Miscellaneous Monday

It has been over a month since I we brought Luna home.  The Hubby mentioned this weekend that he thinks that Spike’s body is changing.  Spike’s midsection seems more solid.  He still has a bit of a pouch to his stomach, but he doesn’t feel quite like the Fat Puppy that Hubby likes to call him. 

"Treats, please?"

I’ve noticed it too.  Or thought I did, at least.  So much so that I weighed both of the kids a few days ago. Little Miss Luna Belle weighs 17 pounds.  Spike still weighs 27.4.  So he hasn’t lost any weight, but we think he might have gained back some muscle.

It makes sense.  I’ve been feeding both of them a mixture of dry kibble and homemade, protein-rich food and Spike has been getting a lot more exercise by playing with his little sister.  He has been on a joint supplement for about a month.  I still notice some nights he is a bit stiff, but I think that has decreased as well!  

Last week’s home cooked meal was different than the previous weeks.  I must really love those pups.  I bought some slices of beef liver and boiled them with some brown rice, carrots, frozen peas and frozen green beans. Good gods! That sure does stink!  I also browned some ground sirloin.  When it was finished cooking, the liver “soup” went into the food processor.  I added some oatmeal (made with the rest of the liquid in the stockpot), cottage cheese, and the ground beef. 

While it was cooking I had made the kids a quick meal of scrambled eggs, pumpkin, ground beef, cottage cheese and oatmeal.  Spike wasn’t too sure about that.  I’m guessing he isn’t a fan of pumpkin.  Such a fussy eater!  He did eat it, though.  My guess is that he didn’t want Luna to have any.

The leftovers of the pumpkin mixture were added to the rest of the food. Neither dog has complained about their food since!

I made this over a week ago and still have a bit over a quart left.  I froze several quarts that night and have been pulling out a container as needed.  One quart is usually enough for about 2 days (2 meals a day).  They also have some kibble to nibble on throughout the day - about 2 cups worth total. 

Ever since I started processing the homemade food into more of a pastelike consistently, Luna hasn’t had another regurgitating episode.  I really do think the issue was because she would eat her food so quickly.  Between switching to a partial kibble diet and processing the food, she seems to be cured!

A note about the regurgitating issues.  The day Luna was spayed, her doctor did an x-ray of her chest and esophagus to make sure she was OK for surgery.  At that time the veterinarian was able to see that Luna does not have something called megaesophagus, something that we had discussed as being a possibility for the regurgitating.  When I took Luna for her follow-up appointment, we discussed it again.  Her doctor agreed that it was likely due to eating her food too quickly.  So I am not diagnosing and correcting a medical condition for my dog on my own.  I am stating my observations after discussing the issue with the appropriate medical professionals.