Dinner is ready!

Have you ever arrived home at 7pm after a hectic day at work, only to realise there's no dog food left? All the shops are closed, you've already settled for a lower than average brand of food last week and now that has run out too? Don't fret everyone! Feeding your dog from your kitchen is easier than you think.

The above mentioned scenario played out at our house last night and there's no telling Salvador that there's no food in the house for him, so I had to make do with what we had in the fridge and what we ended up with was a semi balanced meal. Here follows the recipe for Salvador's home cooked, mom-forgot-to-buy-me-dog-food dinner:

Ingredients

• 2 raw, free range eggs
• half a cup of brown rice
• 1 medium carrot, grated
• 2 stems of organic broccoli
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Method

Cook the rice as directed on the packet. Spoon about half a cup of cooked rice into your dog's bowl and while it is still hot, add the two eggs and stir it up (some of you who already make your own pet food would add the egg shells too). Grate the carrot and broccoli over the mix and add a glug of oil.

And there you have it! Salvador absolutely adored this meal and tonight when feeding time came, I could see that he was secretly hoping that it would be the same warm dish as last night. 

Feeding your dog this recipe daily is not a good idea as dogs need all kinds of other nutrients and way more protein than what I've added here, but it sure does come in handy when you forgot to go past the pet store...

Licks & Kisses

xxxx

The FAT issue

Hi all,

there is still a quiet gloom hanging around the house this morning because of yesterday's Blue drama. I obviously get attached way to quickly! I was mulling over it all in my head and suddenly remembered chatting to the vet about dog weight.
I asked her if she thought that Salvador was at a good weight - now that his hair is short, one can get a much better idea - and she said he is definitely on the porkier side of thin. I wasn't shocked and freaked at all. I knew that moving him from the farm to the city was going to be a challenge in terms of getting him the huge amount of exercise that he was accustomed to and needs, so I've looked into other ways than merely focusing on that to also make sure he doesn't gain too much.

I've been very clear from the start on the subject of owning a dog that is not overweight and I'm not afraid to take the necessary steps to insure this, yet I know so many people that struggle with this issue.
Growing up, our dogs' food bowls were always full. My mom didn't believe in rationing their food, being of the school of thought that they would eat when they are hungry. Now, whether your dog will stop eating when he's full or not is very much personal (once again proving that your dog is more like you than you thought). The biggest problem is perhaps YOU!
How many times have you watched one of those reality shows about the severely obese and their carers, who often turn out to be as much part of the problem as the actual over eating, just to say something like "he/she is enabling the eating". Meanwhile Scruffles is lying under your feet, struggling to breath due to all the extra rolls around his neck ?

Fact #1: Your dog can only eat as much as you feed him.

It is your responsibility to figure out how much your dog should be eating. Dietary guides on the back of food packets can be tricky to get right as there are many factors that come in to play. Working dogs, puppies and pregnant females should be getting more food than is prescribed and remember, just because you own a dog with the word 'hound' audible in its name or just because your dog brings you the newspaper in the morning, does not mean it is a 'WORKING' dog...think hard labor people!

To get a rough estimate of how your dog weighs in, follow this link to a calculator and also take a look at this great diagram I found.

From http://www.aplaceforpaws.com/blog/canine-obesity-a-huge-problem

Fact #2: Indulging your dog might make you feel good for a while, but is it making him sick? 

Overweight dogs are at risk of suffering from diseases very similar to those that an obese human would suffer from. You don't want this for your best pal! Here are a few of the common things your dog might suffer from if he is on the chubbier side of plump:

• Heart disease
• Respiratory issues
• Diabetes
• Cancers
• Osteoarthritis
• Cardiopulmonary disease

If this worries you, start sorting our his diet today. Your vet can help you by calculating the right amount of food he should be having or suggesting a special diet. 

Fact #3: There's no point trying out that new diet if your not going to try out the exercise program with it!

