I've been making dog food for a few weeks since Manchee was off colour, then after his collision with Bo's foot, I carried on as it was easier to get his medicine and painkillers into him via a delicious home cooked meal!
The recipe is very simple, one third of meat to two thirds of vegetables and grains. I make a wheat free recipe as I don't think it's very easy for Manchee to digest, being half Whippet and half Bedlington terrier.
The vegetable portion is made up of brown rice, lentils, carrots and a little sweet potato all cooked until nearly soft then I had a cup of porridge oats. Finally I add the cooked meat and let it cool. Half is portioned into freezer bags and the other half goes in the food processor to be ground to a fine past.
This is the paste spread on a baking sheet. I bake it for 25minutes on a medium heat, then flip it over and bake for another 25 minutes. Then I break it into bite sized pieces and bake again until it's dry and crunchy. This is for texture and sometimes I mix in a little cheddar before baking to give it a different taste. Some of the cats will eat the kibble, most will eat the mush and Manchee eats it all!!!
This was last nights dinner, same recipe but with beef and pork mince instead of turkey. I didn't bother to make the kibble from this one as all the animals wanted it right away :D I'd call that a success but I think a little yeast extract may have been the reason the cats wanted it so badly!
I went shopping today, I go far too often and hope to cut it all down in time. I couldn't resist taking this picture though :D So, they've named a biscuit after me. The label said gingery with a mallow filling. Yep, that's about right :D
I couldn't resist this picture of Bambam, she is so beautiful that I may have to paint a picture of her <3
BTW, thank you to my new blog friends for visiting and leaving messages, it's lovely to connect to new people.x
LOL..everytime I see some product with the word "Rain" in it, I assume it's named after me too :) Your pets are a lucky bunch! I remember buying so much pork for the dogs, the huskies eat a lot. I'd made pork with brown rice, carrots/peas/green beans, crushed up eggshells (for calcium) and some seaweed for mineral supplements. I'd top it with some homemade yogurt and pumpkin puree. They LOVED it. They got that twice a day, then at bedtime a boiled egg with oatmeal. Yeah, spoiled....but they were so healthy (besides Marlene's bladder issues). One day I'd love to cook for them again if I can find something that won't upset Marlene's gentle insides! Don't you find it breaks the bank sometimes though? I had to really load up on the pork when it was on sale! Your cat is very cute!
ReplyDeleteI had thought of making up the dogs food, but at there age especially Sol who has been on the same food since a puppy I dont know how well he would adjust to a change in diet
ReplyDeleteI have been cooking Ben's food for a very long time, he was a rescue dog and had not had a good start. He suffers with a skin condition which is mostly controlled by his diet. Lots of lamb and oily fish, some pork, beef and turkey all padded out with veg and oats and rice. I haven't thought about lentils so I will cook up a small batch to try it out.
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm loving these recipes thank you friends :D
ReplyDeleteRain, it's actually cheaper sometimes as I end up throwing away a lot of dog food if Manchee doesn't like it or if it upsets his delicate tummy! The cats are harder to feed!
Dawn, if Sol's diet is working, don't change it :D
Pam, I'll try them with oily fish, I'm they'll love that :D
I would eat that, too! I have toyed with the idea of making my own dog food, but with three dogs, two cats, a small farmlet and a full time job, it's not realistic. Bad enough that I have one picky eater in each animal group that keeps me on my toes. What a beautiful, beautiful cat your Bambam is!
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