Our Tammy Sue is almost 9 1/2 years old and I have always cooked for her. I now have a retired breeder, Nike, who is 8 years and I have cared for my friend's Brianna all summer. Brianna came to me a little chubby as she had been free fed kibble. She has slimmed down. I cook lots of food and then freeze it in smaller containers. I really have no recipe but use mostly the split chicken breast when I find it on sale. To the chicken broth I get from cooking chicken I add fresh carrots, green beans (canned when I do not have fresh, a can of beets, a can of pumpkin canned green peas sweet potato brown rice and some oatmeal and I forgot celery. I have added wheat germ but was told that is not necessary. I use more than half chicken and the rest the mix of veggies and grain. I use my Cuisinart to chop everything, mix it and freeze in containers. I use a small canning pressure cooker. It takes some time but they are happy an dwell fed. I also give a vitamin supplement and Brewers yeast pills daily. They get a treat nightly of frozen vanilla yogurt. Less than a teaspoon each but look forward to it and pester us for it EVERY night. Tammy Sue Has all her teeth and barely any tarter. The other two have had dentals but are fine.
At one point this summer I decided to try a premium dog food (Natural Balance Ultra small breed bites). It truly was a disaster as they were pooping more than twice as much and they had loose bowels. So back to my cooked food. It sure would have been easier but could not deal with it. I tried for long enough to use almost 5 lbs. So it was not that it upset them because I just changed food.
I have to add that I only once cooked whole chickens with skin and ground everything including soft bones and they all got such diarrhea I gave it to my neighbor who has a big dog and it also mad him have the runs. So needless I now never use skin or bones. That was a wasted three chickens. I do not give them chicken fat as it seems to upset their stomachs. |