Steamed Apples

Steamed apples are sometimes added to our dog’s breakfast together with oats for a variation from sweet potatoes.

Apples contain calcium, vitamin K, and are a good source of vitamin C and dietary fiber as well as LOW in saturated fat and sodium.  Saturated fat contributes to heart problems.  Apples contain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which contribute to a healthy, glossy coat and help to control skin allergies.

Most of the calories in apples come from naturally occurring sugar, although not processed sugar that might be found in other treats, still, sugar is sugar, so do note that it can contribute to weight gain if taken in LARGE quantities. 

The seeds of the apples contain a substance called cyanogenic glycosides which can cause cyanide poisoning if ingested.  However, you can rest assured that they are carefully removed before cooking.

The apples are cut and steamed instead of boiled so the taste n nutrients do not go to the water.  They are then cooled and packed into zip-lock bags for freezing.  Using zip-lock bags not only preserves the freshness but also makes thawing easier.  

 

It is recommended to be consumed within 2-3 weeks to ensure freshness.

Defrost, microwave or steam it and serve.  It can be served cool, at room temperature or warm depending on your dog's preference.  If you would like, you can even give them frozen, like iced apples treats!  =D

Please email for pricing.
 

Steamed Sweet Potatoes

We usually give steamed sweet potatoes to our dog as breakfast together with oats, not every day as we always give a variation so he doesn’t get bored with the same food every day.

Sweet potatoes are commonly used as an acceptable filler source - one that normally doesn’t cause stomach upset or other digestion problems.  Sweet potatoes have much more nutrition than regular potatoes.  They're rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients, and are classified as an anti-diabetic food.  They received this title because animal studies have found that sweet potatoes help stabilize blood sugar levels and lower insulin resistance. They contain vitamin A which also protects against emphysema.  The notable Nutrients are Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Manganese, Copper, Fiber, Vitamin B6, Potassium, Iron.  

Sweet potatoes are full of starch so weight-gain is a possibility if too much is fed.  Since we don’t feed our dog sweet potatoes every day, he is so far maintaining his weight well.

We only use Japanese Sweet Potatoes because they are so much tastier even though they are more expensive, and remember how much we emphasize on quality?  Our sweet potatoes are fresh and carefully peeled before cooking so you do not have to worry that the skin of the sweet potato could contain harmful chemicals if moldy.  They are also steamed instead of boiled so the taste n nutrients do not go to the water. 

The sweet potatoes are cooled and packed into zip-lock bags for freezing.  Using zip-lock bags not only preserves the freshness but also makes thawing easier. 

 

It is recommended to be consumed within 2-3 weeks to ensure freshness.

Defrost, microwave or steam it and serve.  It can be served cool, at room temperature or warm depending on your dog's preference.  =)


Please email for pricing.

Oats for Dogs

As we all know how oats are very beneficial to humans, they are also very good for dogs in many ways.   Ever heard of oatmeal shampoo n conditioner for dogs with skin problems or even bathing them with real oats or applying the oats directly on affected skin? 

Today, I am going to introduce oats as food for dogs.

Oats generally helps digestion and has a natural calming effect to the body.  Some hyperactive dogs actually calm down a little after adding oats to their diet.  It also explains why oatmeal baths are recommended for dogs with itchy skin as it helps to calm the itchiness.   

Did you know that oats:
* are best known as a strength-giving cereal
* are an excellent source of antioxidants
* are low in starch
* are a valuable source of minerals, including potassium and phosphorus
* have a high silicon content, making them beneficial to our dogs’ bones and teeth
* soothe the gastrointestinal and nervous systems

More importantly why we choose to give our doggie oats for breakfast daily is because oats promotes a heart-healthy dog as it helps to lower cholesterol in the dog’s body.  Oats are loaded with a soluble fiber called beta-glucan.  Beta-glucans are incredibly viscous and help to thicken the membranes of the intestines when broken down.  This thickening prevents the absorption of bile acids, which are made up of cholesterol.  If the body has no bile acids to use in digestion, it must take up the cholesterol in the blood to replenish the bile acid, therefore reducing the amount of cholesterol in the bloodstream.  Over time, enough of the cholesterol in the blood is removed to show a significant reduction or maintain healthy levels.  Low cholesterol in the bloodstream means reduced risk of heart disease.  The high fiber in oats may also contribute to colon health and act as an aid to combat constipation.  In addition to the benefits of a whole lot of fiber, these tasty grains also boast high protein levels and good sources of magnesium, iron, zinc as well as several B vitamins.  In humans, oats have also been linked to controlling blood sugar levels, which could also benefit dogs with diabetes.  Not to mention that oats are packed with selenium, a powerful antioxidant that has been linked to heart health, DNA repair and colon cancer prevention.

