Thursday's Nutrition Beat: Does Your Dog Eat Better Than You?

I talk a lot in this blog about proper canine nutrition, but there's definitely a flip side to that coin: the dog guardian who is fastidious about Fido's dinner, but who spends almost none on his own. When I was at Clean Slate, it was not uncommon for us to spend hours preparing dinner for all of the residents, and then throw together a peanut butter sandwich at ten p.m. for ourselves. Not everyone is quite that extreme, of course, but I don't think it's that unusual for the more conscientious dog-mas out there to give more consideration to their pup's plate than their own.

Here, then, is a simple recipe that both you and your pup can enjoy. Because most of us work for a living, I'm a big fan of planning ahead. Make this over the weekend, freeze, and then heat up one evening after a long day's work.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

2 medium-sized sweet potatoes
3 carrots
1 stalk celery
1 yellow squash (small)
1 zucchini (small)
1 cup green peas, fresh or frozen
1 whole chicken, preferably organically grown
1 cup lentil beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 clove garlic
rosemary to taste

COOK IT UP!

Start by dicing sweet potatoes, carrots, celery, squash, and zucchini - if you have a Cuisinart, it is now officially your best friend (if it wasn't already, of course). Leaving peas and lentils for later, mix your raw veggies together in a large bowl.

Cook entire chicken in a large pot for one hour, with sea salt, garlic, and a dash of fresh rosemary. Add peas and other veggies and bring to a boil, then let simmer for second hour. Veggies are done when they are soft, but not mushy.

While chicken soup is simmering, use a separate pot to cook lentils (cooking the lentils with the chicken soup usually means lentils get overcooked and end up taking over the meal). Rinse the beans in cold water first, then add 1 cup lentils to 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1/2 hour. They are finished cooking when the outer skins peel away easily.

Cook 3 cups brown rice to 6 cups water, bringing water to a boil first and then simmering until rice is done (water has evaporated and rice is fully cooked. Brown rice takes quite some time to cook thoroughly, however if you time it right, it should be done about the same time that everything else finishes.

Once chicken soup is done cooking, let cool thoroughly and strain the mixture, retaining one cup of the broth to store separately. De-bone the chicken and remove the skin from the mixture.

Let rice cool thoroughly, then add to veggies and chicken and blend thoroughly. Depending on the size of your pup, this recipe makes three to six servings. Store two or three single-portion sized containers in your refrigerator, and freeze the rest.

When you're ready to share a meal with your pooch, take a portion for you and one for him. Add 1/4 cup of the remaining chicken broth to your pup's portion, and heat in a saucepan on the stovetop or in microwave. For your meal, add a tablespoon of the chicken broth and a tablespoon of water and re-heat. This is a great, warming ghoulash that covers almost every food group and - despite looking a little questionable - is surprisingly tasty. You and your pup will be amazed at how good "dog food" can be!

Thursday's Nutrition Beat: Stocking the Kitchen for Canine Health

If you've ever entertained the notion of making homemade meals for your pooch, you may have been dissuaded once you read a little bit on the subject. It can be overwhelming; in fact, there are still definitely times that I question my own sanity - particularly when I'm in the checkout line at the grocery store, with a few items for myself and a whole parcel for the pups. That feeling goes away when I not only see how healthy Adia and Killian are, but further when I know exactly what is going into their furry bellies each day. A little peace of mind goes a long way, in my book.

At any rate, if you're just starting out or would simply like to give the whole homemade food thing a try, here are a few items that you should always have on hand.

(1) Brown rice. There is some debate as to how great a percentage of carbohydrates are actually necessary for a dog's diet. I tend to stick somewhere in between extremes on both sides, with about 30-percent of my pups' total caloric intake. Brown rice is fairly affordable, easy to prepare, and highly digestible. FYI, white rice is not a good alternative, as it is difficult for dogs to digest.

(2) Veggies! Carrots, celery, yellow squash, zucchini, sweet potatoes, green beans, peas... you get the idea. All of the above are super for your dog, as long as they are well-cooked. In the wild, dogs got their fruits and vegetables by eating the digested remains of whatever was in their prey's stomach. For that reason, dogs do not have the ability to digest raw fruits or vegetables (or carbohydrates, for that matter). An apple or carrot from the fridge isn't a problem, but anything beyond that may cause stomach upset, diarrhea, or constipation. Cut veggies into small pieces, boil in chicken broth, and add to your pup's daily portions. Remember, any change in diet should be done gradually; always introduce new foods in increments over the course of a couple of weeks.

(3) Quinoa or millet. These can be found at most health food stores, or in the health aisle of many supermarkets. Cook up the same way you would brown rice, and use as a tasty base for your dog's food. Both quinoa and millet are a little more expensive than brown rice; often, I'll mix a cup of cooked quinoa in with a couple of cups brown rice to change the texture and give a little variety to the evening meal.

