1. Healthy Weight One of the most important things you can do is keep your pets at a healthy weight. Overweight animals are more likely to suffer from issues with their joints, such as arthritis. Excess weight can also cause hip dysplasia in cats, a painful condition that can lead to other health issues.
2. Exercise can increase your pet’s lifespan and help build stronger bones. It also helps to decrease behavioral problems in pets, especially depression. Consider running with your dog or investing in playtime to help lower their blood pressure and strengthen their heart muscles. Leave toys for your pets when you’re not home.
3. Regular vet exams are crucial for any pet. Your vet will run standard tests to check that your pet’s health is where it should be. Instead of waiting for your pets to show signs of illness, something most animals hide as a protective measure, take your pets for routine exams. It’s also important to have your pets vaccinated and on preventative medications, as prescribed by your vet.
4.There are many reasons to spay or neuter your pets. This helps prevent puppies that you didn’t plan for and can prevent behavioral problems that occur when an animal wants to mate. It can also prevent dangerous health issues such as uterine infections in female dogs.
5. Diet is an important part of your pet’s health. A balanced, nutritious diet will help your pet’s coat, aid in preventing certain skin conditions and create a stronger immune system with a well-functioning digestive tract.
Below is our favorite instant pot meal for our little girls.
HOMEMADE DOG FOOD
INGREDIENTS
▢2 - 3 lbs ground beef or: ground chicken, turkey, or fresh fish - shredded chicken breasts work well too.
▢24 ounce frozen vegetables peas, green beans, carrot, and corn
▢1 cup frozen fruit I like to use blueberries and strawberries. (Optional)
▢1 - 2 cups leftover cooked rice or oats ▢2 cups bone broth
▢2 - 3 tbsp coconut oil refined or unrefined - whatever you have
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Cook 2 ½ to 3 pounds of your choice of ground meat in your Instant Pot on the saute setting or in a frying pan on the stove.
2. Drain off the cooking grease and return the meat to your Instant Pot.
3. First, add your leftover rice. If using oats, skip this step.
4. Next, add bone broth and coconut oil and be sure to scrape the little bits off the bottom of the pan - this is your way of "deglazing" the Instant Pot.
5.Now, add oats, frozen vegetables, and fruit if adding. Mix well to combine everything.
6. Put the lid back on your Instant Pot and set it to "Manual" or "Pressure Cook" mode. Cook for 7 minutes on High Pressure.
7. Let the pressure release naturally and open only when the pin drops. Stir everything up
8. Let the mixture cool and divide into two portions - one for the next few days and one to freeze. (You can also portion the food into single servings if you feel so motivated.)
TIPS
NOTES Tips This recipe is really flexible. You can alternate between using ground beef, ground turkey, or ground chicken. You can also use shredded chicken breast or fresh fish as well. The only thing I would not recommend is canned (tinned) fish, as it can be very fatty and too much fat can lead to pancreatitis in dogs..
You know what your dog likes and their allergies - if they can't eat carrots - use a different kind of vegetable. If they can't eat grains, add diced potatoes or sweet potatoes!
I switch between oats and rice and vary the vegetables and fruits based on what we have and what is in season. Melly is a former street dog and will eat almost anything, especially if you cook it all together, so we like to mix in all kinds of "dog-friendly" goodies..
If you have an 8 or 10 quart Instant Pot, you can double the recipe to make more at once and freeze some of the food for later.
STORAGE SOLUTIONS
Let your dog food cool before serving or storing. You can divide the food into portions depending on your needs - I usually split it in half and freeze one batch. It will be good for about 6 months and while still safe to eat, the quality will begin to decrease after that.
I use a measuring cup when I serve the food, so I don't take the time to split it into individual portions - you can do this if you would like!
Store cooked dog food in the refrigerator for up to a week. If you don't think you will get through it all in a week, freeze some of it.
