Wednesday, April 25, 2007
We have had many e-mails lately asking for our current pug feeding schedule & meal plan. Since it has changed a bit in the last few months, we felt it would be a good idea to post a blog about it, rather than just responding to the people that have asked. (Having been a teacher before, it is our school of thought that for each person that asked there are a few more that wanted the same answer, but never asked the question…)
Here, is our “secret” recipe:
1/3 cup of browned ground turkey (97% fat free)
1 teaspoon of fat free yogurt (plain, vanilla or strawberry)
1 heaping teaspoon of plain oatmeal
1 tablespoon of canned pumpkin
8-10 green beans (unsalted variety)
This meal is given 3 times a day. They eat breakfast around 6 AM, lunch around 3:30 PM and dinner around 8:30 PM. Additionally, they get a snack of a teaspoon of yogurt or applesauce and a few cheerios around noontime. So, they eat 4 times a day. They are obviously very well fed pugs. Henry is the heaviest, weighing in at a hefty 27 pounds (and he could afford to drop a pound or 2.) Benjamin is in good shape at his 22 pounds and “little” Luna is a curvy 13 pounds. Luna doesn’t get quite as much, though. Where the boys would get the full 1/3 scoop of turkey, her measuring cup wouldn’t be all the way full and she would get just a little less pumpkin and a couple less green beans but for the most part, it is pretty darn close to what the boys eat.
Also, since Henry has a pretty serious acid reflux problem, he gets 1/8 of a teaspoon of Baby Acidopholus in powder form added to his meals. When his reflux gets too bad, he may need to have a Pepcid A/C added to his food bowl, too. Benjamin also used to have the acid trouble, too but as he is getting older, it seems to be improving dramatically. Actually, Henry’s has improved tremendously, as well but his does act up from time to time.
Of course, with anything else that you feed or medicate your own dog with, we strongly advise you to consult your veterinarian first. The diet that the pugs are on was recommended to us years ago by our holistic veterinarian. We have made some modifications through the years after consulting with her along the way. And please, be fully aware of the time and the cost of a special diet like this if you are considering offering your dog something similar. It really can be a real pain in the neck to get it all put together. Even though we have it down to a science, it is still time consuming. On Sundays, we cook about 11 pounds of ground turkey and then scoop 21 bowls of food per dog (so a total of 63 food bowls), cover them with plastic elastic lids and stack them in the fridge for easy feeding throughout the week. The whole process takes a good 3-4 hours. And at $3 for 1.25lbs of turkey, well, you can do the math. Needless to say, the dogs literally eat better than we do.
We really appreciate everyone’s feedback, commentary & e-mails on the subject. We hope it gives some insight to what it’s like to offer a home cooked diet for your dogs. We will say this, though, no matter what the cost in time and effort, there was no exchange for the level of comfort we felt when the word about the tainted pet foods came out in the news. We felt a huge sigh of relief that our precious pups were protected.
Monday, April 23, 2007
The other night we gave each of the pugs a nice bone with some creamy filling inside. Everyone worked on their bones for about an hour and then Henry & Luna started to tire out. Benny on the other hand was just getting started and he easily chewed for another hour. At that point, it was time for bed. So I picked up the bones and put them in the toy bin and took everyone out for their final potty of the night. When we got back, Benjamin snuck off and dug his bone out of the toy box and got in an extra 5 minutes of chewing before I took the bone away from him and put it in the drawer of the nightstand where it was out of his reach. Reluctantly, Benjamin went to sleep, knowing that he would be able to retrieve his bone in the morning.
First thing in the morning the next day, Benjamin, the happy go lucky morning person that he is, was dancing and jumping around in front of the dresser happy as could be because he knew he was now allowed to have his bone. So I gave him his bone and he headed outside to chew it on his favorite lounge chair. He chewed on that bone for hours. At one point he caught Henry looking at his bone and Benny gave Henry his “Boy, don’t you even think about looking at my bone. Just mind your business!”
Finally, after hours of chewing, Benny finally fell asleep. He was so sleepy that he almost slept through lunch. Good thing he has a little sister that loves to eat just as much as him.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Sound the alarms! The treats have dipped down below the fill line!
Monday, April 16, 2007
Benny loves pumpkin bread, Henry can’t get enough spaghetti and Luna absolutely goes crazy when we bring home Boston Market. We usually get the turkey meal and I think she feels like it is hers because turkey is the main ingredient in her home-made meals. So, she can’t really understand why we brought home turkey and none of it is for her.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
After last week’s treat jar scare, the boys and Luna were happy to find that the treat jar had been refilled and that justice had been served!
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Benjamin, Henry & Luna are all treat connoisseurs and since great connoisseurs need to hone their craft by frequent treat tastings, we keep a treat jar on the counter for easy treat access. The boys and Luna’s treat jar sits right next to the cat’s treat jar and despite what Benjamin might try to tell you, only one of the containers has dog treats in it. We weren’t sure how the treat jar would go over with Baby Benny at first. I knew we would have to get something pretty air tight or else Benny would just sit and whine at the counter all day. Our current treat jar seems to fit the bill because, for the most part, Benny doesn’t whine or scratch at it. The treat jar is also a place where the pugs can express their inner feelings. It has a little chalk area on it and Benjamin, Henry and Luna are frequently leaving us notes on it.
The other day the treat jar was undergoing a little bit of Spring Cleaning and I took a lot of the older treats out of the jar. I hadn’t gotten around to filling back up the jar when I noticed that the pugs were up in arms. It seems they saw the empty treat jar and assumed the worst.
Monday, March 19, 2007
This is Baby Benny’s patented “Oh my goodness, you have a treat and I think you are going to give it to me” look.
The boy loves to eat and he becomes totally fixated on whatever you have in your hand.
