Aimee's Homemade Dog Food

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

19 Jul 2008 02:21 PM

Since Moose got sick last weekend (and Lally joined him a few days later), I've been serving them chicken, rice, and broth. Lally has always been a chicken lover, so I'm sure this is just heaven for her. Moose will eat pretty much anything that doesn't eat him first, but I bet he likes the real stuff better than chicken in kibble-form, too!

It's started me thinking about how I would make my own dog food, if I decided to keep going the homemade route for the pups. Chicken and rice is an okay diet for an upset tummy, but a healthy dog needs more than just protein and grains for a balanced diet.

I've started a mental shopping list for my future dog food creations:

• Lean protein, like chicken or turkey. Lean beef would work, too, though I know Lally has a definite preference for fowl.
• Grains. Rice works, I'm also curious to experiment with oatmeal. Will the dogs eat it? Would they like it? I'm going to give it a shot.
• Veggies. They both like string beans, so that's a definite. I was thinking of pureeing carrots, beans, and tomatoes (Lally likes raw tomatoes). I might even add some pumpkin -- pumpkin has bromelain which is good for joint health.
• Vitamins. Hopefully, the mix of foods will provide the majority of the vitamins the pups need in their diet. But I was thinking of adding vitamin E oil -- it's good for their skin and coats.
• Fruit? I've seen some gourmet dog foods with apple in them -- Merrick Thanksgiving Day Dinner comes to mind. I'm not sure if the dogs would like fruit mixed in, but it's worth a shot. I could always puree the fruit with the veggies!
• Other supplements? I intend to keep adding Moose's joint supplement to his food. The warmer weather seems to be easier on his pain, but I'm using the supplement year-round anyway.

As for serving it up, my vague plan is this:

• One half-cup of rice and/or oatmeal.
• One half-cup of meat.
• A dollop of veggie "gravy" (maybe make the puree with chicken broth so it's smoother).

Mix well and serve!

Learn more about Aimee Amodio

Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover...

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