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My family has taken “crazy pet people” to new heights. Our pets are the only things we talk about and they are the only ones we cook for. Technically, we cook for ourselves but not nearly as much as we do for our dogs.

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We tried to convert our cats but they were too used to the free-food set up.

I know a lot of people who will cook some extra turkey, chicken or rice and mix it in with the regular dog food. I’ve seen clients at our animal hospital even go as far as give tomatoes (by the way, tomatoes are NOT GOOD for your dog).

What is special about this diet is it is fully home-cooked. No dog food in sight.

Saachi!

This lovely mastiff came to us with worms and giardia. We spent almost two years trying to get rid of them. The worms destroyed her stomach and she became sensitive to commercial food (including treats). There was only one kibble she could eat and she hated it.

We decided to try home-cooked. We tried different foods before finding something that worked. Saachi is 7 years old and we finalized (for now) their menu last year.

The most frequently asked questions are —

 

What?

Ground beef

Veggie Medley

  • Kale
  • Carrots
  • Green Beans
  • Cauliflower
  • Leftover broccoli stalks

Lentils (2 types)

Couscous

Treats: Graham crackers or peanut butter

 

Changes?

We used to buy the cheapest meat. Pork had too much water loss and ended up being more expensive. We tried chicken, beef or chicken liver but Saachi could not stomach those.

We started with brown rice before couscous but Saachi didn’t digest it and it sat in her stomach. She would only vomit rice. Gross!

Cabbage made her burp uncontrollably, same with broccoli heads.

 

How Much?

We cook enough for 7 to 10 days.

10 lbs of ground beef will last the two dogs 7 days.

3 lbs kale, 1 lb of carrots & green beans, and one cauliflower lasts 9-10 days.

700 g of lentils lasts 7-9 days.

I’m not sure how much couscous we cook but it lasts around 7 days.

 

That’s a lot of work, why?

Believe it or not the home-cooked diet is way cheaper than the commercial diet. Given the type of specialized dog food Saachi would have to eat and her size, we would be going through so much so quickly. Also, this prescription food is a lot more expensive than most others.

If you are at all interested in how I cook the food, please let me know. I will link each recipe to a different post so as not to over-load this post.

Yes, I know I’m crazy, but my pets are the most important beings in my life and I will do anything to keep them healthy!

My dogs never get sick. Never. We probably tacked on a few years to their life just because of this diet.

 

Recipe for Ground Beef

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.