My Dogs Diet

25/12/2022

Nothing is wasted in our house! Whilst waiting for the oven to heat up we dried out our carrot and parsnip peelings for the dogs! This is a great topper for their regular food!

22/12/2022

14/09/2022

A yearly repeat in response to some poopy dogs out there.

Fresh, or dried herbs can be a bonus for your dog, and some have helpful properties for specific body functions (check out the info below)⬇️

Have these simple herbs on hand. You can use them to make and freeze teas in ice cube trays for use as needed, or keep chopped herbs in ice cubes to thaw and use within a veggie mix.

🔹Fresh dill acts as an antispasmodic. It can help to ease bowel spasms, and calm the gastrointestinal tract in general. You can add it to a veggie mix for your dog, or make a tea out of it, and add it to food. If your dog is really picky, add some of the dill tea to broth, or warmed food. It doesn’t take much to do the trick. Roughly 1 tsp. of dill tea for every 10 pounds of body weight has a soothing effect.

🔹Mint tea helps to firm stool, and also acts as an antispasmodic. The fresh herb can be used to brew tea, but I find that having the dried herb on hand is more convenient. You can use tea bags as well, of course, but purity is best when the dried herb is used. Mint has a strong smell, so adding the tea to warmed food, or broth works well.

🔹Parsley can be part of a veggie mix, but making a tea works well because you can actually use more parsley to boost a positive outcome. I’ve found parsley tea (parsley roots and greens) to help gastritis, and of course the antioxidants it contains are a healthful plus.

📌Reducing inflammation and soothing the GI tract should always be a goal to keep in mind.

16/07/2022

If anyone uses thrive dehydrated chicken for treats they're normally pretty pricey. These are pretty much the same and being cat treats, they're nice and small! And are £2.49 a pack in Lidl.....

24/06/2022

An Apple A Day Keeps the Doctor Away!

The list of nutritional value of an apple is long and varied- it is packed with vitamins, (such as vitamin C, vitamin K, Vitamin B6), minerals (such as riboflavin, potassium copper, manganese and magnesium) organic compounds; phytonutrients and flavonoids (such as epicatechin, quercetin and phloridzin).

Apples are also a great source of antioxidants which help to fight of free radicals which damage cells.

Nutritional Facts per 100g
52 Calories 0.2g Total fat
14g Carbohydrate 0.3g protein
1mg Sodium 107mg Potassium
1% Vitamin A 7% Vitamin C
1% Magnesium

Apples are high in a fibre called Pectin. This aids the digestive system by preventing constipation enabling smoother bowel movements. Apples also help develop the gut microbiome function of bacteria that reside in the large intestine. Apples alter the metabolic rate of the digestive tract which causes modifications in the bacteria in the gut improving gut health.

Apples are also a great source of iron and adding apple juice as well as adding raw apples to your dog’s diet can help with symptoms of anaemia.

Apples are packed full of antioxidants which fight off free radicals that harm cells. They are also helpful in regulating blood sugar levels. Antioxidants provide protection to the cells in the brain against oxidative stress and has been linked to aiding canine cognitive dysfunction and keeps brain cells healthy. Apples contain polyphenols which help to reduce absorption of carbohydrate which helps to control the fluctuation of the blood sugar level in the bloodstream.

Apples contain flavonoids that may help in the healing process of joint pain such as arthritis. They contain anti-inflammatory properties that may also help respiratory problems.

Apples contain a potent flavonoid known as quercetin. This flavonoid reduces the occurrence of inflammation in the blood vessels of the heart. Quercetin also helps to fight off the harmful effects of allergies. Quercetin is an antihistamine that can reduce irritation, redness, and inflammation.
- Fresh, whole apples supply about 4.4mg of quercetin for every 100g of apple.
- A good-sized apple can be nearly 200g, so one apple can contain nearly 9mg of quercetin.
- Make sure you give your dog the skin. Without the skin, 100g of raw apple only has 1.5 mg of quercetin.

Apples can be offered raw as a snack or added to your dog’s diet cubed or grated. If you choose to offer Juice, make sure there are no additional sugars added. You can remove the core and stuff your dogs favourite peanut butter in the middle or slice thinly and dry out in the oven or dehydrator.

Be sure to remove the core and the seeds of the apple before giving it to your dog. The seeds contain a very low amount of cyanide, though this chemical is only released when they are chewed and, as in people, swallowing a couple of pips is unlikely to cause problems.

