Home cooking with kibble as the base

I had started to make Skippy's food myself. I used oatmeal and potato's at the time. Then he swelled up like a balloon starting with his mouth and muzzle. So we had to take him to an emergency vet in the middle of the night. I briefly mention this in my blog about potato's and tomato's. They had to put him on steroids and the vet thought maybe it was something he picked up from his bowls. So we changed him over to stainless steal bowls. So after that scare I started feeding him kibble again. I did not know until recently he had another incident where he started swelling up, when Natural Balance decided to change their formula without telling anyone than all off a sudden new and improved formula showed up on the bag.

Now I know it is the night shade variety's that cause this. So I can go back to cooking again and there is so much more info on the internet. Yet I still feel comfortable having a kibble as my base after going through that fiasco(just have to make sure there is no night shade variety in the kibble). We are starting with making lots of good treats for Skippy and then we will add more variety as we go along. I am going to use the pumpkin cookie recipe I came up with and use apple sauce instead of pumpkin. Kids and I should have fun making them. We cut the pumpkin ones out with a fox terrier cookie cutter and the apple ones we will cut out with an apple cookie cutter.

Skippy's Reading List

1. Readers Digest Animals Can Be Almost Human.
2. James Herriot All Creature Great and Small.
3. James Herriot Dog Stories
4. James Herriot Treasury For Children, Warm and Joyful Animal Tales.

Walking the dog

My son took Skippy for a walk last night. After he did his duty, he got away from my son and started running, my son went after him but then Skippy slowed down and walked the rest of the way home, so my son walked behind him to see where he would go. He got to the house and then sat next to the door waiting for my son to let him in. Goofy dog :)I guess we are feeding him well.

Tomatos' Tomatoes Potatos' Potatoes

Some of the best kibbles on the market have potatoes or tomatoes or both. This is something I do not understand since tomatoes and potatoes are a member of the night shade variety and not really recommended to feed to your pet in high quantities. Even one of the best raw dehydrated foods on the market has bell peppers in it which is also part of the night shade family. So if your pet is having issues with hip, or joint pain or like my little dog swelling in the muzzle starting with his gums, stay away from the night shade variety vegetables these include potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers,and egg plant. (Sweet potatoes(yams)are NOT a part of the night shade variety and are the best alternative to potatoes).

If your pet is doing well on his food and it has some of these vegetables I would continue using the food, your pet probably has a tolerance for the night shade variety's. Just want to shed some awareness out there for people that may not understand why there dogs may be having certain symptoms. I had no idea potatoes caused the swelling in Skippy until it happened a few times poor little thing. I have never really noticed Skippy having any problems with the other variety's except for potatoes I think they may be the worst, but I have learned if they have an issue with one of them better be safe than sorry. Here's to good health.

Skippy's Pumpkin cookies

ingredients: 1 egg, 1/4 cup canned pumpkin(plain pumpkin with no spices make sure pumpkin is the only ingredient on the ingredient list), Oat Flour. (Nutmeg is very toxic to dogs.)

Whisk egg then mix in the pumpkin, mix in the flour until the dough can be formed into a ball, refrigerate and chill for at least one hour, roll the dough out and cut out with desired cookie cutters.

Put on a baking sheet, and bake at 375 for 8 to 12 minutes.

My teenagers and I ate some of these and they have no flavor but Skippy wolfes them down and begs for more so I guess they are pretty much a success.

This is especially a good treat for dogs on limited diets, but I think just about any dog will enjoy this homemade treat.

Our plan this Fall and Christmas season is to bake for Skippy so we don't get fat. I'll let you know how that goes ;)

More Kibble in the Life of a Fox Terrier

Started the California Natural last night. I mixed the new in with the food he has been eating, and he picked all the new kibble out and ate it first. He actually did not want to eat at first and so I had him sniff one of the new kibble. Animals are funny it is as if he new he was starting something new so why you still giving me this old stuff. This morning I gave him 1 teaspoon of canned pumpkin on top of the food. He really likes it he ate that first. Then again he did not want to eat in with the new already and so again I had to let him sniff a new kibble and then he started eating and soooo it will be nice when the transition to the new is done. This weekend my kids and I are going to make him some pumpkin cookies shaped like little Fox Terriers if they turn out successfully I will post the recipe.

Kibble in the Life of a Fox Terrier

My wire fox terrier Skippy is so funny. I have been having to research different dog foods and nutrition for him, because to begin with he was having skin problems I mean to the point of having a yeast infection on his skin and bumps gross huh? So the search began I tried a no grain high protein diet I almost had to rename him sir poops a lot so with that said we changed him over to Halo purely for pets then he was wee wee weeing all the way home so now I am switching him over to California Naturals hopefully this one will stick for a while. I think the Halo was just to much protein for him at 28%. I read some where Wire Fox terriers are suppose to have a kibble that is only 22%(Poor thing when I was feeding him the no grain at 42%). So anyway what got me writing about him and his kibble was the way he picks through his food and any kibble he does not want he picks it out of his bowl if you try and put it back in his bowl he will pick it all back out again LOL. This is just one of his quirky things.