by Melinda Langston from the Pampered Pets Mystery Series by Sparkle Abbey
Hey there, it’s me, Melinda Langston. I’m looking for some
advice from my fellow pet lovers.
My bulldog, Missy, has had some digestive problems for a
while now. Last week, a customer recommended that homemade meals might help
with Missy’s tummy problems. I’m not sure why I hadn't thought of it before,
heck, I make special doggie treats all the time. I even sell canine cookbooks
at my pet boutique, but for some reason I never thought to actually cook a meal
for Missy.
I know, completely shortsighted of me.
Over the last couple of days, I've poured over the pages of
those cookbooks lining the bookshelves in my shop and found some great recipes. I
think I've decided on the first meal I’m going to cook for Missy—chicken and
rice stew. The ingredients are straightforward: chicken breast, rice, potatoes,
carrots and peas. But most importantly, the instructions are simple. To be perfectly honest, if the stew turns out as well
as the recipe says it should, I’ll ladle a bowl up for myself too.
What I’d like to know is if you've ever cooked for your pet, what
types of meals were a hit? Did you ever make something that your pet just wouldn't touch? If you have any advice on do's and don’ts, I’m all ears.
Posts
I have made some treats for my pets. The b rownies made with carob were a big hit. Not so much the more ordinary treats, including the "kit" which included a bone shaped cookie cutter, which I purchased at a pet store. For the kit, you just added water and egg and mixed the dough, rolled it out, cut out your cookies and then baked. They were hard.
ReplyDeleteDianne, carob brownies are a great idea! Thanks for the tip.
DeleteFeel free to drop a steak on the floor...
ReplyDeleteSally, been there, still doing that. LOL Missy's loves to hangout by my feet when I'm cooking.
DeleteI home cook for my dogs all the time. When you start, mix some of their old food in with the home cooked food until their tummies get used to the switch. My dogs love barley (instead of rice), which is super good for them (and for us!). And if you want something really great for Missy, bake some sweet potatoes and mix a little bit in every day.
ReplyDeleteKrista, you have all kinds of great advice! I've seen a number of recipes that call for sweet potatoes. I've added a couple to my growing list to try. Thanks!
DeleteThese are all good suggestions. Best not to vary poochies diet too much.
DeleteWhen my dog has had an upset stomach I have made Chicken and rice - you do have to be careful though since they need other vitamins/calcium etc. added to their food. You might also look into a pro-biotic which will help with tummy problems. I'm using "Proviable-DC" which I got from my vet and have since purchased from Amazon for much less.
ReplyDeleteHi Karen! I have several customers who have talked about pro-biotics. I'll make sure to talk to Missy's vet, Dr, Daniel Darling, and find out if that's appropriate for Missy. Thanks for the advice!
ReplyDeleteNo pets here, unless you count my husband ;-)
ReplyDeleteWe are seeing a lot of problems with imported pet foods. Poor or no quality control, I fear there is a demand to keep cranking out the product regardless if it becomes contaminated. Poor or no envirlomental controls, some of the ingrediants are contaminated before reaching production. The first thing I'd suggest is switching to feeds made in and containing only U.S. and Canadian products.
ReplyDeleteWheat may also cause some digestive problems. There are more and more wheat free products. Back in the day...my grandmother had several dogs, Pekes mostly. She would get scrap meat from the local butcher. We'd cook it up with oats. If you have a hunter or fisherman around, venison, and salmon with sweet potato, rice, or barley. Be careful of small bones when making your own foods.
There are several easy to make pet treats. Check the internet. I make a liver "jerky" for training treats.