Dog Food Issues- Please read

We’ve posted about dog food issues and the truth is that there are few foods that meet the needs of dogs and yet are healthy, natural and safe. Homemade dog food is the best route and even though you think its expensive and time consuming the reality is that your dog will live longer and your vet bills will go down so its a trade off. We all know the nightmares of commercial dog food and a simple search will show you that most are filled with ingredients that are unsafe for human consumption so why would you feed your dog this?

If you feed your dog quality food they won’t have to eat as much to feel satisfied and they will stay healthy and trim. You will notice less shedding, a healthy coat, better vitality and the poops will not only be smaller but it won’t smell as bad as it does when feeding commercial dog food. This is enough proof for me!
Here is a site that has recipes for dog treats. Many of them we use here at Dancing Creek Farm. Thankfully we have our own chickens and grow quite a bit of produce. Much of the produce grown here is used to feed the animals. During growing season our guest enjoy added “treats” to their normal diet such as- Baby Bok Choi, Romaine Lettuce, yummy yellow pear tomatoes (less acid), sweet potatoes, peas, collards greens, melons and other fruits. You’d be surprised how much dogs LOVE lettuce and fruit. You’ve seen video of our Princess Sadie that is VERY fussy but she LOVES peanut butter, yogurt and peaches! She gets so distracted with all the fun going on but she has a hard time passing up banana yogurt!
Another great addition is enzymes to help the digestive tract and the absorption of nutrients. Antioxidant support is also a key factor in longivity and overall health. We will be carrying products for pick up from http://www.nzymes.com of course you can order online or pick up when you pick up your baby. These products are good for you too!
Because I have several large dogs I can’t afford to feed organic meats but I can certainly feed them meats made for human consumption. For instance these are a few of my dogs meals. I still feed them a quality food which we now carry for resell at the farm, however thanks to Sam’s Club now in Danville, I can buy meat at a great price.
Fridays Fish Dinner
Canned Fish- this can be tuna packed in water. Jack Mackerel, Salmon – Of course these are also high in sodium so I make sure they only get this once a week. A little garlic clove (minced is fine), a fresh boiled egg, peas or whatever veggie I am growing or there is on sale in a can. Every meal gets a goo dollop of plain yogurt with active cultures.
Where’s the Beef???
I buy large packages of lean beef. At Sam’s they have 80% lean which is fine. I portion it out to about 1/2 a cup raw meat. Sometimes I add raw egg or I whip out the food processor and whip up romaine, strawberries, blueberries, cooked carrots or whatever i happen to have but I make sure they get their veggies. I might add a bit of brown rice but I only give them rice a few meals a week.
Cluck, Cluck
Chicken has gone up in price but if you buy right you can get some deals at Sam”s Club. I buy chicken thighs which are easy to take out the bone. Some people give it raw with the bone but I’m not sure I’m comfortable with this so I bake a large batch and the bone removes easily. One (two for large dogs) is enough then I add a little cayenne pepper, yogurt, rosemary and oregano all which are great for digestive, heart, blood circulation and even joint pain. In fact if you have a dog with joint pain use curry. They love it! Then I add a bit of yogurt and whatever veggies I’m doing that week. Tomatoes are great & even throw in a few grapes!
You can buy chicken livers in big tubs or other organ parts. This is a great addition too. I also add a fish oil gel pill (I buy at Walmart or Sam’s CHEAP) to one meal and of course the enzymes and other supplements depending on the dogs needs.
If you don’t have time to make fresh meals then contact me and I will work out a plan and make it for you. You can easily freeze and pick up monthly or if you want fresh pick up once a week. I can design meals for your dogs special needs, add vitamins or whatever you need. In the summer I will also include frozen treats which the dogs lover using active yogurt and fruit. They LOVE this!