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| Daisie |
By December, we sought a second opinion...almost too late, as we nearly lost Daisie on 28 December. By that time, she'd dropped down to 15kg (about 33 pounds). After extensive testing, it was determined she had developed IBD, the chronic form of IBS. She was put on IV therapy after her collapse on the 28th, then prescribed steroids for inflammation and Zantac for stomach upset. She was finally eating steamed chicken breast and pasta, and when her weight came back up, we then needed to change her onto regular dog food.
When I say 'regular', I mean commercially prepared dog food. Both Daisie and Poppy had been eating according to BARF since they were practically weaned (BARF = bones and raw food...based on how dogs eat in the wild, and pre-WWII when commercial dry foods were invented) so dry food wasn't a regular thing for them. They only got it when they were in kennel because the kennel wasn't equipped for raw feeding. We fed a good quality dry food that was actually based on the BARF diet -- Burns dog food, developed by top vet John Burns in the UK) -- it's only cooked for convenience. At home, it was BARF all the time.
I mention this because now Daisie was meant to be going onto dry food permanently, so we opted for the one we knew and she liked -- Burns.
Well, Daisie stopped eating again. We tried a couple other good quality dry foods and she didn't get better. Then it was prescription food from Royal Canin...first one for sensitive stomach and then a hydrolized food. She got even worse on the latter. She was eating, but the diarrhea was so much worse than ever that no one was getting any sleep.
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| Note the label -- 0% grains |
So, we put on our thinking caps and looked at her lifestyle up until she got sick, and what she was eating while sick and what it was all doing to her.
Then the light bulb moment.
BARF is a grain free diet. Both dogs had had very limited grain most of their lives. Only whatever brown rice was in the Burns for a short period of time while in kennel. Since August, Daisie had been on a lot of rice in various forms...various dry foods, and the traditional bland chicken and rice diet...which didn't go over very well.
So, we went looking for grain free commercial foods since she couldn't go back to raw. Not an easy task, since Ireland isn't noted for having a very eclectic human palette at the best of times. Forget about specialized dog food.
But low and behold, we found a great food in the PetStop pet store from a company called Acana out of Canada. It had just come in. The Wild Prairie food is 100% grain free, and the ingredients in the food are organic and sourced fresh locally to the factory.
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| Click the image to enlarge to see the ingredients list |
With IBS, you feed little and often, so we did that. We have a small cup that holds 50grams and fed her 4-5 of those a day on a regular schedule. For a normal weight Border Collie, she should get around 200g of food per day and we were breaking it up, and giving a few by hand a couple times a day as treats, since she couldn't have traditional dog cookies.
It wasn't long before we started seeing positive results. Hallelujah!
We recently took Daisie in for a weigh-in. I brought the ingredients list and the label from the Wild Prairie packaging with us. The vet happened to be between patients so took a minute to remark how great Daisie was looking, so we told her about our food change...off prescription food and onto Wild Prairie...and I gave her the packaging I'd brought.
Daisie weighed in at a respectable 19.6kg (about 43 pounds), and her IBD is coming under control. The vet is thrilled with the improvement, even if a bit annoyed that her treatment didn't work. Hey, whoever imagined a dog with a grain intolerance?!
Which leads me to the real reason for this post -- What kind of treats do you give a dog with a grain intolerance? Daisie can't have commercial dog cookies. They're all wheat based, some rice based...some mixed grain based. There's nothing out there. So, what's a pet owner to do?
I make my own!
This recipe is so easy with two basic ingredients, a child can make it...with supervision, of course!
• This recipe has four basic components...measure, grind, make, bake.
First -- Preheat your oven to about 300F, or about 150C, while you're preparing the cookies.
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| 2 cups dog food, 1 cup/1 handful parsley |
For this recipe, I'm using just three ingredients -- the third in an effort to help cut the noxious gas which is a result of IBD --
2 cups of Acana Wild Prairie (or 2 cups of your dog's grain free dry food) - (yes, you can use any dry dog food your dog is eating to make these cookies, but if your dog is on a special diet or has special dietary needs, use that dry food for this recipe)
1 cup+/1 generous hand full of fresh parsley* (leaves and stems)
1 cup tepid water
That's it!
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| Dump it in together |
Next, you need to grind the ingredients together.
Dump your kibble and parsley into the large grinder cup, screw on the four blade attachment, and grind the ingredients until everything is a grainy consistency. You can tilt the grinder a few times to ensure the ingredients are mixing thoroughly.
When you're happy with the results, dump into a large bowl. Use a small spatula or a fork to lift and break up any clumps. Your ingredients having a soft, sandy consistency.
