08/06/2024
Reading through this as I sip my morning coffee and listening to the birds. It's an excellent source, packed full of information. Great recipes for treats, toppers, meals and more.
This book is helping me put together ideas I already came up with, but didn't put together because I am terrible about overthinking EVERYTHING! A few months ago I started making bone broth gelatin to add to my dogs' food and to use as treats. I thought if I could get it firm enough I could make pill pockets and firmer treats that are packed with healthy foods. This book has recipes to do just that! I don't have to overthink it anymore. I still will, because I'll want to come up with my own creations...
My dogs have been really healthy, thankfully. My youngest, Henry, will be 10 later this month, and he's a large breed. He's showing his age! The little dudes are 12 and at least 15 this year. We really aren't sure how old Brownie is, just that he's a few years older than Bear. Both littles have health issues that require special diets.
Bear has had seizures all his life, and they've gotten worse with age. Changing his diet has helped tremendously! He's on a keto diet to help reduce seizures. He gets special treats every morning and evening with his medication.
Brownie has been diagnosed with kidney disease. My little dude that would take treats so vigorously that we had to work hard to get him not to nip. He would also get into food at every opportunity. We had to get him a super difficult puzzle bowl to slow him down. He started eating slower and slower. He got to the point where he was super picky about treats. We had to quit the puzzle bowl. I thought it was something dental related, because he was usually good with soft treats and food. Nope! Little dude was in pain throughout his body, and especially his digestive tract from the kidney disease. I've started cooking for him and buying him gently cooked commercial dog food. That's helped him to eat better! It's still a work in progress.
I wish there were more recipes for meals in this book that did not include chicken! Both Bear and Brownie have allergies to chicken. We did an elimination diet to verify. Bear would get recurrent ear infections and itch like mad on his feet and face. Brownie would itch all over. He would constantly rub around on everything possible to ease the itch. He'd scratch himself bloody. He'd lick constantly. The scratching and itching caused him to have horrible mats in his coat.
Henry is benefitting from the changes for Bear and Brownie. He's getting more fresh food that is homemade. He gets more fresh fruits and veggies. He will pretty much eat anything I will eat. He loves bananas! Just try to eat a banana around him without giving him some! 🤣 He will even eat raw spinach and lettuce. Brownie used to stare at the floor when I would cook, waiting for something to drop and me telling him he can have it. I hope he feels good enough to do that again soon! He would eat a good amount of raw, fresh veggies and fruits like squash, melon, cucumber, carrot etc. Now he's very selective.
There is a suggestion in the book that I highly disagree with! The book suggests making gelatin molds into balls and using them for playtime. Balls are a serious choke hazard for dogs. Making a ball out of food that can be quite firm increases that choke hazard! Just not a smart suggestion. If it were soft enough to not be a choke hazard it wouldn't hold its shape enough to be played with. Please remember, large balls are better than small balls!
