…hehe that rhymed.

 

Why a medley?

Kale and collard greens are both high in essential vitamins and antioxidants that fight cancer and infection. This is especially important for Saachi. Mastiffs tend to get a lot of cysts and fatty deposits. They are usually benign but it only takes one malignancy for health problems to set in. They are both great sources of fiber. There is no reason to mix the two veggies. In fact, it would be too much of a good thing and end up being detrimental.

Green beans are extremely high in antioxidants and are a great source of carotenoids.

Carrots are extremely high in carotenoids. These are a great anti-inflammatory and are also great for eye health. They are also extremely high in Vitamin C.

Cauliflower is a nutritional powerhouse. It is high in Vitamin K and fatty acids. It is great source of fiber. It lowers the risk of cancer and is an anti-inflammatory.

The best thing about these vegetables is they all have a low fat content and do not have a lot of natural sugar. Dogs do not digest sugar well and it will weaken their stomachs. That is why tomatoes, celery, etc. are not great for them.

I could go on about why we choose these vegetables since they all have awesome qualities. Our main concern is fiber, hearth health and anti-cancer benefits.

 

Recipe

• 1 pound green beans
• 3 pounds kale OR collard greens
• 1 pound carrots
• 1 cauliflower
• 1 take-out plastic container of water
• 1 tbsp turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 or 3 bay leaves

 

Chop the veggies as finely as possible. Bigger pieces are more difficult to digest and will probably just pass through without

Add all the veggies to a large pot with the spices and water.

Honestly, I could get away with half a container of water but I think the extra steam makes the veggies even softer

Turn the stove to high heat and bring to a boil.

Once the water is boiling, cover and lower to low heat.

Stir occasionally for 40 minutes.

 

Just a note on storing: I do not drain the water because it keeps the veggies moist in the freezer and refrigerator.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

I promised I would slowly post the recipes for each component of our dog’s home-cooked diet.

These always change. They really depend on what Saachi can digest.

Lets start.

 

Why Ground Beef?

When we buy ground beef as 80% meat, 20% fat there is very little water loss along with the fat. We get very close to the 1lb slab of meat the we originally bought. Maybe it becomes more along the lines of 80% of the original purchase.

Of course, in this metropolitan area the price of beef is really really high. Not at Trader Joe’s! We consistently find 80/20 meat for 2.69/pound. 

We used to find pork for 1.69 or 1.99/pound. However, not only was it difficult to find it boneless for the price but there was so much fat and water loss we actually lost about 50-60% of the product. Definitely not worth the price.

Beef liver and chicken liver used to be our go tos because we ALWAYS found them for 1.99/pound. Beef liver has gone way up in price to 2.99 or more. Saachi has developed an allergy to any chicken-based products.

And the main reason to go with ground beef (for me at least), no cutting or chopping or heavy use of my shoulders, wrists and elbows! 😀

After I was diagnosed before we switched to ground beef I had to stop cooking the meat specifically because I could not manage cutting through it.

Ground beef I can break apart very easily. No stress, no strain! That is definitely worth the price!

 

Recipe (10 pounds)

• 1/2 teaspoon cinammon (anti-inflammatory)

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (increase nutrient absorption)

• 1 tablespoon tumeric (anti-inflammatory, anti-tick)

• 2 bay leaves (anti-tick, anti-flea)

• 10 pounds ground beef, broken apart

• 1 large take-out plastic container of water

 

In a large pot, add the water and spices. Make sure the cinnamon, black pepper and tumeric are completely mixed in the water.

Turn on stove to high heat.

Add the ground beef , stir until evenly coated with spices.

Bring water to a boil.

Cover pot loosely and lower temperature to low or medium-low.

Set timer to 45 minutes. Stir occasionally to evenly coat meat.

**You may need to add time accordingly.**

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

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.

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.

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.