samshealthwiserawfoodcakes

HOMEMADE DOG FOOD

Licking the bowl makes it even better!

Guarding his "cakes" before we put them in the freezer

Sam is 18 years old this spring. He is a large breed - a flatcoated retriever. It surprises everybody, ourselves included, that Sam has lived to such a ripe old age -- and he's still enjoying an active happy life. We feel it is at least partly because he eats a healthy homemade raw food diet.

SAM'S HEALTHWISE RAWFOOD CAKES

Makes approximately 28 cups*

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups rice (brown or white)
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
COOK rice in broth and water til done, let cool2 large yams
6 eggs
STEAM or bake the yams; POACH the eggs, let cool. PUREE both in food processor, yam skin and all.
FINELY CHOP OR GRIND the following in a food processor (the finer the more digestible.) I do one thing at a time in my Cuisinart and save time by NOT washing it out between ingredients. It doesn't matter anyway since all of the ingredients get mixed together:
1 large bunch parsley
8 large carrots
1/4 head cabbage
1 broccoli head
2 celery stalks
1 zucchini (in season)
2 large apples (more is good)
1/2 # cranberries (in season, sometimes more)
1/2 # blueberries (turns food gray. If it bothers you, skip blueberries)
1/2# green beans (sometimes more. I use frozen beans)

PUT ALL THE ABOVE INGREDIENTS INTO A VERY LARGE MIXING BOWL. ADD THE FOLLOWING AND STIR WELL (I use my hands to mix it -- there is aLOT here)
8 to 12 eggshells (baked to dry, grind in small "coffee grinder")
1 c. peanut butter (more or less -- I use this as a binder & for protein)
2/3 cup nutritional yeast (lots of vitamins)
1 cup flax seed (partially ground in food processor)
1 cup pumpkin seed (partially ground in food processor)
4 cups rolled oats (1/2 ground in food processor, 1/2 whole)
1/2 cup olive oil (you can substitute canola)
1/2 cup rosehips, dried and ground in coffee grinder **

MIX WITH YOUR HANDS OR A SPOON til all the ingredients have been incorporated into a squishy, moist glop. Put waxed paper or parchment paper on 2 large cookie sheets. Scoop out measured amounts*** of the mixture in "balls" or "cakes" and place on waxed paper. Close together. Freeze until hard. Put the cakes in airtight freezer baggies and thaw as needed. ****

NOTES:

* This recipe makes approximately 28 (1-cup) balls of raw food. You will end up with more or less depending on the size of your veggies like zucchini and cabbage.

** I sometimes substitute a powdered, fortified Vitamin C product called "Emergen-C" for the rosehips. Emergen-C also contains many other vital nutrients such as folic acid, B Vitamins, Potassium, etc. If I add the Emergenc-C I make sure to use enough to provide at least 6000mg of C to the above amount of food.

*** The size of the "cakes" will depend on the size and appetite of your dog. Sam weighs 70 pounds and eats two (1-cup) cakes per day, one with each meal. The amount of raw food from this recipe lasts Sam about two weeks.

**** You will have to determine how much to feed your pets and what else to feed with this raw food meal. We give Sam 4 ounces of raw meat with each meal -- usually raw ground rabbit or turkey. We have also fed him raw llama meat and raw ground chicken. We also add 1 spoonful of organic yogurt to his meals, to maintain a healthy digestive tract. As well, Sam gets a multiple canine vitamin and 250 mg glucosamine each day.