(4) Meat. While there are many folks out there who believe dogs are just fine living as vegetarians, I am not one of them. For me, it is not as much about health as it is outlook... I am a vegetarian, and I am strongly opposed to the methods used by commercial farmers in raising and butchering livestock. But my dogs don't know about that stuff - they just know they really, really like meat. I compromise by using only free-range, organic meats sold at the local co-op. By doing so, I'm not only supporting local, organic farmers, but I'm able to provide the pups with a wide variety of choices: wild turkey, lamb, chicken, fish... They can devour every morsel, and my conscience is clear at the end of the day.

(5) Legumes. Black-eyed peas, kidney beans, and lentils are all great protein sources for your dog. Because meat is expensive, I supplement my pups' nightly protein rations with legumes - usually lentils, because they take the least amount of time to cook, and are pretty inexpensive. Make sure to cook properly and for a long enough period of time, in order to avoid gaseous upset (which isn't fun for your dog or you).

(6) Tofu. Whether or not your dogs are vegetarians, tofu is another great, relatively inexpensive source of protein. It's easy to prepare, and soy has excellent health benefits for dogs. As with the legumes, I typically will cook up some tofu with whatever meat I'm preparing in order to supplement the meal's protein requirement.

(7) Eggs. Oh, how we love them. Eggs are the only 100-percent digestible protein out there for your dogs. I'll often add a raw egg to a finished meal, or will boil up a couple of them when I'm low on other sources of protein. They do wonderful things for your pup's coat, aid in digestion, and are high in both vitamins and minerals.

If you'd just like to start your pup on a more healthful path but don't feel like you can commit whole-hog, try simply adding some homemade bits and pieces to your dog's kibble each day. The standard dog foods have plenty of carbs in there, so don't worry about adding rice or quinoa or anything along those lines just now. Instead, try cooking up some veggies and meat and adding a bit at each meal. Start with just a couple of tablespoons, gradually building up until you're doing a mix of half kibble/ half homemade. Before long, you'll see the difference in your pup's health, coat, and attitude.

Thanks for reading, and be sure to check in for next Thursday's Nutrition Beat, when I'll show you how to create a kitchen herb garden that you and your four-legged friends will love.

Thursday's Nutrition Beat: The Scoop on Supplements

If you've investigated or actually started feeding your dog a homemade diet, you know firsthand just how confusing the supplement issue can be. The bad news is that your pup's good health is dependent on a balanced diet and - if you're making your own food - that diet begins and ends with you. The good news, however, is very good: It's not actually as complicated as it might seem. And with the overwhelming interest in animal companion nutrition today, there are some great products out there that make it that much simpler. In this post, I'll profile a few of those products, and give you recipes for some that you can make on your own.

We'll start with essential fatty acids, the same ones that get a lot of hype for the health benefits they provide for you and I. EFAs - in this case Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids - aid in digestion, help prevent or clear up breakouts, and keep hair and nails strong. They do the same for pups. Cod liver and other fish oils, as well as soybean, flaxseed, and safflower oils, are particularly high in Omega-3 and -6 acids. The number one product that I always have on hand to ensure the proper blend of these critical elements is Dream Coat, distributed by HALO pet products. While Dream Coat is not cheap (a 16-ounce bottle is usually around $21), its blend of cold-pressed soybean, wheatgerm, safflower, sunflower, garlic, and cod liver oils provides not only the aforementioned fatty acids, but also provides your pup with adequate doses of vitamins A, D, and E - all critical for your dog's good health.

If you'd prefer to forego the expense of DreamCoat, HALO founder Andi Brown provides a homemade recipe for DreamCoat in her book, THE WHOLE PET DIET. Using cold-pressed, high-quality oils, the homemade version is still a little pricey, but is certainly worth the expense. Here, then, is Ms. Brown's "Recipe for a Beautiful Coat."

5 ounces soybean or olive oil
1 ounce cod liver oil
1 ounce wheat germ oil
1 ounce flaxseed oil
1 clove garlic, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
2-inch sprig rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse for 30 seconds. Pour into a dark or opaque glass bottle or jar and seal tightly. Mix the recommended dosage (listed below) into all of your pet's meals:

2 - 11 pound dog: 1/2 teaspoon
12 - 25 pounds: 1 teaspoon
25 - 50 pounds: 2 teaspoons
51 - 100 pounds: 1 tablespoon

The next supplement that I use is based on the recommendations of Dr. Richard H. Pitcairn in his COMPLETE GUIDE TO NATURAL HEALTH FOR DOGS AND CATS. Because dogs require a balanced intake of calcium and phosphorous in order to maintain optimum health, it is critical to include a mixture of these two supplements in each homemade meal. While there are natural pet vitamins out there with calcium and phosphorous included, based on the research I've done and the case studies I've conducted, I believe that the over-synthesized materials are simply not as conducive to total health. With that in mind, here are a few items that always make it into my recipes.

