One for the Pups!

Most of you know I like to spoil my pets...well, not really spoil, it's just that I like to give them the best life and highest quality food I can afford.  Usually, I feed them a canned/dry food mix.  Adding in canned food to the dry adds some substance to their meals and the extra water helps them feel full longer...as well as extra YUM factor!  However, the canned grub is NOT good for the dachshund's figure. SO, I've created a homemade alternative that is equally as delicious for the dogs and is also cheaper and healthier!  BONUS!!

Currently, we are fostering a 5 month old Chi/Min Pin mix, Rascal.  His previous foster mom had him eating a mixture of chicken and rice and dry dog food, so I was using up what she had prepared to change him over to the dry food Raleigh and Vito are on.  It reminded me of the days and all the time I spent preparing chicken and rice for my little Sweet Pea.  She suffered from severe food allergies and I spent a lot of time in the kitchen preparing different homemade diets for her.  So, anyway...this is where I got the idea to try a healthier, homemade alternative to the canned dog food.

It couldn't be easier either.

First I prepared some brown rice.  Bring 3 cups of water to a boil.  Add 2 cups of uncooked brown rice, cover and reduce heat to low.  Cook for 45 minutes, keep covered the entire time.

Then I just added 2 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts to a stock pot.  Threw in about 5 whole carrots, then cover the chicken and veggies with water.  Turn up the heat, cover and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium and cook, loosely covered, for about 30 minutes.

Remove chicken and carrots to a plate to cool.  Fluff rice when done cooking...all water should be absorbed and rice should be soft.

Shred cooked chicken, dice up the carrots and add it all together in a big storage container.  If you just have one dog you can make up little freezer bag packs.  Allow for about a day for a pack to thaw.

I give the pups about a half a cup of this mixture with each meal and I love that they wolf it down and its also nice and healthy for them.  Its worth mentioning that this is NOT a diet that can fully substitute a formulated dry dog food for an extended period of time.
You can easily play around with variations of this too...just be sure to stay away from the foods dogs CAN'T have, such as onions and garlic.  Here is a list of foods and plants that are TOXIC to dogs.