The Food Battle

When we first decided to do the homemade diet, I was so scared. Everything I read stressed the importance of balance. I also had to worry about the amount of protein...and that it was high quality protein. Then there is concern about the amount of Phosphorus, and that you should make sure that the Calcium/Phosphorus intake is balanced. Many have it on a 1:3 ratio. We are on a 1:1 ratio, particularly since her phosphorus levels are still within normal range.

We take all of this into consideration, that is, when we actually have the opportunity to worry about it. Generally speaking, though, the concern is more that she eat something...anything(although preferably something that still fits into the right parameters.

To make matters more difficult, Gabby has always been a picky AND an unforgiving dog when it comes to food. Picky speaks for itself, but unforgiving probably deserves some explanation. Seven years ago, Gabby was sick. Our vet at the time wanted us to put her on a bland diet of either cottage cheese or plain rice. We tried the cottage cheese first, which she gobbled down happily...and then threw up a couple of hours later. She refused cottage cheese after that. Ok, rice. Same experience. "Yummy. Gobble. Puke. Get that rice away from me." Now, seven years later, she still refuses cottage cheese and plain white rice (rice with something done to it she has been willing to take).

Unfortunately with this disease, eating often leads to not feeling well. I think this may be why she only likes foods once or twice, but refuses them after that.

The thing I find most funny about this is that I now cook more for Gabby than I do for myself! Some of the foods we have been successful with, even if it was just once:

• Tapioca and ground beef


• Ground beef only


• Egg white omelet with touch of bacon


• Egg white french toast


• Just plain ol' toast


• Poptart crusts


• Malt-o-Meal and chicken


• Sliced ham


• "Meatloaf" of ground beef, egg, pumpkin, and glutinous rice
  
• Spaghetti noodles and ground turkey, with a hint of parmesan cheese


• Shredded wheat cereal

And here's what I've learned so far:

• She seems to prefer her eggs over easy, then egg whites cut up with the egg yolk stirred up giving everything a nice coating.


• Things that I think she might not I should go ahead and try. This was how we discovered that she actually likes shredded wheat cereal.


• She doesn't seem to like things that are gelatinous in texture. Tapioca and glutinous rice are 2 things that many of the homemade diets you find online call for. The rice she ate in something, but never by itself. I couldn't add enough water, chicken broth, etc to get it less sticky enough. Same with Bob's Red Mill Tapioca. No matter how much water I would add, it never was quite right for her. Minute Tapioca, on the other hand, she has eaten willingly.