I know they say a dog won’t starve itself to death…but bulldogs are stubborn and will hold their ground until the end of time.
Klaus used to be a great eater; in fact, he ate everything! When he was a puppy, he swallowed one of my knee socks…whole. We watched it happen; it happened so quickly it was unbelievable, actually.
Of course, we freaked out, thinking how terrible this situation could end if the sock got caught in his intestines. It was a big sock! I thank goodness we saw it happen; it would have had a different outcome if we didn’t.
I quickly read on my phone to give him hydrogen peroxide as soon as possible. We didn’t have any; I ran across the street into Stewarts, literally yelling, get out of my way. I need peroxide; my puppy ate a knee sock. People did get out of my way. I got the peroxide, paid, and was back home in under five minutes.
I put some peroxide in his dish with a few kibbles, and he ate it. He was very uncomfortable for about twenty minutes, then out popped the sock from his mouth. I had to grab it because he tried to eat it again. OMG! We were cautious with our socks after that.
Besides eating a tire off of our wheelbarrow, Klaus has been drama-free in the eating department. He ate with gusto every meal. Otto has always been a picky eater, but not Klausie boy.
Until now, that is. After a year of allergies and infections, we narrowed down the food he couldn’t eat. He’s been on a limited ingredient diet and no poultry for six months. His allergies are gone, and his skin and fur look great. Yay!
Yay…he hates all the limited ingredient diet kibble we’ve tried. I have to admit the salmon and potato one smelled fucking disgusting; I didn’t blame him one bit for turning his nose up to those fishy ass bowls of food.
I saw at the pet store they have kibble food toppers for picky dogs. I read all the packages and the price tags and decided I would make my own. I did a lot of research, bought ingredients, and started experimenting. Who would have thought I’d grow up to be a private chef for a bulldog!
I try to make different batches, so he doesn’t get tired of the toppers. He turned away from a pumpkin-based one quickly. I also have to hide allergy meds in his food. I have to disguise the pills, or he spits them out. That little bastard!
His two favorite food toppers are beef stew and Italian meat “sauce.” I know what herbs, fruits, and vegetables are safe for dogs. With some creativity, the food is edible and actually tasty. Bland since there isn’t any salt or sugar added, but good.
Every week I look at what cheap cuts of beef are on sale and load up. Carrots, green beans, peas, and apples are in most of the stews, plus whatever I have leftover in the fridge.
I sear the beef so I can scrape up the bits to make a broth for the stew. In the end, I thicken the stew with a potato starch slurry since he can’t have corn.
In his pot of meat sauce, I add crushed tomatoes, fennel, oregano, and basil. The fennel makes the beef taste like sausage, for real. It tastes and smells just like “sauce.”
Am I a total asshole for taking the time to make him food toppers? Yes! Will I let him starve himself to death? No. This morning when I added the beef stew that I made yesterday to his kibble and watched him gobble it down with gusto, I answered my own questions.
Food fit for a king …indeed! 👑
He’s a lucky boy to have a private chef!
Totally get it. My Cassidy (jack russell terrorist) is the pickiest eater, I have learned not to freak unless it’s three days in a row. Oh the things I have made for my dog…..