Apple and Carrot Bakes

Ingredients
175g Grated Carrot (approx. 2 medium or 3 small carrots)
130g Oats
130g Grated Apple
100g Peanut Butter (make sure it does NOT contain Xylitol or Birch Sugar)
50g Blueberries
2 Eggs

Method
Preheat the oven to 175°C
Line 2 Baking sheets with non-stick baking paper
Combine carrots, oats and apple in a large bowl
Whisk the eggs and add to the mixture
If your peanut butter is hard you may want to soften it by mixing it or popping it in the microwave for 30 secs
Pour the eggs and peanut butter into the oat mixture and stir well to combine
Form small balls in your hands and place on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten each ball slightly with your hand.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until they are firm to touch and beginning to brown.
Allow to cool before offering to your dog.
Keep in an air tight container for 5 days or you can freeze some for later.

03/06/2022

Cooked up some lovely bone broth to give the dogs a boost. Louie needs some extra help having had roundworms last week (he's been treated and is now clear) but it all takes its toll on his guts and George isn't in great place as he's stopped eating so I'm hoping to encourage him to eat a little broth to keep him going a few more days.

I've added some herbs from the garden to boost the benefits of it.

Woodruff is known for its anti inflammatory, anti arthritic properties as well as being good for the lungs, liver, stomach and gall bladder.

Chamomile is known for its anti inflammatory and calming properties as well helping with sleep and relaxation.

Melissa (lemon balm) is known for its calming effects, its anti viral and anti bacterial, its good for stress, dementia and aids digestion.

Ingredients:
One whole organic chicken
3 small carrots
1 turnip
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Handful of fresh woodruff
Handful of fresh Melissa
Handful of fresh chamomile

Method:
Place the chicken in a saucepan and cover with water and add the apple cider vinegar
Bring to the boil and then simmer for 90 minutes
Add the carrots and turnips and simmer for 30 minutes
Remove the chicken and wait for it to cool
Remove the bones from the chicken and place the shredded meat back in the saucepan and add the herbs
Simmer for another 30 mins

Allow to cool and either serve as is or place in ice cube trays and freeze.

15/05/2022

In my attempt to minimise waste, I'm cooking roast leg of lamb today and have made fat balls for the dogs with the carrot and parsnip peelings! The tops and tails have gone into the roasting dish to give the jus a bit more flavour... for any of my dog owning friends, here's the recipe for the fat balls... for all non dog owning friends, I guess you could make slabs of this and pop it on your bird feeder...

Veg peeling fat balls for dogs:
Veg peelings (not potato, that's too starchy? We used carrot and parsnip peelings)
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp milled chia seeds
4 tbsp melted coconut oil

Method:
Pop your veg peelings in a processor and whizz until finely chopped
Add the pumpkin seeds and whizz it again to mix
Add the chia seeds and whizz again
Add the melted coconut oil (we used a microwave but you could melt it in a pan
Whizz again
With a tsp, take 1 tsp of the mixture and make into small balls.
Place in the fridge to solidfy

Voila! No waste from your veggies for your roast!

22/04/2022

George doesn't really want to eat much these days (he's end of life) but he does like to eat egg type stuff so we spent the morning making him some breakfast muffins with eggs, cheese, kale and ham hock. He may not have long left but getting any kind of food into him is more important than making sure its balanced/healthy/a specific brand...

Anyone else got a golden oldie?

21/04/2022

Our dogs love broccoli and this fits with our post from a few weeks ago 😁😁😁

The cancer-fighting vegetable you should be sharing with your dog! 🥦

No matter what type of pet food you are feeding, adding broccoli to your pet’s diet is a powerful way to make any pet food better and have a profound impact on your dog’s health. 🐶

When writing our new book, The Forever Dog, we wanted to equip you with easy-to-add foods that can add valuable nutrition to your pet’s bowl.

In the chapter “Dietary Habits for a Long and Healthy Life” we cover all of the dog-friendly foods, herbs and fluids that provide nutrient diversity, build the microbiome and bolster your dog’s antioxidant, and polyphenol intake… smart choices for delaying aging! 🧬

Building A Better bowl is one of the many simple strategies in The Forever Dog book to intentionally create a thriving dog. Available now for pre-order at https://foreverdog.com/about/

📖Here’s an excerpt from The Forever Dog:

Broccoli contains a critical compound called “sulforaphanes” ….When tested in both animals and human studies, sulforaphanes slowed the rate of cancer and cardiovascular biomarkers, reduced inflammation markers, and significantly removed toxins from the body, including harmful heavy metals, mycotoxins, and AGEs!