Keeping your dogs' weight in check is simple. EXERCISE! Any old exercise will do and your dog will love you for it! 

As dog owners we all want the best for our besties and that sometimes involve turning a blind eye to those cute little needy eyes, subtly demanding a little nibble of something. We will all have to toughen up!  

Licks & Kisses!

xxx

Possible Birthday Surprise Treat for Salvador #1 - Peanut Butter Biscuits

As you may, or may not know, Salvador celebrates his 2nd birthday this coming Thursday!

Last year I was in such a frenzy trying to find exciting things to do and make for this momentous occasion that it fell totally flat and I ended up with nothing exciting...this year WILL be different folks.
As of yet, I am still unsure of what this exciting day will bring (be it gifts, treats or outings...),

THEREFOR!!

I have decided to showcase some ideas I have in mind for this years barking bash!

First up, a recipe for PEANUT BUTTER DOG BISCUITS

Ingredients:

2 cups of whole wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup of peanut butter
1/2 tbsp olive oil (fish oil, sunflower oil, coconut oil will do)
1 1/2 cups water

Preheat your oven to 180'C and prepare a baking tray by lining it with some baking paper.
Mix flour, oats and 1 cup of water until smooth.
Now add the peanut butter and oil to the mix. Slowly add the rest of the water until the mixture is thick and doughy.
Roll the dough out on a dusted surface and press out desired shapes (I'm hoping to come up with something a little less cliche than the standard bone shape...)
Bake for 40 minutes and allow to TOTALLY cool before feeding it to your dog.

Happy ba(r)king !!

Licks & Kisses

xxx

Let's talk diet...

I'm sure as pet owners, we all, at some stage, battle with the dreaded decision: What do you feed your most loyal companion? I therefor thought I would share the story of my long road to finding what works best for Salvador and I.

The very first day I brought him home is when I first battled this dilemma. As a first time pet owner or new owner, it's only natural to want to provide your pet with the most nutritious meals possible, but with all the variety around, ranging from low cost supermarket duds to bank breaking vet's choices, it's hard to balance peace of mind and your bank balance (no one ever said getting a pet would be a cheap outing...).

For the first 3 months of Salvador's puppy life I was feeding him a popular brand, bought directly from the vet. I felt that while he was still growing and eating relatively little at that stage, I would give him the most nutritious thing I could find,

UNTIL...

we hit the 6 month old stage. At this age he was quite a bit larger, way more energetic and his appetite sky rocketed! This is when I started investigating other options. I was looking for something that would take care of all his growing needs, that was more cost effective than the expensive food recommended by the vet and that was perhaps a bit more natural (I became aware of natural alternatives to dog food while working on a bio dynamic farm, where the cook made dog food weekly for the farm dogs...but more on this later).
At that stage, making my own raw dog food was not an option due to the sheer amount of time and sourcing of appropriate ingredients this required, so I thought that if I can't go totally natural with this food thing, the next best option would be going local.
I found a few brands of locally produced dog foods, but in the end I was most impressed by Montego's Karroo Puppy food .
Montego offers a range of solid food options, but I decided to go with the Karroo brand. This food is produced locally and originated in Graaff-Reinet, a small town in the Great Karroo. For those of you who does not know this area, it's well known for it's ostrich and lamb meat, which happens to be what this brand of food is made of.
The founder of the brand lives and works in the area and after investigating cost effective, yet nutritious options for his own farm hounds, he started developing this brand specifically for their needs. On top of this, it contains all natural macro materials and has no added colorants or artificial flavorants.

This whole back story appealed to me since we were living on a farm and the sheer amount of energy young Salvador was using up each day, 'working' the land, meant that he needed something more potent than the everyday supermarket kibble to sustain his growing needs.
We've since moved on form the farm and I'm still feeding him this same brand - we have tried others, just to change things up a little, but we keep coming back to this rich, nutritious food. I guess nothing beats ostrich and lamb....

Montego Karroo Adult

Licks & Kisses!

xxx