Back at it

So trying some new foods - still at the Stella and Chewy's for breakfast (no change there!)

So I was in PetValue today and noticed that there was a new food that my kids have never tried - SQUID!  My kids do love fish and fish flavors, so I thought this would be great.

My kids only eat "dog food" as an in between meal snack so I like to leave it out during the day in-case they get a hankering.  I poured some out, and it was a HIT.  They were in it to win it as soon as I poured it.  It seemed a little darker in color than the usual food but they were super pumped and I was excited.  I'll let you know how the endeavor continues, but so far, so good.  Also it's holistic goodness, so I'm all for it too.

I tried to get a good picture of them eating some, but Libby was super into trying to kiss me instead - so there you go.  Beans in the background you can see is partaking.

I also threw together some food today, I'll list the ingredients, but I forgot to take pictures of the ingredients so imagine them all chopped up!

2 carrots

1 celery stick

1 sweet potatoe

1 cup kale (chopped)

1 yellow squash

1 cup frozen mixed veg (carrots, green beans, peas, lima)

1 tablespoon each flaxseed, chia seed, rosemary

1/2 cup quinea

1/2 cup wild rice

1 egg shell ground

1 container organic chicken livers

2 turkey legs

1/2 cup parsley chopped

and the newest secret ingredient!!!

 Frozen Mussels!

I chopped them up and threw them in the pot.  I've been reading about how great these little guys are and how many minerals they contain.  Here are some more facts for you

• natural anti-inflammatory (don't give if your dog is allergic to shellfish)
• supports the circulatory system
• offers a boost to the immune system
• strengthens teeth and bones
• has omega-3 fatty acids
• supports nerve cell functioning while improving muscle, tissue, and organ stimulation.

Source: http://greenlippedmusselbenefits.org/

SO get some, they are cheap and I bought a giant bag of them at Whole Foods for $9.99.  Plus all of the health benefits for my old man are key.  So when everything was done I took the turkey legs out and chopped up the meat and threw it back in.  This is what the final product looked up.

They were all pumped to smell the finished product and have a taste.  So get some things cookin!!!

Good night and warm noses friends!

Mix up the Meats

Well I'm back for another delicious recipe approved by the kiddos.  Basically we're losing the pot today and replacing it with some delicious meat-a-balls.

So the ingredients include some of the usually culprits -

• Ground Beef
• Rice Pilaf (cooked)
• Peas, Green Beans, Carrots
• Pumpkin Puree
• Egg
• Rosemary
• Parsley
• Kelp Powder
• Pinch of Salt

So I squished together a pound of ground beef, 1 cup of cooked rice pilaf, 1/2 cup pf frozen veggie mix, 1/2 can of pumpkin puree, 2 eggs, and a small dash of all of the above spices.  The kelp powder if you're wondering is actually great for regulating the pups thyroid - and really who can't use a little thyroid help these days?  Also a note about starch - I really don't think that starch and gluten is bad for a dog unless you know your pet has a gluten intolerance.  Basically the problem with carbs in some store dog foods is that - that is mostly what their food is made out of.  Corn, rice and filler was not meant to be your dogs main source of food - protein is.  Having a little binding starch in your dog food is great with making sure Fluffy stays regular and lets face it - whole...  Just make sure that your starch levels are well balanced against the protein and vegetable content of your food and take a breath.  A good proportion of carbs is not the enemy here - shitty food is!!!

So after it was squished together I molded the patties on the mixing spoon that I used (which explains the interesting shape...)

It's such a bright color from the combination of the beef and the pumpkin.  I preheated the oven to 325 and then used a quick non-stick spray on the actual tray.  I cooked them for about 20-25 minutes until the patties were golden brown.

I filled about 2 trays up with this recipe and fed about 1 and 1/2 of the patties to each of my kids for dinner.  These patties are a little bigger than ones I've made in the past - mostly due to the spoon shape instead of molding them by hand.

