Many of us are turning away from processed food and are moving back to simple, honest home made food., be it organic or not we no longer want to ingest chemicals and preservatives that can cause us ill health, not to mention those allergies so many folk are falling victim to these days so with our families making a change - what of our 4 legged family members? Do we still feed them things out of a can or out of a plastic tube? I used to and my dog itched and scratched. I even found a docking ring in one roll - seriously. It was not part of the animals 'pluckings' it was a bright orange docking ring. I was horrified! so I started my dog on chicken and some kibble. Wow he itched and scratched worse than ever.. how bizarre..so off to the vet we went.
I had a rather enlightening conversation with our vet. Did you know most dogs who have allergies, that are not due to plant contact actually come from chicken, beef and wheat. My vet suggested a couple of options, a kibble made from beetroot and potato or I could make my own.. I opted for the bought variety, partly through ease of use and secondly my dog is a fussy little feral. The result of this diet was a little butter ball on legs.
In the last month I have changed from the vets kibble and now make him a mix he loves, much to my surprise. There are a number of recipes for home made, economical dog food.. however they don't seem to cater to the poochikin with an allergy. No wheat, no chicken, no beef. What does that leave us with.. Well, not many people have the suggested Emu tucked in the deep freeze - don't shoot the messenger here ok, but Kangaroo is another good choice for the allergic dog - then there is Turkey, which is what I use ( Mr P doesn't like Kangaroo) to bulk it up we have to find a wheat free alternative, so we use Barely and Balsamic rice but potatoes, is another good additive.
I made a batch today. I got two turkey drumsticks - $7.40 - yes they where drumsticks.. I forgot to photograph them first :-P I simmer them for a couple of hours in enough water to just cover them.
Now there is another photo missing here, the barely and rice. So in the pot below is 1/3 of a cup of rice and 1/2 a cup of barley, which I soaked overnight in water - then drained and added to the stock the drumstick were cooked in.
Then I add the chopped turkey leg meat there is good amount of meat here.
I then grate up a carrot, and add a very large clove of garlic
Now your pooch may be more accepting of veg then mine, so I only add 1/2 cup of mixed vege (peas, carrot and corn), I am going to slowly start to add a wee bit more broccoli etc.
I cooked all this for about 30 to 45 minutes, it really depends on the barley and how quick it is cooking, do soak it though, it makes for faster cooking and makes it a little more digestible.
When it is cooked, I take it off the heat, add 1/3 of a cup of canola oil.. This helps with the coat and skin and also helps there... number 2's.
Here it is close up.. now I have got a teaspoon and eaten it.. gosh it is good. Turkey leg has such good flavour, so even the fussiest hound with eat it.. now if you have a whopping hulk of a dog, just double or treble the recipe..
I put this mix into old canola spread or butter containers.. there are three, 1/2 cup portions per pot.. one pot will do him three days..
I do not count the cost of the barley, rice or vege, as it is something already in the house.. so for a few cents over $7.00 for 2.5 weeks meals, it is economical.. but this was not all about cost, it was about my dog not turning into a mini blimp while eating calorie ridden " vet formula" and to ease the discomfort he has with food allergies. Yes, this mix has made a difference to him, so the time I take to make it is worth it.. and if we ever run short of a meal, I know where to find one in the freezer :-)
