Bugs are Full of Protein!
Whilst pottering around the web for home made healthy food for dogs that would add extra variety to the diet of my two darlings, I discovered a few things that surprised me and I thought I would share.
Often our pets are as fussy as we are and are known to turn their noses up at many of the traditional dry or wet pet foods in the market today forcing us, as ever adoring owners, to cook up exotic concoctions that would suit a king! Now, I'm not saying my two are fussy as such but they do seem to enjoy "human food" way more than the "kibble" that they should be eating.
Hubby and I have learnt over the years that tinned dog food doesn't sit well with us and we normally provide kibble along with anything I choose to cook up in advance for them. (This is where I worry that I will get growled at by any Vets that may feel I am wrong to feed them rice-based dishes or even cooked meat) but the fact is that all the dogs we have owned over the many years both in the UK and here in Oz have lived very healthily till they were 17 years plus so my cooking can't be too bad!
Now to my surprising discovery and, it may not be news to you seasoned pet owners but apparently, crickets are the go in the world of pet food and dog foods are being created with crickets as the source of protein...
There are apparently huge benefits to this revolution with global warming as one consideration. It takes about 2,000 times more water to raise a kilo of beef than a kilo of crickets. Also, considering the space needed to raise beef cattle compared to raising crickets as well as how much methane gas producing a kilo of beef emits -about 100 times more than producing a kilo of crickets, it does all seem to make sense....
Check this out.
Anyway, I am not sure I am ready to grind up crickets yet for my two fussy eaters - it takes me all my time to give them chicken necks!
So.... back to my recipe hunt and having tried a couple of new dishes on my pooches, this came out as the favourite with both little darlings :-
Doggy Meatballs
3 kg minced beef (lean)
3 slices of bread, cubed small
1.5 cups of oat bran
4 eggs
1/2 pumpkin pureed
4 carrots, boiled/steamed and mashed
Flour to dredge
Leaves of 4 kale stalk chopped finely
Directions
Put all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix them all together and form them into any size of balls you'd like.
Dredge the balls lightly in the flour, shaking off any excess.
Put them in 200 degree Celsius oven until done. Bake time will depend on the size of your balls; about 25 min.
Give it a go yourself this weekend but do remember that your pet needs a balance of protein (animal meat, seafood, dairy, or eggs), fat (from meat or oil) and carbohydrates (grains or vegetables), calcium (from dairy or an ingredient such as egg shells), as well as essential fatty acids (from certain plant oils, egg yolks, oatmeal, and other foods) so it can get expensive to cook for your pets and it can take time but they will love you for it.
#Dogfood #pethealth #pets #dogs #cats #petcare #doggymeatballs #petrecipe