Overall I would say it was a successful recipe and the ground beef was the most expensive part of the whole meal.  I would say depending on the beef prices this whole shebang only cost like $12-$13 depending on what supplies you have on hand.  My furbabies enjoyed them - I like to mix up the style of food sometimes from stew so they (and I) stay excited about what I give them.  They kept in the fridge for a week and if you make large batches you can always freeze them in the amounts that you need for dinners!

I am a BIG proponent of making my own food (for dinner) - I personally think it does save money - BUT the best part of feeding them homemade is I know what's in the food (and what is not).  Ever since the many past dog food scares I am very wary of store dog foods and encourage my friends to be picky of what they feed their kids as well.  You wouldn't feed your human baby McDonalds every-night - why would you do that to your dog?  There are of course many great pre-made dog foods in holistic pet stores and online that you can get - and with some research and taste testing by your furry friend you will find the right one for you both!  I still feed my kids freeze dried meat patties for breakfast, I do alternate these days from Primal Brand and Stella and Chewys.  I think the Primal is a little cheaper price wise but I always feel that the Stella and Chewys lasts longer in general.  Either way both brands my kids enjoy - believe it or not they enjoy the exotic meats the most Turkey and Sardine from Primal and the Deer from Stella and Chewys!  

Anyway I hope that helps and I will take more pictures for the next meal - which I believe will be another stew of sorts.

-Goodnight and warm noses

Hilary Chan 

A New Beginning...

Well, I know, I know...

It's been a while...Well, I'm here to tell you that I have come back (No, not from the future...) - but indeed I have come back to start the posting for small dogs everywhere.  There are a lot of topics that I want to cover and get talking about.  The first is well, what else?!  My dogs! DUH!

Basically everyone is good and having a blast in their new fenced yard.  Let's re-introduce the team and get things started, the right way!

Baby Gurl (Mari) is going to be 5 shortly, her birthday is sometime in September and we of course are planning a glitzy bash.

Lil j is doing well and only having seizures once in a great while, all in all the homemade diet is really paving the way health wise for him,  He is of unknown age - but guessing somewhere around 9 or 10.

My Beans Machine is really aging gracefully.  As a dog who lived the beginning of his life in a puppy mill, every year he gets more welcoming with new people and children.  It is amazing how far he's come over the years and see how he's really tamed (some) of his past inner demons.  Beans was born in 2006 and is going to be 9 this year!  I love him to pieces and he is my macho man.

It's amazing how far we've come together, and I feel like we've been through thick and thin.  These fur babies are what keep me going most days and motivate me to get out of bed and get to work (some mornings though they do try to keep me in bed...)  So now as we continue to travel along our path I'll do my best to continue to blog and bring everyone the good small doggie word - so we can all enjoy them and the things made for them -together.

Love always,

Hilary

-Tomorrow we shall discuss the continued importance of homemade food for dogs and what resources I love to share.

A NEW Flavor

Hey all you Small Dog Lovers!

So I've been searching for something a little lighter for the kids to have for breakfast and I recently found a great product that they and I really enjoy.  It's called Stella and Chewy's and they are like freeze dried raw beef patties (they don't look raw at all though).  I have never been a fan of the raw diet and neither have my kids, but these are totally awesome!

So the kids especially like the beef flavor.  I have also tried the surf and turf but they seem to prefer these.  They sell these bad boys at both holistic stores in the area.  They come in two different sizes a 6oz and 16oz, and range in price depending on where you get them.  An average for my area is about $26-$30 for the larger bag and about $12 for the smaller.  If you're good at planning ahead they sell them on Amazon for the $20-$30 range as well.  They also have a duck and chicken flavor, but I like to stay in the zone of what my kids like since I try not to jinx it!

The patties are definitely not pretty to look at, but they really do the trick!  There is a "how much to feed based on size" chart on each bag and since mine only get half of one for breakfast they last a lot longer than if it was their main food source.  I could see how they could go quick if this was for breakfast and dinner.  Overall a great new product which I highly recommend!  Baby Gurl is super excited to get her breakfast in the morning!

I hope your babies enjoy these as much as mine do!

Good night and warm noses!

-Hilary Chan

Check them out today!

Calcium is nutritious

Hey there Small Dog Lovers!


