The Paranoid Gourmet

Again it's been a long long time since I've made an entry here, but it always seems like there's too much stuff to do and precious little time to actually do it.

One thing that's been in the forefront of my mind in the last several weeks has been the pet food recall. From the contaminated wheat gluten to the contaminated rice and corn, it has just turned into a complete and total nightmare for pet owners. I can't imagine someone feeding their dog (or cat) something that is slowly killing them.

When the initial list of recalled foods came out, I (like many others) frantically scanned it just to make sure it was nothing we were feeding Cragar. I was worried because at that point, it was only "Cuts & Gravy" type foods, which happens to be all Cragar would eat. From the time he was very young, he turned his little puppy nose up at dry food. Even if we'd mix some kibble in with his wet food, he'd spit the kibble on the floor and eat only the wet food. From time to time, he'd even refuse wet "gravy" type food.

Luckily none of the food Cragar eats was on any of the lists. He was eating Pedigree pouches - mainly Butcher's Stew and Casserole Dinner - in addition to Little Ceasar's trays. He really liked those, and the flavors like Duck and Pork Tenderloin really drove him wild.

As the list kept expanding, I stopped giving him dog treats. Although there were no treats on the list (besides an entry for Jerky Strips), some of his favorites were the Nutriplan biscuits (what can I say, apparently he loved cheap treats!). Nutriplan food was on the recall list, and I wasn't going to take the chance that the contaminated materials didn't reach those, too.

Then, in true form, I became more paranoid. When was the food he was eating going to pop up on one of those lists? It didn't help at the time for some reason he was puking and had diarrhea. Coincidence, I'm sure, but that was the last straw. I said the hell with the dog food.

I boiled several chicken breasts and shredded them, then added some rice. When I ran out of chicken breasts, I browned some hamburger and mixed it with rice. Then of course the logical part of my brain started working (it doesn't always work, you know), and I realized that when I open a can of food, I can at least ensure he's getting proper nutrition. So my new mission was, how can I provide proper nutrition without using dog food?

A lot of non-pet owners would most likely call me crazy... for eons dogs have survived without a nutritionally balanced diet. They ate scraps, animal carcasses, whatever they needed to to survive. Ok, so I may be a little compulsive. But I'd venture a guess other pet owners would understand. I'd like to provide Cragar with the nutritional equivalent of opening a can, sans melamine.

So I started doing a little bit of research and quickly got way in over my head. I headed over to the great Globalpaw forums, where not only is there tons of information on the recalls, but a lot of other people who are starting to home cook for their dogs. I got some great advice, (Calgal, especially, thank you!) and I'm now feeding Cragar some pretty yummy, healthy food. It cost a total of about $9 to make, and it will feed him for about 8 days. It actually works out to be less expensive than feeding him Pedigree or Little Ceasar's trays!

My initial experiment was a recipe that Calgal provided, including natural hormone-free beef, brown rice, split peas, lentils, broccoli, carrots, and garlic. I was very tentative about the recipe since Cragar has been know to be picky (just in case you forgot about the whole spitting-the-kibble-on-the-floor routine, he's also been known to turn his nose at french fries, hamburgers, and other things "normal" dogs would do backflips for). I took a little bit of each ingredient (so I wouldn't have to waste 3 pounds of meat if he didn't like it), mixed it and gave it to him. After walking around the dish several times and lots of sniffing, he took a tentative bite. Then he started woofing (no pun intended) it down like he hadn't eaten in a week. When he was done he licked his chops, burped, then looked at me with those eyes that say, "May I have more please?"

So now feeding time is fun! I have the beef mixture in little freezer bags that I pull out every night and defrost in the fridge. When I put it in his bowl I usually stick it in the microwave for about 15 seconds so it won't be cold. Now, when he hears the microwave, he starts dancing around my feet or sitting by his food stand watching me intently. One time he almost had his face in the bowl before I even put it down! He's never been so enthusiastic about eating before.

Yesterday I mixed some plain yogurt into the food for his dinner - I thought he was going to eat his bowl after it was empty. He had yogurt once - on his first birthday I made him a puppy birthday cake and "iced" it with yogurt.

One thing I'm still a bit fuzzy on is supplements. Most people who home cook for their dogs add supplements like Flax seed, vitamins, crushed eggshells, etc. I may be a chemist, but when I start to get into all the supplements, I get a little worried. Body chemistry can be a delicate thing, and I don't want to screw it up. That's what was so good about using dog food (gross as it is).

A guy I work with uses Chicken Soup For The Puppy Lovers' Soul - an all natural food with a good reputation. He brought some into work today for Cragar to try. I added some to his beef mixture tonight and added some cottage cheese and blueberries (thanks again, Calgal, you rock!). He ate every. Single. Bite. So I'm considering "supplementing" the home cooking with good quality kibble like the Chicken Soup or Innova to make sure he's really getting everything he needs.

And tonight I had quite a revelation - Cragar is actually eating better and healthier than we are!