In September 2021, I pre-ordered a very promising book, The Forever Dog, by Rodney Habib and Dr. Karen Becker. The Facebook hype leading up to to the book’s release was intriguing. They posted many easy tips based on science to help your dog “live younger, healthier, and longer”. I received the book in October and it did not disappoint. I am 3/4 through the book and I am already making easy changes to my dog’s nutrition. In full disclosure, I had already started a journey to do better for my dog, inspired by my good friend and dog trainer colleague, Christine Geschwill. I appreciate all of her inspiration and guidance.
I have been supplementing my dog River’s kibble (dry dog food) with toppers for 2 years. Mostly oven cooked ground turkey with carrots, cranberry (my dog has a history of Urinary Tract Infections), kale, and eggs. Earlier this year, my holistic veterinarian suggested limiting River to two proteins she had never previously eaten, to address chronic itching. I chose venison and lamb. Today I prepared gently cooked lamb meatballs with tons of nutritious roots, fruits, spices, and veggies. I didn’t use a specific recipe, but I followed the guidance in the book in choosing the ingredients and estimated the amounts. Please refer to the book or website if you want to create your own recipes.
Ingredient list:
Ground Lamb: available at Wild Fork
Eggs: “nutrition bombs” packed with vitamins, minerals, protein, and healthy fat
Carrots: antioxidant rich
Cranberries: anti-inflammatory
Kale: superfood
Broccoli: antioxidant rich
Turmeric: manages inflammation and improves cognition (in root form)
Ginger: delays aging (lightly dried from “Gourmet Gardens” available at Publix)
Italian herbs: too many benefits to list here (lightly dried from “Gourmet Gardens” available at Publix and Walmart)
I finely chopped the fruits at veggies in my Ninja and added them to a large bowl.
I mixed all of the ingredients and made large meatballs and loaded them into a Crockpot.
I added water to cover all of the meatballs and set the Crockpot on low for 3.5 hours. I read about “poaching” as a way to “gently” cook ground meat.
I spooned the meatballs out of the Crockpot and put them in Tupperware.
I reserved the yummy water/gravy left over in Tupperware to add to River’s kibble.
This batch should last for three weeks and I’m grateful to have room in my freezer for all of this.
I am over the moon about the scientific content in The Forever Dog. It’s not only about nutrition! The book addresses limiting environmental toxins, meeting your dog’s emotional needs, exercise, and limiting stress. In fact, I have added The Forever Dog to my “Puppy Supply Shopping List” for my clients.
Links:
https://foreverdog.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ForeverDogBook
Looking for a top notch dog trainer/behavior expert in Greater Fort Lauderdale? Please call Oh Behave Dog Training at 954-587-2711 now for a free phone consultation.
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