Eat good in the neighborhood....

*** Warning: This blog may contain affiliate posts. I have not yet released any "memos" that may or may not contain information on government spying.***

Happy Friday! Teddy here, two days later this week. Apparently my Mama claims she has been "really busy" at work and hasn't had time to update my blog. I think she's full of crap, but it is what it is. I can't complain too much. My Mama is such a good mom. She is always buying us presents and giving us treats. She plays with us and snuggles us and gives us loving when we are sick or hurt. She even goes so far as to make special healthy food for us, which brings me to the point of my post today: food.

Live footage of Coco if she were a boy back in the 80's...

Usually we have a dog cereal that we eat. That's what my mom refers to those kibbles you can buy in a 25 pound buy and feed to your pup with little to no effort, "dog cereal". Our mom found us a reasonably priced, grain-free bag of yumminess that we really enjoy. To be fair, the three of us are little piggies and we pretty much eat anything. Especially Coco.

We call her "Mikey" because she'll eat anything! Literally ANYTHING. My mom left these "very hot peppers" (and they are VERY hot! Even daddy's Mexican friend couldn't eat them and he eats ghost peppers and the like!) mixed in with some leftover cheeseburger macaroni and Coco even ate THAT! (I think she may have pooped for a few days afterwards, but she still ate it right off the stove. That's when Coco got banished from the kitchen if there is food around.)

It was shortly after this incident that my mom realized that maybe we weren't getting enough from our dog cereal. Enough what, I have no idea. She absolutely can't stand canned dog food. It makes her sick to see that gross gel that comes out of cans. Buying a bunch of those meals that are pre-made or buying the dog food from the refrigerated section was just going to be way too costly. So that's when my Mama decided that she would make dog food for us at home!

This is what happens when you mix blueberries in to food by hand!

I love my mom's cooking. Human food or dog food. My mom can cook. What i think is really great about the food that she makes us is that she doesn't make it look yucky. It always looks like something she would put on her plate and eat. mama doesn't make us this food every day. Like I said, we usually get dog cereal. So when we see her stirring ingredients together, we get very excited. Coco even starts to drool. Fresh carrots and peas, blueberries, chicken or beef or turkey. My tummy is growling just thinking of it!

My mom is really in to this thing called "Pinterest". When she first started making our food, she used to just make it on the fly, throwing whatever looked good but wouldn't kill us to eat. Now she has a whole collection of doggie food recipes, which she has included on my personal Pinterest board: Teddy the Terrible Terrier-The Blog. There are a bunch of useful things on my board. You can check out some of her other pins while you're there. Apparently that kind of thing is fun for you humans!

She made me this birthday cake a few years ago!

Overall, I don't mind eating our dog cereal. It tastes pretty great and, as I mentioned earlier, I like to eat. Mama gets us the grain free kind because I think she heard somewhere (probably one of those TV commercials or shows) that the grains in other dog food are not so great for us. Obviously I'm not saying to rush out and buy your pup the super expensive food (unless you can afford it, in which case, by all means do and send me and my sisters some while you're at it!). We eat this $14.99 bag of Beneful. My mom approves of anything by Purina because my Aunt Ashley's daddy has worked for Purina since she can remember and my mom loves and trusts that family so much. (My aunt Ashley, on a side note, is super awesome!)

Beneful Grain Free is good stuff! Buy it Here!

In conclusion, you should definitely watch what your dog eats. Whether making your pup's food from scratch or buying pre-made "cereal", what your dog takes in to their body is extremely important. You should also watch how much they eat too. Here's a helpful guide on how much and how often to feed your doggo from dogbreedinfo.com. Don't forget to check out my Mom's Pinterest for other recipes and helpful hints on how to feed and take care of your dog (and some drink recipes in case you need a drink while dealing with your pet parent duties!). 

Do you have any favorite homemade dog treat or food recipes? Please feel free to share them in the comments or visit us on Pinterest or Facebook and leave a comment! We love to hear from our visitors!

Barks and licks,

Teddy

Gobble Tov!

    Happy Thanksgivukkah! And Happy Thanksgiving too! Teddy reporting in.
    I think I have said it before but I will say it again. I LOVE Thanksgiving. It is definitely a holiday designed for doggies like me. Food everywhere. Mama spills something, she calls us in. Grammy has extra, she calls us over. Granddaddy has samples, he feeds them to us. I think I've already gained 10 pounds.
    Unfortunately, there are some things that we can't eat. And a lot of my friends have been reminding me to remind everyone that there are some foods that just aren't safe for us dogs to eat. Luckily, I've broken it down for you.
    #1. Turkey Skin. It looks delicious. It can be very dangerous and lead to pancreatitis, which is very bad.
    #2. Alcohol. Sure the video will get you a bunch of YouTube hits and Facebook likes, but is it worth giving your fur friends seizures, liver damage, or even death?
    #3. Mushrooms. Delicious fungus to you. Deathly poison to us dogs. It can lead to vomiting or even a coma.
    #4. Onions and Garlic. These two foods found in dressing can lead to anemia in a doggie and my Mama just had a fur friend pass away from that.  Definite no-nos.
    #5. Nutmeg. A tricky spice found on sweet potatoes and pumpkin, which are both good for dogs. Nutmeg can lead to tremors and problems with a dog's central nervous system.
   #6. Raw batter and Dough. We dogs can get salmonella too, you know. Plus it can puff up in our bellies and make us very sick indeed.
    #7. Nuts. Macadamia nuts and walnuts in particular contain toxins. Within 12 hours, you dog could be vomiting, not able to stand, and could even die.
    #8. Sage. It has an essential oil that upsets a dog's belly. Best to keep it away from us!
    #9. Cooked Bones. I know that we all loves bones. They taste good and are crunchy. But they can splinter in our digestive tracts and cause us much pain and cost you much money.
    #10. Chocolate. Need I say more?
   Now, that said, OF COURSE you want your best friend to join in your Thanksgiving feast. My Mama would never celebrate without me. Here's what's on my menu for tomorrow.
     #1. Mashed and Sweet Potatoes. They're delicious and we love them.
     #2. Green Beans. And the humans aren't even eating those!
     #3. Pumpkin. Not pie. Just pumpkin. Yum!
     #4. Cranberry Sauce. Not with nuts or anything, just plain old cranberry sauce, the way I like it!
     #5. Carrots. One of my faves!
     Enjoy your holiday with your whole family, pets included. If you feed your cat turkey, make sure you have de-boned it completely. I know cats love turkey. I am going to be eating the green beans the most. Those are a huge treat for me.
     Gotta go now! Mama's calling me to go out and there's still snow on the ground! Barks and Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Hanukkah!

Even the Pilgrims and Indians could get along for one day!