Well I have some news everyone, I recently found out that my babes aren't getting enough calcium in their diet!  Even though they get plenty of kale in their diet AND cheese it's just not enough.  How did I find out you ask?
Well...
Beans has been eating dirt.  I took them to the vet to make sure that everything was good and she told me that it is very common for dogs who have home cooked meals.  Now, I KNOW what you're thinking, this does NOT mean that I am going to give up cooking for them.  As well with being great for their diet I do enjoy cooking for them.  It's very therapeutic and makes me happy to see them porking away on my creations.  So here's how we fix it!


Eggshells!


You can buy bone meal or a vitamen supplement if you want to go that route as well.  I am trying this method out.  According to several sources the measurements to use are 1/2 tsp ground eggshells per pound of cooked food.  You empty the eggs and dry out the shells in the oven for a little while.

Then you grind them up either in a mortar and pestal, blender, coffee grinder, into a fine dust.  Add to the food and save the rest of the shells in a tupperware for later.

Here is a great site if you want to learn more about this supplement in your dogs diet.

http://dogaware.com/articles/dwcalcium.html

Check with your vet if your dog is having strange behaviors before you change their diet!

The next batch of food I will record the progress of this new endeavor!  Until next time.


Good night and warm noses.
-Hilary Chan

A Quick Fix

Hey there Small Dog Lovers!


I wanted to just give a quick update on this awesome product that I feel like sharing with the world (that means all of you)! I've gotten these a couple times now and everytime I give them out I'm always happy that I stocked up on these bad boys. They're called Get Naked Dog Chews. They have great review online and with my kids!

They have several flavors but I like to stick with the Super Antioxidant and Gut Health. They are chews but they don't last as long as you hope. I like to buy the smalls and cut them in half to make sure I'm watching their calories.

The Super Antioxidant is great and has ingredients like:
Organic brown rice flour, chicken, natural chicken flavor, organic oat fiber, organic flaxseed, dehydrated carrots, cranberries, parsley, chia seed, carrageenan (natural seaweed extract), blueberry pomace, and pomegranate, among others. It's getting the veggie bonus in when it's snack time! It's running about $6.50 right now on Amazon, but the price changes depending on who you get them from.

The Gut Health is also great with ingredients like:
Organic brown rice powder, oat fiber, chicken, natural chicken flavor, organic flaxseed, parsley, chia seed, cinnamon, ginger, peppermint, bacillus coagulans, among others. I am a big fan of probiotics and these chews are great for the kids. I like to hand them out especially if I can tell their tummies are upset or just for a healthy bacteria refresher. A probiotic gut is a happy gut! These ones are a little more expensive (not sure why) but as of right now they are running about $7.50 on Amazon depending where you get them.

I have seen these locally, they sell them at Pet People stores, but I have found that they only carry the large size and they are harder to break up to hand out. Someday I hope they will stock up for smaller mouths but until then, online ordering is my friend.

I hope your kids enjoy these as much as mine! I'll catch up on Heartworm medication next update, I want to get some good pictures together. Thanks guys!

Good night and warm noses!

-Hilary Chan

Turkey TIME!!!

Hey there Small Dog Lovers!


I know what you're thinking...
   "My dog is all ready bored with the Chicken Fantasy Stew!"
Well here is another twisted version of a recipe just for pups!  It involves some ground turkey and a few other surprises, let's get a gobble-gobblen'!


Step one: Ingredients

We've included some great items here: Turkey, Kale, Sweet Potatoes, Peas, Olive oil, Carrots, Salt, Parsley, Blueberries, Kelp Powder, Rosemary, and Oats.

First we brown the meat and herbs together.

Then we add the veggies.

Cook it down for a while.

Add the secret ingredient, a fresh slice of Roast Beef.

Then the oats.

A couple more minutes covered and...VIOLA!

Serve it up (I add the cheese)

Dish it out.

And repeat!

I hope that gives you some more options for your furry friends and your freezer.  I usually stick wit the chicken but when I notice that they get bored with it I switch to the turkey (which is fattier).  Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this episode and good night and warm noses!


-Hilary Chan


Coming Up: Heartworm medication, what to do?!