COOKING FOR DOGS

I’m not an expert by any means but I think I’ve mastered the art of cooking for my dogs.

And it’s very easy and economical.  In fact, organic canned food is around $2.50 per can. I would use 2 a day with all of my dogs.  Instead, I buy whatever lean meat is on sale, throw it in the crock pot, add either fresh or a bag of frozen veggies, some water and turn it on.  Sweet potatoes are great too, they are full of nutrients.  Occasionally, I’ll add brown rice but dogs don’t digest grains as well as they do meat and produce. A lot of dog food companies use it as a filler because it’s cheap. And obviously, this is healthier than any processed food. 

I can buy chicken thighs for $.79 a pound. I’ll even buy the boneless skinless chicken breasts for $1.99 a lb.  By the time you cut off the skin and debone, it probably averages out.  Regardless of the meat, I always debone, trim fat and skin, if applicable. 

Kroger has a “Manager’s Special” section in the meat dept. for meats that are getting ready to expire. I head there first and stock my freezer if I can. I try to use a large variety of meat, even liver because different types and cuts of meat all have different nutrients. 

The other night, a friend and I made a kale dish so I cut up the stems and added it to the crock pot the next next day.  Depending on how much you cook, it should last quite a few meals. I feed my dogs twice a day so I always have 2 different mixtures, one for each meal, just to give them variety.  I just warm it up, add a little extra warm water and pour it over their dry food. I can even put Mac’s pills in his dish and he doesn’t even know it. 

Sometimes I’ll fix them scrambled eggs with spinach and a piece of turkey bacon for a little treat.  But since that’s processed and salty, I don’t do that very often.  Usually, just the eggs and veggies.

I can actually get Melinda, Mac & Jazz to eat bananas, apples, carrots and brocolli so I will give them as snacks. They all love watermelon but it’s so messy. I have to give it to them on the deck and then hose it off after.  Just be creative.