Beckett and Ody's Diet Change!

photo by ana traina ~2012~

Recently, I noticed that my dogs were getting fatty lumps. Now, this is not unusual because as dogs age they are prone to getting lumps, bumps, warts and what not. However, even though our vet told me that they were nothing to worry about, I, being a constant worry wart, worried.  You see, our dogs are like family, and we tend to spoil them, but then again they give so, so much in return.  Therefore, I desperately wanted to do something that would help them get rid of their fatty lumps!

Then there was something my son Liam had said that got the old ticker ticking.  He said, “It must be awful to have to eat the same food day in and day out!”  Although, we do regimentally feed our dogs raw food, we supplement their diet with dry food.  Regardless, the dogs relatively eat the same thing day in and day out, and you know how the saying goes, “To much of anything can’t be good for you.”  So naturally, I became curious, and I began to uncover and discover all the wide varieties of human food I could feed Ody and Becket.

Here is a list of some foods that your dog can have, such that you do not have to worry whether the food will either kill or sicken him or her. 

Apples ( Without the core)
Applesauce
Bananas
Beef (Cooked)
Beef Jerky
Black Olives
Bullion
Bran Cereal
Carrots
Cashews
Cauliflower
Celery
Cheerios
Cheese Whiz
Chicken Broth
Dried Fruit ( Apples, Bananas and Apricots)
Eggs (Cooked)
Liver (Freeze Dried)
Nectarines
Nut Butter
Oatmeal
Orange slices
Pasta noodles (cooked)
Peaches (Without pits )
Peanut Butter
Pumpkin (Canned)
Ravioli
Rice
Rice Cakes
Steak ( Scraps )
Tomatoes (Not the greens or stems)
Tuna
Turkey

Here are some foods that your pet should NOT have are :

Chocolate
Macadamia Nuts
Avacados
Garlic and Onion
Potato peelings
Rhubarb leaves
Moldy or spoiled food
Alcohol
Yeast dough
Coffee grounds
Hops
Tomato leaves or stems
Broccoli in large amounts
Raisins and grapes

I even started making them treats, and the results in only two weeks are wondrous, their lumps are shrinking and their overall vitality has improved so, so much.
Here is one of Becket’s and Ody’s favorite doggie treat recipe from “Baking for your Dog ~ Tasty treats for your four legged-friend!

Dixie’s Cheese Crunchies
makes about 30- 40

3 1/2 oz chopped almonds
3 1/2 oz roughly chopped hazelnuts
5 oz grated Emmental cheese
4 eggs
1 lb 3 oz buckwheat flour
1 tablespoon honey
water and flour as required

Toast the almonds and hazelnuts in a non-stick pan, without oil or fat, until light brown. Remove from heat and let cool.

Knead the nuts in with the remaining ingredients to form a smooth dough. If required, add a little more water or flour, depending on whether the dough is too dry or too moist.

Preheat the oven to 320 F. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.

On a floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/2 inch thick. Using a pastry wheel, cut into rectangles.

Now bake for one hour, then let cookies dry for another hour in a turned off oven.