In addition to being loaded with gut-friendly fiber, cruciferous vegetables also come with vitamins, antioxidants, and substances with anti-inflammatory effects. Broccoli in particular contains two supermolecules: 3,3'-Diindolylmethane (DIM) and sulforaphane, which naturally boost glutathione levels.…Research in dogs also shows DIM can also have antitumor/anticancer activity. Sulforaphane has been studied for bone and bladder cancer in dogs with impressive results. A key point: The magic of sulforaphane is found only when broccoli is eaten; dogs and people don’t benefit from sulforaphane in supplement form because it degrades so quickly. This magical molecule stimulates apoptosis (healthy, programmed cell death) in your dog’s body, which is vital when bad cancerous cells need to be killed.

You can pre-order your copy today at https://foreverdog.com/about/

17/04/2022

There's some lovely herbs around at the moment. Get yourself ready for summer by planting up se herbs for you and your dog. We've planted lots of lovely herbs up today!

15/04/2022

We've got some great give aways over this Easter break, head over and post on the superhounds post to win some fantastic goodies this Easter!

🎉🎉And the winner is....
Karen bunny Ladhams! 🎉🎉
Congratulations Karen, we loved your photo of your dog in the back of your vehicle! Send us over your address and we'll post your book and bits off to you!

Okay kicking off our Easter give away, we've got a Beyond the Bowl book (this will give you lots of ideas as to what to put in your KONG), a KONG brush to clean your KONGS, a KONG pen to write all your notes up and a much sought after KONG keyring.

All you have to do is post a cute pic of your pooch and I'll pick a winner on Easter Monday!

Happy posting!

13/04/2022

This one could take some thinking out. D is not a easy one look forward to see your ideas.

12/04/2022

Did you know cucumber is a great low fat treat and a fantastic way of keeping your dogs hydrated in the summer?

10/04/2022

Hi guys,

Here are our Broccoli and Cheese Biscuits. Great for slow release energy too.

10/04/2022

Lets have a bit of fun. We are starting our A to Z of fruit and veg. So share your ideas.

Look out for our information cards too.

08/04/2022

Cleavers are coming up now and we LOVE offering Cleavers in some filtered water to our dogs to help clear out the winter toxins...

07/04/2022

Fancy making your own Golden Paste? Here's a nice image showing you how...

31/03/2022

Hi Guys,

Here you go the first of our Broccoli recipes, Broccoli and Cheese Muffins.

Dont forget to share with us your muffin pictures.

28/03/2022

Vitamin Boosting Broccoli

Packed full of vitamins and minerals, broccoli is often overlooked as an addition to our dogs diet.

Being part of the cabbage family, they are low in starch and sugars but rich in nutrients and phyto chemicals.

Broccoli is packed full of iron, calcium, potassium and vitamins C, K and A.

Broccoli contain loads of phytochemicals such as carotenoids, polyphemols, isothiocyanates and indoles, meaning it also has anti inflammatory properties and cancer fighting properties.

High in antioxidants, broccoli has also been linked to protecting eye health and prevent cataracts.

How to include broccoli in your dogs diet:

🥦Lightly steamed florets simply added to their food.

🥦Cut the raw stalk into small pieces as a tasty training treat

🥦Cut the raw stalk into coins as a chew

🥦Give the whole stalk as a chew

👀Watch out for our amazing broccoli recipes👀

🍪Make our Cheese and Broccoli Biscuits
🍰Make our Breakfast Broccoli Muffins
🧊Make our Super Cool Icy Treats

27/03/2022

Here's a lovely recipe for energy bars for your dogs!

Ingredients
2 ripe bananas
Juice and zest of 1 lime
½ cup peanut butter (make sure no xylitol)
1 cup of mixed seeds ( pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, golden linseed, sesame seeds)
1 cup dried, chopped apricot
½ cup coconut flakes
1 ½ cup rolled oats
½ cup milled chia seed
1tbsp honey

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F
Line a baking tray with parchment paper
In a food processor, puree the banana until smooth and set aside
Warm the peanut butter in a microwave for 15-30 seconds until melted or melt in a ceramic/glass bowl over a pan of boiling water
In a large bowl, add the ingredients and mix until they come together (if the mixture is too wet, add more oats, if it’s too dry add more banana or warmed peanut butter)
Turn the mixture into your lined baking tray and spread the mixture out evenly
Bake for 20-25 min until golden brown
Allow to cool before cutting into squares

N.B you can enjoy this too!