Monday, September 8

Its a Dogs Life

And this is how I did it...






Today is grooming day! And that means a fight in this house. Lexi HATES being groomed. I have no idea why, I've never cut her or hurt her, but she did used to come home from a groomer exhausted & shaking when she was a puppy...so perhaps that experience has traumatised her?



Anyway, one thing I want to say about all the things I do is this; I dont reinvent the wheel, ok maybe on occasion I do. But mostly I watch & follow a lot of people who are experts in their own field.

Mostly Im a Jill of all trades, & can turn my hand to most things.

This is one vet I just adore! Dr Harry, from Better Homes & Gardens Australia. He is down to earth & very easy to learn from. So wish me luck, especially when I groom madams feet!



Dr Harrys Grooming Tips


Hi again, hows your day? 

My day is all about the dog, well cooking her food anyway. I had great plans to do some lovely Summer things today, but the weather decided to remind me its still Spring. So here I am, hiding inside making dog food & using up my almond meal...but thats another post.

Her name is Lexi & shes an 8 year old Maltese, very cutey cutey people say. She is cute & I love her to bits, but you know what its like when you live with someone. You get to see the other side of them. Shes good as long as I walk her every day, she gets bored easily, being so intelligent.


Anyway, back to the food. I make her food because I like to know whats in it, & dont like the commercial products, full of old dead animals & additives etc. I used to cook on a large farm station a while back, & saw how long the dead animals lay in a big bin, until the pet food man came & got them...disgusting!


Here's the recipe which is approved by my vet.
Dog Food
For a small dog like Lexi who is 4.5 kgs I want to make enough for a week at a time. You may want to increase the quantities for a larger dog. Cat food has higher protein than dog, so you may want to double the protein you use.

Ingredients:
  • 1 large chicken thigh
  • 1 cup white rice
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 stick celery
  • olive oil, 1/2 tsp per meal
  • animal probiotic powder, 1/4 tsp per day
Instructions:
  1. Cook the chicken on a low heat for about 1/2 an hour, until the water level is down to the chicken.
  2. Turn the chicken piece over & add the rice & vegetables.
  3. Cook until all the water is absorbed.
  4. Remove the chicken & pull all the meat, skin & cartilage (white rubbery bit) away from the bones. I have a frozen bag of bones in the freezer that I add to the rubbish on collection day.
  5. Chop the meat up very finely & add it back into the rice & veges, mixing well.
  6. That amount will feed Lexi for nearly a week, being fed 1/4 cup twice a day.
  7. Add 1/4 tsp of the probiotic powder to one meal per day, & half a tsp olive oil to the food for each meal. This gives them the fatty acids they need for their skin. No more itchy dog...unless it has fleas & thats another post.
  8. I freeze one of the containers of food, as chicken doesnt keep long. Keep the other container in the fridge, but you knew that.

*Cooked bones are Very bad for dogs, they constipate them. The chemical composition of the bones changes on cooking, so its best not to feed them to your dog. Only raw bones without sharp points are good. I use brisket bones for Lexi as she has very tiny teeth.

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