I fully believe that a pet is a lifelong commitment. When you get a pet, you are saying that this animal is going to be a part of your family for the length of their life. That being said, for those of you who have found it too difficult to keep your pet for one reason or another, I am not condemning you or anyone for that matter. I have been the recipient of many a pets that have needed to be rehomed due to extenuating circumstances. There are times where that is necessary, and when it is, thank you for considering your pet's next home carefully.
Since for me, the commitment is long term, there are many things I'm willing to do for my pets, and have done for that matter. At the moment, one of those things is preparing home cooked food for my dog.
My chihuahua, Mushu, has a skin issue. He always has. It comes to no surprise that he also has spots that are most likely cancerous, skin tags on his body, and sometimes raw spots from itching too much.
When he was younger, we did what we could with the food, went grain free, and it seemed to make a world of difference. He's been on the same food now for 10+ years, and this year, we are plagued with new skin issues and hot spots from itching.
He's been in this environment for over a year, and so I'm pretty sure it is not that, though I did change laundry detergent - which I have now gone back to the free and clear kind that I have used for his bedding in the past. I know that Allergies change, and so, it is possible there is a myriad of things, including his food, that could be giving him problems. So... we are trying to change the things that are in our power to change, his food is a big one.
So here we are, cooking food for him, so we can hopefully clear up his skin issue and allow him to live his best life. He is 14 years old this year and still full of spunk and sass.
After doing a ton of research - let me tell you, there are so many opinions on what the best thing to do for your dog is - I have come up with a recipe that my dog loves, is easy, and won't break the bank. Please note, I am not a vet or an animal nutritionist. I have simply done my homework and know that these are giving him a lot of nutrients. I will still need to give him supplements now and then to make sure he has everything his body needs, but for now, we are trying to simply work on the food ingredients.
Since we have determined that grain was an issue for him, I have not used rice in his meals whatsoever, nor do I use corn. Here is my simple recipe for those who may wish to try.
Ingredients:
2lbs. Ground Chicken or Turkey, cooked
4 Eggs, hard boiled
7-10 oz of Cauliflower Riced
1 can of Sweet Potato Puree (or you can make your own with sweet potatoes. this is a staple in my house so I had some on hand)
Mix all together, keep in fridge for up to a week, will keep in the freezer up to 3 weeks.
This amount usually lasts my little dog 1 week.
For a little extra skin nourishment, I squirt on one pump liquid fish oil and mix it into his food when I serve it. You can get it at a pet store or any health food store really.
We are 2 weeks into this regime, and I am noticing a small difference, mostly in the amount of his scratching. We go in for another vet appointment at the end of the month, so we will see how his progress is then.