Salmon Loaf mix

I’m pretty lucky with the fact that my kid is a good eater.  He loves mom’s cooking and will pretty much inhale whatever it is that I give him.  Of course there are some exceptions and there are a few things he’s allergic too, but overall he’s pretty easy to please.

I try to make sure he gets a wide variety of food through the week and that includes fish.  For Rocky, Fridays are known as “Fishie Fridays” and if you say “Fishie” to him, he knows exactly what you’re talking about.

Normally he gets a tin of sardines packed in spring water.  All the health benefits fish provide for humans, also benefit dogs.  Which for doggies, includes a healthy shiny coat.
I like to change it up every so often so that sardines aren’t the only fish Rocky gets exposed to.  I started toying around with other ideas and finally decided I could make a fish loaf that included eggs and other items to provide a more rounded meal.

Rocky’s Salmon Loaf

• 4 six ounce cans of boneless skinless salmon (packed in water)
• 1 clove of garlic grated
• 2 eggs
• 1 C of quick oats
• 14 baby carrots (or 4 large carrots) finely chopped
• 2 stalks of celery finely chopped
• 1/4 C of dried cranberries
• 1/2 C of chopped spinach

Preheat the oven to 350.  In a large mixing bowl, dump in the salmon.  Go through the salmon and make sure there are no bones that got over looked.  Then add all the other ingredients and combine well.  Spray a 1 1/2 QT loaf pan with no stick spray and add in the salmon mix.  Bake for 30-40 minutes until the loaf is set and starts pulling away from the sides.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before slicing into portions.  Portion out slices according to your dog’s size.

Rocky is 60lbs, 1/2 thick slice makes a meal.

Ready to be portioned

I like using the canned salmon as opposed to the salmon in a pouch because the canned has a little bit more moisture to it and since this is baked, I wanted it to not dry out too much.  The veggies and eggs also help keep this moist and the oatmeal provides a nice whole grain as well as acting as the binder holding everything together.

You can portion this out into smaller loaf pans if that’s what you have on hand.  I just happen to have that size, before I would put the mixture in bread loaf pans.  Not filling it all the way to the top, but splitting it between two.

Yes the house will smell like fish as this is baking, if you like fish it’s not a problem.  And feel free to sample some if it smells too inviting.

This also freezes very well.  When I make my portions, I wrap them in plastic wrap and then place them in freezer bags.  I can just pull out portions and thaw for feeding.  And I crumble it up into a bowl for his meal.  Add a dollop of yogurt or cottage cheese, and I have a very happy kid.

Pardon me Mother, but did you say fishie?

Have fun guys, and give your doggie something special every so often!

Cast of characters

My kid is like his mama in several ways. Cold and rainy days are best dealt with by staying snug indoors with plenty of blankets. Sleeping is by far one of the best activities ever and we love our veggies. Also like me, Rocky is picky about the way his veggies are prepared. And what veggies he likes.

Most raw feeders feed their dogs raw veggies. Rocky isn’t into raw veggies so much. I have discovered after much testing that slightly cooked veggies go down smoother. Also after much testing I have learned what he loves and what he doesn’t. I have finally come up with a veggie combo that he loves and serves as a good base. Sometimes I add stuff here and there but this recipe is the foundation and what goes into every veggie mix.

Dogs can’t digest whole veggies pieces very well. It either needs to be super finely chopped or mushed up. When I make this veggie mix, I go the mush method.

Rocky’s Veggie Mix

• 2 medium to large sweet potatoes, peeled and chunked
• 2 big handfuls of green beans
• 3 stalks of celery, chunked
• 2 medium to large carrots
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 small to medium zucchinis, chunked
• 2 small to medium yellow squash, chunked

Place all ingredients into a large pot and cover with water. On stove, bring pot to a boil. Boil for five minutes then cover pot and turn off heat. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes.

With a slotted spoon remove the veggies from the pot and place in a food processor. All the veggies will not fit at once, you’ll have to do batches. I typically do two. Pulse until the veggies are pureed and smooth. Divide veggies out into individual meal portions. I use small storage containers and each one holds two – three meals. Store in freezer until ready to use.

Mushed veggies

You may think the ingredients picture doesn’t look like a lot, but when everything gets pureed together it makes a good amount of veggie mix. That’s a 2.5L mixing bowl full of veggies. I typically make the veggies when I’m doing other stuff in the kitchen or around the house. I set the pot on to boil and after I turn the heat off and put a lid on it, I go off and do other things. When I make my way back around they are ready to get tossed in the food processor.

His veggie blend sees a lot of uses. Sometimes I mix it with some oatmeal and other times it’s a side to a ground meat mix. I have no troubles getting him to eat his veggies. I have even put this mix in a kong and froze it for his evening snack. Typically though, it’s served with his supper. He doesn’t get veggies as a standalone meal though, it’s always mixed with some other protein source.

Off to the freezer

Try adding some veggies to your dog’s meal to make it extra special!

ETA: I forgot to give serving amounts, sorry about that!  My dog is 60lbs, I give him 1/3 C or less for a serving.  If you have a smaller dog, obviously you would feed less and if you have a larger dog, could be more.  If this is the first time giving your dog veggies, err on the side of caution and start off with a small amount and work up.

Beef, celery, carrots

Ground beef, carrots, and celery, that sounds like the start to maybe a meatloaf? Or some dirty rice? Not this time, this is the start to Rocky’s cheeseburger. Rocky gets to eat all kinds of stuff and sometimes I like to take it to that next step and make his meals a little more special. We had burgers the other night and I figured Rocky would like to have a cheeseburger too.

Rocky’s Cheeseburger

• 1/2 lb of lean ground beef
• 7 baby carrots
• 1/4 stalk of celery
• 1 TBSP of shredded cheddar
• Sprinkle of garlic powder*

In a medium sized mixing bowl add the ground beef. Finely chop the celery and carrots* and add those to the ground beef. Add in the cheese and the garlic powder and combine. Shape into three patties. One patty becomes part of one meal.* Sprinkle a little extra cheese on top when serving.

* Dogs cannot digest big pieces of vegetables easily so they either need to be very finely chopped or mushed a little bit.

*Sprinkle is all that is needed, too much can be overpowering and not healthy.

*Obviously this will vary with the size of your dog. My dog is 60lbs and one patty can serve as part of the meal. If your dog is bigger more might be needed, if your dog is little you will have to scale down and make smaller burgers.

Burger patties

I serve these patties raw because 90% of the meat Rocky eats is raw. If you are not comfortable or have never fed raw before, you can cook these patties. Preheat an oven to 350 and place on a cookie sheet, bake until done. Allow to cool before serving. These burgers also freeze well, wrap each patty in plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag. Thaw fully before serving.

Please note, that you will want to break the patty up a bit before serving, feeding an intact patty could lead to gulping.

You can add in different veggies if you like, this is what I had on hand that I know Rocky enjoys. Some vegetables and fruits are not dog friendly, please do research for a list of foods to avoid.

Cheeseburger, sweet potato fries and some yogurt

Have fun guys and give your doggies something special every so often!