Whole Food Diet: Revisited

Back in early July, I wrote about feeding our dog Molly whole food.  I figured two months have gone by since we started it, and I should probably revisit the topic and how its been going.

In one word:  awesome.

I love doing this.  I can't imagine not feeding her whole food now.  It is as much a part of our routine as doing laundry and washing the dishes.

I have stuck with the "Crock Pot Dinner" recipe that I originally started with, altering it here and there as need be.  I vary the meat she gets, ranging from whole cooked chicken, to beef liver, to beef heart, to whatever else I find.  Sometimes I cut the cooked meat up into bite-sized portions, other times I run it through the food processor so its more of a ground texture.  I still use brown rice.  And I still use a variety of veggies; sometimes frozen, sometimes fresh.  The other thing I've started doing is adding eggs, for additional protein.  I scramble a few, and then put them in the food processor.  By using the food processor on the meat and eggs, I can better ensure she is getting equal amounts of meat and eggs from serving to serving.  Also, once a day (usually in the morning), we put 1 tablespoon of fish oil (for the omega-3 fatty acids) on top of Molly's food.

Now let's talk cost.  Since we bought quarter of a beef this year from my parents, we were able to use the liver and heart and some other meat from that.  Which meant we weren't buying meat from the store or butcher.  So, the only cost is one 2 lb. bag of brown rice (~$2) and one 1 lb. bag of frozen veggies (~$1-$2), along with 5 or 6 eggs, which breaks down to about $.75.  If I do buy, say a package of beef liver, it runs about $2.50.  So for around $7, I can make a batch of Molly food, which lasts about a week.  To me, that isn't a bad price at all!  Next year, we plan on buying a half of a beef, and having a garden full of our own veggies, which will further cut down on the cost. 

Seeing how exited Molly gets when its time to feed her is what really gets me though.  If you take something out of the refrigerator or freezer, or microwave something, or heck, even if you're just in the kitchen, she goes nuts.  She sits down right away, but does this little "I'm so excited I can't sit still" thing where she shuffles around the whole kitchen while still trying to sit.  And if you take her food bowl (full of food) outside to her kennel, she runs ahead of you the whole way, spinning around in the air, never taking her eyes off that bowl.  She doesn't get this excited over anything else; just her food.

Also, her coat is shiny and silky, she isn't shedding nearly as much, her teeth are cleaner and her breath isn't as stinky.  She is staying lean and muscular, and isn't at all fat like a lot of Labradors get.  She's a lean, mean, duck-hunting machine!!

From now on, any pets we have, we will most certainly be sticking to our whole food diet.  Give it a try!

Whole Food Diet

Back when I adopted my cat, Hallee, the vet I saw mentioned trying some whole, raw foods for her, either as a supplement to her dry cat food, or instead of it.  This was a completely new concept to me.  I tried a few raw things for her, but she had no interest in them.  So that was the end of that.

When we took Molly, our 4 month old Labrador/Golden Retriever mix puppy to her first vet appointment, he really started telling more about the whole food diet.  And it made sense.  Think about it - take Iams ProActive Health Smart Puppy kibble.  Its made with chicken, eggs, fish oil, grains, and some vitamins.  And its also processes, and preserved.  And dried.  Why not just feed our puppy fresh chicken, pure fish oil, and a supplement?  Isn't non-processed food without preservatives better for her?  Just like it is for you and me?  Josh and I debated long and hard on whether or not to fully enter into this diet.  After all, its a lifestyle change for all of us.  I talked to some people who have their dogs on a whole food diet, and I heard rave reviews.

So, we are making the switch.  Just last night, I made the first batch of what our vet calls "Crock Pot Dinner".  Here's what I did:

The recipe called for a 2.5 - 3 lb. whole chicken, but I could only find a 5+ lb. chicken.  So I doubled the recipe.  I started by boiling the chicken in a pot of water for about 10 minutes, and then simmering it for about an hour.

I bought some cheap plastic containers that I could dedicate solely to Molly's food, since sometimes we will be feeding her raw food, and I didn't want to have to worry about the plastic being contaminated and then storing cookies or something in it (I'm OCD about that stuff).  I washed and labeled them with her name while the chicken was cooking.

Still cooking...

This is what it looked like after 1 hour.

After cooking the chicken, I removed it from the pot and placed it on a plate to cool. 

I then added 2 lbs. of brown rice to the water in the pot, and allowed it to cook on a low heat for about an hour.  The vegetables in the picture will be used later in the recipe.

I got bored waiting for the rice to cook, so I decided to label the lids to the containers as well, to make them easier to find.

(I'm missing four pictures here, as I accidentally forgot to transfer them onto my flash drive from my laptop, and I'm posting this from work!  I will update this later tonight.)

I removed all of the chicken from the bones, and shredded it into small pieces.  Right before the rice was done cooking (about 15 min.), I added all the chicken back into the pot, along with a bag and a half of the frozen vegetables.  I then let that simmer for the remaining 12 min. or so.

I then scooped 1 cup portions into each container.

I let the containers cool for a few minutes, and then popped the lids on and stuck them in the freezer.  The recipe made a lot more than would fit into the containers I had, so I put the rest of it into a large bowl and into the refrigerator.  We'll feed her portions of that this week and weekend, and then start pulling containers out of the freezer one or two at a time.

I couldn't believe how many meals I got out of the recipe for $10!  And the best part was watching Molly eat it.  She loved it!!  She was licking the bowl afterward, and kept giving me this look like, "Mom, can I have more?!"  We go back to the vet next week for her last set of shots, and we'll talk more with the doctor then about portion sizes for her as she gets older.  It may seem like a lot of work initially, but it really wasn't difficult, and seeing how much more she enjoyed it than her normal dog food sealed the deal for me.