Cooking for Your Dog

Pup Loaf, AKA Arthur Loaf, AKA [Your Dog’s Name Here] Loaf

By Josh Ivey Abitz
Animal Saints Rescue Society Board Member

This is a recipe I have used for over 10 years. Our vet continues to be amazed at the excellent blood work and weights he gets from our pack of Shih Tzus. Dog obesity is a thing and kibble is a cause. Cooking for your dog will help maintain a healthy weight. We feed about 3/4oz. per 1 pound of dog’s ideal weight. A ten pound dog would eat 7.5 ounces of food per day. We feed twice a day plus a small bedtime snack. So each meal is about 3.25 oz. Weigh it once and eyeball it for the rest of your life. Some days our dogs need more or less. Like us!

Formula

• 60% lean chicken
• 40% sweet potato
• 5% kale
• Optional: apple, beets, carrots, other garden vegetables depending on supply.

Let’s make one week’s food for a 70 pound dog (about 25 pounds of food)

Ingredients:

• 15 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
• 10 pounds sweet potatoes
• 1 pound kale
• Powder probiotic and vitamin supplement of your choice. Animal Saints Rescue Society uses Wholistic Pet Organics Canine Complete.

Instructions

If you don’t have a meat grinder

Cooking with dogs as your audience is a great pleasure. I have cut chicken and potatoes for hours spurred on only by the hungry gaze of our pack. One day you might get a grinder. But until then, get friendly with your knife.

-Roast or slow cook the chicken breast to an internal temperature of 165: 45min to an hour in a 375 degree oven.

-Bake the sweet potatoes whole – skins on – for about an hour at 375 or until a knife will slide into them easily. Slice the potatoes in half and scrape the golden fluff out of the skins. (Bake the skins into crisps for a snack or for dog treats.)

-Cook the kale in a covered dutch oven with an inch of water for at least an hour at the same time as the potatoes. 

Kale should be well cooked almost to a pulp. Chop the kale as finely as possible before or after cooking.

-Chop the chicken into bite sizes appropriate for your dog. Bigger dog = bigger chunks. Smaller dogs = tiny diced bits or use a blender to make a pate.

-Mix the chicken, potatoes, and kale together well. If it’s difficult to mix, add a touch of water. Freeze into daily portions and reheat as needed.

-Serve warm or room temperature. Cold is okay once in a while, but not regularly. Never hot or frozen. And don’t forget to sprinkle in your supplement at mealtime!

If you have a meat grinder

It took me about 6 years to realize I needed a meat grinder. I started with a small one and graduated to a larger one as needed. If in doubt, go big. I use the LEM Big Bite #12 grinder to make 56 pounds of food every 8-10 days. Cooking for yourself and your dogs will make you all healthier. Reward yourself with the right tools!

-Grind all ingredients using a meat grinder and mix together raw. Meat should be partially frozen for efficient grinding.

-Save time and effort by grinding the ingredients together in the correct proportions and catch the mix in a freezer bag as it exits the grinder.

-Store in freezer bags in a loaf shape or any shape that works for your cooker. For example, a flat shape would cook well on a deep cookie sheet. A bread loaf shape would cook well in a crock pot.

-Cook daily at meal time or slow cook overnight in a crock pot. A pressure cooker will work well, too.

-The loaf should reach 165 degrees minimum at the center for at least 10 minutes. Long and slow cooking will make the potato and kale easier to digest and create yummy juices. Never feed raw.

-Serve warm or room temperature – never hot – and don’t forget to sprinkle your supplement in at meal time!

Cooking in bulk is a great way to see how much food you can stuff into your oven. Really put your oven to the test! You may have to do some experimenting to adjust cooking times and positions. Be creative and make your own workflow that fits your daily life.

You can gauge your food’s effectiveness by examining stools for firmness and by getting annual blood tests. Best of all, you can modify ingredients easily if your dog ever gets sick or has a special need.

P.S. Pup loaf is fantastic with tortilla chips when it’s roasted in the oven. Try to get the crispy top part before your dog does!