Ollie's Cookbook: A Nutritious Doggy Dinner!

Hello, beauties!

Today’s post is going to focus on something very near and dear to my heart: feeding my King Charles Cavelier, Oliver a healthy diet. When we rescued Ollie, he was loved, but not in the greatest shape health-wise. His mouth, especially, was in poor shape. After a lot of vet visits and some serious dental work, Oliver was left with only a few teeth remaining.

As such, we couldn’t feed him any sort of hard, dry kibble. And honestly? I wouldn’t want to. So with that in mind, I decided to look at the healthiest way I could feed my little fur baby, with foods that would be easy to gobble up considering his lack of teeth. 

I have to be honest, at first, I was a bit intimidated to make my own dog food. I was concerned that he would not be getting the proper nutrition. He is a small dog and they tend to have a lot of health issues. With that said I did my homework. I started researching and I also talked to my vet and she agreed that what I could make was by far better than any store-bought food.

I must admit it has been fun and not at all a burden like I thought it might end up being. To see that look on his face while I'm cooking for him melts my heart! I do change things up a bit each week by using organic ground beef, turkey, chicken or buffalo, and I switch the veggies and grain. Mostly I use quinoa and brown rice.

If you’re looking to feed your dog a healthier diet, I couldn’t recommend this little recipe more highly! 

Oliver’s Tasty Turkey Dinner:

• 1 lb. Organic Ground Turkey (protein)
• 1 small bag frozen spinach (antioxidants & vitamins)
• 1 cup cooked organic brown rice (prebiotics)
• a sprinkle of Himalayan sea salt (82 trace minerals) *Do not use too much*
• 1 Tbs. of nutritional yeast (B vitamins)
• For extra nutritional benefits, I add 1 scoop of Dinovite to his morning meal. It works great with any dog food - wet, dry, or homemade. It combinations amino acids, fatty acids, zinc, vitamins, other nutrients that support a dog's immune system and body function.

Cooking Instructions: Cook turkey in a pan at low heat, once the meat is slightly pink add the frozen veggies and cook for a few more minutes until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are cooked. Take off heat, add salt, and once cooled add nutritional yeast. (I wait until cooled so that the heat does not damage the nutrients.) Store in an airtight glass container. Lasts for 1 week. 

Serving Size: Oliver is 20 lbs. and I feed him ½ - 1 cup twice a day. I also sprinkle that Dinovite on his food right before I feed him in the morning only.

Other Notes: I never use onions or garlic as these are hard for dogs to digest and are harmful.

Ingredients in Dynovite: 

• Ground Flax Seed -Source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids. Fatty acids support skin function. Ground flax also contains phytonutrients and fiber that help support your dog's good body function.
• Dried kelp- Natural source of iodine and many trace minerals.
• Yeast Culture- Live yeast that provides digestive enzymes and vitamins. Not to be confused with Candida yeast that causes yeast infections.
• Dried yeast- Source of digestible amino acids and B complex vitamins. Also referred to as nutritional yeast and not to be confused with brewer's yeast or "candida yeast" that causes yeast infections.
• Vitamin E Supplement- We use a natural source Vitamin E. Vitamin E is a natural antioxidant and a vital nutrient in many body functions.
• Fructooligosaccharide- A complex sugar that is a prebiotic. Fructooligosaccharide passes through the stomach then small intestine undigested. As it enters the large intestine it is available as food for the beneficial bacteria that live in the large intestine. The beneficial bacterial cultures can thus thrive and start to starve out the pathogenic yeast (Candida albicans) that cause yeast infections. *An important note: the yeast we put into our products is not the same species that causes yeast infections.
• Zinc methionine complex- A highly digestible form of zinc. Zinc methionine is a zinc atom bound to a methionine amino acid molecule. Body cells love methionine so they readily absorb it and the zinc atom goes along for the ride. Zinc is an antioxidant mineral, essential for many vital enzymatic processes. Zinc is needed for a functioning reproductive and immune system, for tissue renewal, maintenance of the skin, and for healthy bones and teeth. Zinc helps support the function of the liver and the release of vitamin A. Zinc is required for the development of the skeletal system, nervous system and for brain function. Methionine is an amino acid with antioxidant activity that assists detoxification. Methionine aids the metabolism of Omega-3 essential fatty acids.
• Alfalfa nutrient concentrate-Take everything good about alfalfa and condense it, like one giant super vegetable!
• Bacillus Subtilis fermentation product dehydrated- Direct fed microbial that helps support immune system and  digestive tract.
• Bacillus Licheniformis fermentation product dehydrated- Direct fed microbial that helps support immune system and  digestive tract.
• Bacillus pumilus fermentation product dehydrated- Direct fed microbial that helps support immune system and  digestive tract.
• Aspergillus oryzae fermentation product dehydrated- Direct fed microbial that helps support immune system and  digestive tract.
• Aspergillus niger fermentation product dehydrated-Direct fed microbial that helps support immune system and  digestive tract.
• Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product dehydrated-Direct fed microbial that helps support immune system and  digestive tract.
• Lactobacillus casei fermentation product dehydrated- Direct fed microbial that helps support immune system and  digestive tract.
• Bifidobacterium thermophilum fermentation product dehydrated- Direct fed microbial that helps support immune system and  digestive tract.