As animal lovers we believe in providing our furry family members with love and the best food possible.

I worried about chemicals and additives in their food. I learned that most of the pet 'foods' sold in grocery stores were full of products we would not want to eat ourselves and that we would not feed to our beloved canine companions if we really knew what they were. While the pet food companies show pretty pictures of wholesome ingredients on their covers, that can be misleading about what is really inside.

The shocking truth is that the 'animal digest' and 'animal fat' in dog and cat food is often made up of diseased animals, diseased organs and all, numerous harmful chemicals, and even the chemicals used to euthanize dogs and cats (many from pounds including ground up collars!) and the poor dogs and cats themselves!  You can learn more about rendering plants how rendered anilmals get used in your pet's and your own products, such as soaps and cosmetics, here and in this article 'Test animals rendered into pet food'.

 While researching about pet health, I came across this information on the oldest dogs in the world. Bella reportedly ate high quality animal protein. Bramble, who reportedly made it to the ripe old doggie age of 29 was a vegetarian Her diet consisted of rice. lentils and veggies!

There is an alternative to overly processed food. You can search for dog food without 'animal fat' or make your own Veggie Dog food! My dogs love their Veggie Dog food! Cook a batch ahead and put some in the refrigerator and freezer for throughout the week. THIS IS SO GOOD, YOU CAN EAT IT TOO and feel good about serving it to your dogs! For those times when you don't have time to cook, I have found Trader Joes dog food which contains chicken and rice, but not 'animal' fat.

(Note:  Check with your vet whether to include garlic in the recipe or when changing your pet's diet.)

CrystalBay's V-Dog Food
For happy, healthy dogs. Good for people too!

  Bag of Lentils
  Bag of Brown rice
  4 or 5 large Carrots
  2 cups of fresh Spinach
  2 tablespoons of Garlic (fresh or powder)
  Oregano, Basil
  Olive oil

In large pot, put bag of lentils and brown rice. Rinse and cover with an equal amount of water. Cover, bring to boil and simmer. Add chopped carrots and simmer about 1/2 hour. Add spinach, garlic and herbs. Continue simmering until lentils and rice are soft. Remove from heat and add a few tablespoons of olive oil.

Cool and refrigerate portions to serve the next few days. Serve at room temperature or luke-warm. Enjoy!