re: #94 A Mom Anon

Doggie update: no UTI, no crystals in the urine, low pH, so it appears her issues are allergy related. I go in the morning to pick up a low dose of prednisone and a prescription shampoo to alleviate the itching and various inflamations. No chicken, no wheat,corn soy, beef and for now, lamb, fish only, grain free food, watch all treats. Doesn’t leave many choices. Although barley and oats are ok, which widens the choices a little.

Heh. In addition to all this, my husband’s type 2 diabetes is out of control and he’s on a special diet, eating schedule and he’s back to blood testing again. It’s his own fault, he hasn’t taken care of himself for years. If he doesn’t do it this time, he’s going to end up dead or really sick. I told him that if he loses a foot or goes blind, I’m loading his ass in the car and taking him to FL to live with his Mommy. I’ll spare you the tale of how many times I’ve been through this with him, he’s had THREE heart attacks and angioplasties, a total of 5 stents in his heart. And that still didn’t make him wake up. He’s got no choice now. This could have been under control, maybe even by diet only by now, but noooo.

I’m scheduling my nervous breakdown for oh, next Tuesday.

I don’t see pork on the list for the dog. Guessing not, but if the vet didn’t say, check as it’s usually less expensive than fish. Usually.

Ask vet what fats are allowed. If he tells you ‘none’ it’s time to talk to another vet, but I digress. I’m going to assume that at least initially he’s going to want you to stick to fish oils, maybe olive oil. Butter would work though it’s expensive. Ask him to check for eggs as early in the sequence as possible. There’s a method to this madness, bear with me.

If you don’t have one (I’m guessing you do, but have learned about assumptions) get a sausage grinder. Make oat, barley, and meat (fish for now) sausages, and use an approved fat for a binder. Use the coarsest wheel, and as soon as approved use casings - until then just make the grindings.

See, the big thing about this method is that you can simultaneously control the mix and make pre-measured serving sizes. And since it looks like sausage it tricks (many) dogs into thinking it’s people food.

The ‘great touch’ to finish - again once eggs and an oil are approved - is to make homemade mayonnaise to go with it. One egg and a cup of oil will give you two to three cups of mayo, meaning you can ‘season’ the sausage with a tablespoon of mayo and only be adding a teaspoon or two of oil - but again making the dog feel ‘special’. Homemade mayo will last about a week so you’ll learn how much to give so you don’t have to throw it away.

As to the husband, I think I’ll leave that one alone. Not least because we’ve got a similar situation here and I’ve not yet resolved how I feel about it.