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| Magic Bullet/NutriBullet |
NOTE: I use a Magic Bullet/NutriBullet grinder, but any large capacity grinder will do. Grinder NOT blender! Blenders are to blend. They're not strong enough to grind the hard kibble. You need something with sturdy, sharp blades, like a coffee grinder but larger. Seriously, Bullets are not expensive and they come with the attachments you need for this job.
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| The ground ingredients should have a soft, sandy consistency |
To the bowl, add about 1 cup of tepid water.
• If the water is too cold, the ingredients won't mix properly.
• If the water is too hot, the dry ingredients of the dog food will separate...meaning all the fats will come out and it will be gross. Trust me.
This is the fun part, and the part kids will really enjoy. Get your hands into the bowl and mix the water into the dry ingredients.
Mix well, making sure you get any tiny lumps incorporated. 1 cup of water should do you as long as you can press the mix together and it holds...somewhat like making pastry.
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| !!Water amounts vary between humid or dry areas |
Turn the now damp contents onto a board or a clean worktop and press the ingredients together.
Once you have your 'dough ball' ready, you can either roll out the dough to an even, flat sheet and use cookie cutters to make your cookies, or shape them by hand. I prefer shaping by hand. My hands are already in the mixing bowl, so why not?!
Pinch off a small bit of the dough at a time and shape. Place directly on non-stick cookie sheets.
Make the cookies any size or shape you want. Consider your dog's size and weight. While these cookies are generously sized for this demonstration, I normally make them smaller and a little thinner. Aim for pastry thickness...1/8 inch or there abouts.
For this recipe, you should be able to get 36-48 quarter-size cookies, depending on thickness.
Space the cookies close together as they will not rise while baking.
The great thing about this recipe, especially for kids, is you can personalize your cookies. Here, I've added D for Daisie and P for Poppy, and also a couple smily faces for fun.
Be creative. Your dog may just see the treat, but you'll know they were made with love!
And if you ever make these to give away to friends and family as gifts for their special needs dogs, your creative designs will make a more heartfelt gift.
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| Don't forget that the cookies are essentially dog food made into shapes. The more cookies you feed, the less dog food you need too put in your dog's bowl at meal time. |
Once you've used up all of your dough and all the cookies are made, pop them in the oven for about 30 minutes.
NOTE: There was a second tray. This one tray wasn't the full recipe!
Take the baking time to clean up after yourself. Be sure to wash your hands well, as they will smell like dog food ☺
After 30 minutes, turn the cookies over. Close the oven door and turn off the oven. Let the cookies cool as the oven cools, which will pull out any leftover moisture from the cookie.
When the cookies are cool, you can then put them into your dog's cookie jar and serve as normal.
• These cookies will NOT be hard like store-bought cookies. There is no flour as a binding agent, just the natural oils from the food, and a small bit of water.
• These cookies will also absorb any moisture in the air, so be sure your cookie jar is somewhat air tight.
So, here are my heart shaped dog cookies. What do you think?
* This is a very versatile recipe. You can --
• replace the parsley with mint if your dog has stankbreath
• mix a tablespoon of smooth peanut butter into your water for peanut buttery cookies (adjust the water if necessary)
• add a pinch of ground garlic to help as a natural defense against pests like fleas (not a 100% alternative but it will help)
• use strained chicken natural broth (simmer cooked bones in water for a couple hours, or a good quality store-bought broth...no salt added!) in place of water for a richer flavor (this is useful if your dog is on a senior food which often lacks flavor compared to normal adult foods)
• add in some finely chopped dried cranberries or dried dates for a sweeter cookie
Use your imagination, keeping your dog's dietary needs in mind at all times.
WARNING: You may find your dog(s) gathering at your feet while you're making these cookies. It's no harm to let your dog have some of the dough, as it's just ground up dog food with some water in it...there are no raw ingredients here. He/She will love it!
And here's Daisie, six months after we almost lost her. She still has IV tracks from her incident at Xmas which almost took her from us...as well as the bald belly from her scans. This is due to the steroids she's on. The hair will eventually grow back.
Look at that happy face. Her weight is good, she's happy, her coat is glossy, and her IBD is getting under control. And we're curbing the gas with the parsley, we're all happy about that! Life is good. We're not there yet, but things have made a significant improvement.
We're are so fortunate to still have Daisie with us. Had we 'let her go' last December, we would have lost out the last six months we've had with her. And who knows how many more years. With the heavy arthritis she's had since she was very young, she's defied all the odds.
The next challenge -- turning 13 on 4 July!
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| Daisie aka Independence Daisie, Daisie Dog, Daisie Dukes, Dook, Dooku, Dookie, Dookster, Daisie Dingleberry, Daisie Dufuss, Crazy Daisie, Lazy Daisie, Dunkin' Daisie, D-Dog, Snorkel Dog, Hairy Tuna... |
