup bones with some meat (organic if possible). Buy in quantity and keep in the freezer.
You can substitue a small chicken or even steak bones!

3 lbs. barley, rice, old-fashioned oatmeal, or a combination.



Leftover vegetables- carrots, potatoes, broccoli, squash, swet potatoes, chard, spinach, tomatoes - whatever you have! Save your scraps throughout the week! No onions!!!!!



Leftover veggies from human meals.

Garlic to taste

Ground flax seeds

Wheat germ

Boil bones in a large pot filled with water. Simmer as if you are making soup until the bone marrow softens.
Remove bones, making sure bone marrow falls into soup stock, and let bones cool. When cool, remove meat, chop and add back into the pot. Some bones can be given to dogs later as a snack. Fill the centers with peanut butter and freeze!

Chop or puree your leftover vegetables, using a blender. Add parsely, salt, pepper and garlic. Simmer on low about 30 minutes.

Add barley, rice, flax or oatmeal, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for another 30 minutes. Let cool on the stove overnight. Mixture will be thick by morning.

Fill plastic container in portions sized for your dog. You can also add 1/2 of a human multi-vitamin or a dog vitamin in each serving. These containers can then be frozen or stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. Serve at room temperature.


These containers feed a medium-sized dog.


If cooking a chicken, remove it from the pot and use it for your own meals. Give the dogs some of the skin and cartilage or small pieces of meat. Make sure the dog does not eat the  chicken bones.

You can create variations of this recipe by using fish (Yago loves sardines - they are inexpensive and very nutritious) and other meats and vegetables. You can even combine this mixture with dry dog food.

Dogs have cohabitated with humans for thousands of years, and in the process, their bodies have adapted to the diets of  humans in each country or region of the world. Yago will be introducing you to a new concept in dog feeding that he simply calls FEED BY BREED. But for now, during these dog days of summer, Yago will be hanging out here........

The best way to keep cool during the summer!

Friday, July 1, 2011

Good Bye, Fourth of July!

Not the most flattering photo of me. I'm really stressed out!

I hate the Fourth of July human holiday. I can't wait until it's over! Good-bye Fourth of July! Booms, blasts and bombs all night long. It scares me! And it scares other animals as well. The horses at the farm where I live have to be brought into the barn each night during this war-like weekend of noise. What is this all about?

In my younger years, I'd hide in a freshly dug bunker shivering and shaking. Now that my ears don't work as well as they did (hey, I'm 15 years old!) I don't shake as much, but I can still feel the vibration of those booms, blasts and fireballs in the sky even inside a human house.

People, if you really appreciate your pet, make sure they are not outside and exposed to this Fourth of July madness. I'll bet most pets could be bribed gently persuaded to stay in your human house with a little treat right off of the Fourth of July grill!

I'm making a straightforward plea to American humans this year: Please be considerate of pets and other animals this Fourth of July.  Remember that fireworks and loud booms frighten us and hurt our ears.  Keep it to one night only. In my neighborhood, crazy humans will be booming and blasting for the entire weekend! I'm already getting stressed out just thinking about it. And when I get stressed out, I want to eat!