Making Homemade Dog Food: In Honor of Molly
Last week we said goodbye to our little Rat Terrier, Molly. Molly had been adopted by us from Rat Bone Rescues almost 7 years ago. She was such a delight.
Like many elderly dogs, her life became more difficult after she was diagnosed with chronic renal failure. We cared for her condition for over a year and a half and one of the joys during that time was feeding her. Molly was always a thin gal and her failing kidneys were now going to cause her more weight loss. So the vet gave us the orders to feed Molly whatever and whenever. And we did. Plenty of chef leftovers like pork, meatballs, rice and even beef tenderloin. Some days she loved it and other days she sniffed the bowl of delightful food and walked away. We told her starving dogs around the world would kill for that meal, yet it didn’t move her to eat. Even with beef tenderloin on offer, one dinner she always would eat was canned liver dog food.
A few weeks back, while sifting through an overpacked freezer, I came across some frozen beef liver. Well, if Molly likes canned, she will like my homemade liver dog food, I thought. And she did. It was so easy to make too. With the dog food scare of recent history and the trend of more natural foods in our diets, why not the diets of our animals? I whipped up the recipe from the contents of my fridge.
Molly’s Liver Dinner
all measurements are approximate
drizzle of olive oil
2 pounds beef livers
garlic powder
1.5 cups cooked brown rice
2-3 shredded carrots
1/2 cup water
Warm oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Sprinkle garlic powder on livers and saute them on each side, about 2-3 minutes per. Set aside to cool. Livers may have a tough edge on them. If so, trim it away.
Place livers, rice, carrots & a little water to start in a food processor. Pulse until desired consistency. More pureed is best for older dogs with missing teeth. Add water as needed if mix becomes too thick. This recipe will make a lot of food. I divided it into 8oz containers and froze what I was not going to use within the week. Refrigerate the rest. Serve to a hungry dog.
I found more great dog food recipes here.
Consider treating your pet to some homemade food. They will be delighted and it will make you feel great as well.
Thanks for the great memories Molly. Oof to you, my little stinkpot.