Some dogs prefer raw oats while some prefer cooked oats like oats porridge.  We made for our doggie porridge oats from instant oats by The Quaker, as we are also having the same for our own breakfast, hee.  It’s easy to make, just have to add hot water n mix.  And they are easily available from supermarkets.  =)

We usually give 2 to 2.5 spoonfuls of oats to our doggie for breakfast daily.  For this instant oats, we just add some hot water and stir it, then its ready.  We will always add some sweet potatoes / bananas / steamed or fresh apples / fresh blueberries, etc, to the oats together with 1-2 spoonfuls of yogurt and some supplements.  We do sell some of these foods that you can add to the oats for your dog’s breakfast (freshly prepared n put to freeze), will talk more about these in the next few posts.

Besides all the nutritional facts about oats and how beneficial are oats to dogs, the best thing is that oats are not really that expensive.  Together with what you may add to the oats for more flavour, it is still very affordable.  Do consider adding oats to your dog’s diet!  I don’t know about your dog, but ours just loves it!  =D

Reference : http://www.moderndogmagazine.com/articles/diy-eat/20326

Vegetables Combo!

I have to admit, I also love this vegetables combo and will “steal” abit to eat whenever I cook for my doggie!  ;P  It is made of all human grade ingredients, all natural with no preservatives and seasonings added.  Best of all, it is naturally sweet n tasty!  ;D

Ingredients used are : Butternut Pumpkins, potatoes, celery, carrots and apples. 

All the ingredients used are human-grade fresh ingredients, you can see from the picture below (before cooking) that the ingredients are very fresh and beautiful.

We even go to the extent of blending the carrots so that your doggies can absorb the nutrients better as well as making it easier to digest.  For those who have given your doggie carrots before will know that they usually have the carrots passed out and the poo poo will have small pieces of carrots, as though the body cannot really digest it.  Carrots are very good for the eyes because it contains the cartenoid beta-carotene (Vitamin A).

Celery is also another power food for dogs.  It is rich in calcium, potassium, phosphorus, sodium and iron, as well as vitamins A, B and C.  It is believed to be good for the nerves and an anti-tumour agent.  Celery is also a natural diuretic that stimulates urine production and can help eliminate excess fluids, thereby promoting good kidney and urinary tract health in your pet.  Our celery are also carefully shredded on the outer layer where the fibres may be too tough n not nice to chew on or swallow, just the way like how we prepare it for humans.

We do not just load up our vegetables combo with lots of potatoes as they are much cheaper and also makes your pet feels more full, instead we added pumpkins which have much more nutritional values.  If you are worried about your dog putting on weight, giving pumpkins is a good choice as it is a low-calorie / low-fat / filler that is high in fiber and will help keep your pet feeling full longer.  More importantly, it also gives your dog the required nutrients that he or she needs.  Pumpkins also have a high water and fiber content and can act to hydrate the intestines and their contents when dogs are suffering from constipation, thus it can be a very effective treatment for the occasional abnormal stool.  Pumpkin can also be used to treat diarrhoea. The soluble fiber in pumpkins actually helps absorb excess water in the bowels that the body didn’t absorb properly, thereby helping to calm diarrhoea.  We also choose to use butternut pumpkins as they are sweeter and tastier, tho they are also much more expensive than local pumpkins.  It just shows how much quality we expect in our dishes, even though they are for dogs!  

Of course we still use some potatoes as potatoes are just very yummy, or at least because we are potato-lovers.  Our potatoes are freshly skinned and cooked. 

As for apples, we use fresh n sweet apples, rest assured we dun get the cheapest n half-rotten apples as we emphasize on giving quality food to our doggies.  We do not peel the apples as we believe there are nutrients in the apples’ skin as well, but we do remove all the seeds and stems in the apples.

Here’s a look at the vegetables combo BEFORE cooking :

Now after its cooked, it looks even more appetising like this :

It will then be portioned out to this quantity and packed into zip-lock bags (instead of containers like in the picture) for freezing.  This portion is for one small to medium breed (mine is a Schnauzer x Scottish Terrier) for one meal.  Using zip-lock bags not only preserves the freshness but also makes thawing easier.
 

This is a very healthy and tasty dish.  For those who prefer to give your doggie a vegetarian diet, you can also consider giving your dog this.  You can give 2 packs of this or add some brown rice to it if you like it, or if you think it may not be filling enough for your doggie. 

This vegetables combo is recommended to go with one meat product as a complete meal.  We usually give this meal once a day in the night for my doggie.  We will also recommend the meal we give our dog in the morning.  But of course if you would like you doggie to have this for morning AND night, it’s also good, except it is more expensive.  :)

It is recommended to be consumed within 2-3 weeks to ensure freshness.

Defrost, microwave or steam it and serve.  It can be served cool, at room temperature or warm depending on your dog's preference.

 

We will talk more about the menu for meat in the next few entries.  ;D

Please email for pricing.