NOW Bone Meal Powder, available at most natural food stores or online at Natural Canine. A good, balanced source of calcium and phosphorous made from domestically raised cattle, and simple to add to recipes because of its powdered form. $13.95 for one pound, which should last you quite some time.

Herbal Multivitamin, formulated by Gregory Tilford. Available online at Natural Canine for $24.95 for a 300-gram container, which typically lasts about one month for my two dogs. I use a combination of the NOW Bone Meal Powder, Tilford's Herbal Multivitamin, and either Dream Coat or flax seed oil in all of my dog's meals. The recommended dosage is based on your pup's weight, and is included on the labels of each of these products.

For a less costly alternative to the Herbal Multivitamin, you can try NaturVet's VitaPet or VitaPet Plus for Dogs, available at most pet stores or online at Waggin Tails. NaturVet has a number of great, affordable products out there that I have used on more than one occasion with good results.

For recipes and more information on the nutritional needs of your favorite pooch, I highly recommend DR. PITCAIRN'S COMPLETE GUIDE TO NATURAL HEALTH FOR DOGS & CATS, as well as Andi Brown's THE WHOLE PET DIET: EIGHT WEEKS TO GREAT HEALTH FOR DOGS AND CATS and, if you're feeling really ambitious, CANINE AND FELINE NUTRITION: A RESOURCE FOR COMPANION ANIMAL PROFESSIONALS. All of these books are available at Amazon.com, or can likely be ordered through your local independent bookseller. Next week, I'll get you started on a fun, low-maintenance kitchen herb garden that will keep your pup's recipes tasting fresh all year round. Until then, be sure to drop any questions you have my way, and thanks for reading.

Thursday's Nutrition Beat: Food for Life

Proper nutrition is the fourth, and arguably the most important, element necessary for a healthy home for you and your dog. It is also the element that requires the greatest investment from you - both in terms of time and of money. In a series of posts over the coming weeks, I'll do my best to provide simple, affordable tips for creating nourishing meals for your animal companion, but I would be lying if I said it will always be a snap. Just stick with it, and soon you'll begin to see the rewards - a healthier, happier dog who requires less veterinary care and has fewer behavioral issues. It's all in what you eat. A word of caution: In this blog, I won't spend a lot of time discussing commercial pet foods, because I have yet to find one that is superior to what I can prepare in my own kitchen, for a fraction of the cost to my wallet, my conscience, and the planet itself. We'll discuss raw food diets, vegetarianism and your dog, nutritional needs... And I naturally welcome questions about anything relating to nutrition, but I simply don't have a lot to say about commercial pet food in most instances.

In the past year, the pet food industry has been in the headlines as a result of tainted food that's caused illness and death to thousands of pets across the country. An increasing number of people are becoming aware of the industry's questionable practices and lack of safeguards. Consequently, there has been a significant increase in the number of foods claiming to be balanced or all natural; there are literally thousands of blogs devoted to pet nutrition and home cooking for your pets, and the popularity of the raw food diet has grown exponentially. With this increase in interest comes an increase an information, which, inevitably, also means an increase in misinformation. How do you sort through all of the conflicting reports, the shocking details of abuse in the industry, the number of supplements required? What do you do, when the whole nation is talking about a subject, and it seems that everyone is saying something different?

It's not an easy answer, but it starts by doing your homework. Before you read anything else - and there are hundreds of books out there on the subject - I would recommend Dr. Pitcairn's New Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats. It's available through Amazon for less than $13, and is worth every penny and more. Dr. Pitcairn was the pioneer when it comes to the link between health and animal nutrition, and this book covers every topic you'll need to get started - the true nutritional needs of your pet, what to buy and where to get it, the most cost-effective way to prepare a wholesome diet... This is where to begin. If you have other questions after the fact, there are plenty of places to turn; until that time, though, build your foundation with quality materials. This Guide is unquestionably the place to start.

Once you've memorized Dr. Pitcairn's work, head back here each Thursday for more articles, tips, stories, and recipes on nutrition and your favorite pup. We'll begin next week with an overview of the nutritional needs of your dog, so that you can ensure that all of his health needs are being met. The following week I'll provide a shopping list, pricing out what you should have on hand to make meal preparation quick and easy. We'll talk about the things you need to watch out for when preparing home cooked meals, how to work with your veterinarian if your pup has special needs, and how to track your dog's progress as you continue along this path to total health. We'll even look at ways to start eating more conscientiously yourself, following Fido's fine example! I look forward to having a dialogue with readers about the countless topics relating to nutrition and total health, so don't hesitate to drop a line with questions or comments. And, as always, thanks for reading.