Dear Paws: Lately it has been nearly impossible to find my dog’s favorite brand of dry food. He likes it, and it offers the kind of nutrition I want him to have, especially lots of protein. My supply at home is running low. Do you have any suggestions for supplementing my dog’s nutrition with something else until his favorite food is back in stock? – Casey H., Bar Harbor, Maine
Dear Casey:
Supplementing is the right choice to stretch his dry food supply. What I’d recommend first is to contact his veterinarian to talk about his current diet and figure out ways to continue providing the nutrients recommended to keep him healthy. Vets can offer advice on a good balance of pet foods to give him, as well as ways to entice your dog to eat if he turns his nose up at other dog food brands.
Consider adding freshly cooked ingredients to his dinner dish, such as beef or boneless chicken thighs — baked or braised, with no savory elements added like onions or black pepper. Add calories and more nutrients by mixing in steamed rice, peas and carrots. Cool the food before putting it into his dish. Many pet owners will bulk-prepare fresh food once per week and freeze all but the first couple of days’ servings. Mix fresh ingredients with a half-portion of his favorite dry food, or place in separate bowls if he’s picky.
Fresh pet food recipes are available online, too. The Dog Bakery (tinyurl.com/mrxbkrkc) has several easy, tasty recipes that add salmon, turkey, brown rice and more to the mix. Rover has a good, basic guide to safely feeding fresh foods to pets. (tinyurl.com/2p8w3taw) And here’s a handy guide on how much fresh food to feed your dog, based on weight. (tinyurl.com/3pub8ny5) Hang in there!
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