Diet

One thing I have always worried about when buying pet food was whether it had the nutrition my pets needed. A couple of years ago I started feeding Purina One to my pets and they all seemed to do well on it. I still wasn't completely satisfied that I couldn't do better without spending a fortune so I kept looking.

A few months ago I started researching natural diets and decided to give it a try. Beau, my 11 year old Shepard, was always difficult to get to eat anything. When I gave him the food I had cooked, he loved it!!! He still anxiously waits for me to put his bowl down and doesn't lift his head from the bowl until it is all gone. Katie, my 8 month old Heeler X, wolfs her food down and watches closely until Beau is done in case he misses anything.

Here is the recipe I use for those of you who want to try it:

1 can mackeral or 1 lb. lean ground beef

4 cups brown rice

8 cups water

1 cup frozen vegetables*

2 tbsp corn oil

Mix all ingredients together in slow cooker. Cook on low for 2 hours or until rice is done.

*Broccoli, green beans, peas, carrots, spinach or a combination of these

Beau and Katie did well on this but they seemed to be hungry all the time so I did start feeding them 1/4 cup of Purina One Lamb & Rice. Doing this seemed to keep them satisfied longer but I still wasn't satisfied with the nutrition they were getting.

After much searching, I found a vitamin called Be Well Dog at 1-800-PetMeds. Type "Be Well Dog" in the search box and you'll go right to it! After only a few days their stools were firmer and they were more active.

Of my 4 cats, 2 refused to eat the natural food so I had to go back to Purina One for them. I did start adding Be Well Cat to their canned food and they also started to improve.