Every time that the pack has to stay home alone, they each get a Kong stuffed with part of their breakfast or dinner kibble. In order to ensure a long lasting Kong, I have always added some canned dog food and packed it in as tight as possible (Except for Breeze. She won't work at a tightly packed Kong). Due to the concerns of country of origin of the ingredients and also preferring a quality canned food, I found myself paying over $3.00 per can and on average, using 2-3 cans per week. Not a huge amount of money and of course, the pack is worth it, but I thought it was time to explore other options.
For a few days we tried using natural organic peanut butter. I was hesitant because Bill isn't too fond of peanut butter. Then we tried dehydrated sweet potatoes and that didn't give the tightly packed Kongs that I wanted. Then when I was peeling and slicing carrots to cook for dinner and of course, handing out slices to the pack, I suddenly had an idea. Why not cook some carrots and then put them in the blender and use that?
So, after cooking carrots, I put them, some of the cooking water and some leftover brown rice in the blender and pureed.
So, after cooking carrots, I put them, some of the cooking water and some leftover brown rice in the blender and pureed.
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| pureed carrots and brown rice |
Just to see the reactions, I put a small amount in each of the dog's dishes with their breakfast. They all gobbled it up.
The most interesting reaction was from Breeze. She still has her moments of growling while eating and will often nose around in the dish and sometimes wander a few feet away and then back to the dish. With only approximately a tablespoon of the carrot mixture in with the kibble (not even mixed in, just plopped on top) she ate all the kibble without wandering and there was not a sound other than the crunching and the swish of her tail wagging. Was it the carrot mix? To test the theory, I added another tablespoon size sample at dinner. Same thing.
So, not only have I found a way to save a few dollars, I might have also found a way to make Breeze's meal times a bit more relaxed and enjoyable.
Fantastic idea. We sometimes have pureed pumpkin, but have never put the rice in with it. Roxy HAS to have an additive to eat her kibble. We just get our Kongs filled with kibble and some cheese.
ReplyDeleteXXXOOO Daisy, Bella & Roxy
The loves pumpkin too! And squash, both of which we grow. Nothing wrong with kibbles and cheese, that sounds yummy.
DeleteThat is a really good idea! I may borrow it!
ReplyDeleteGive it a try and let us know what other veggies you use. I am thinking maybe some green beans, sweet potatoes and of course, when in season from the garden, some tomatoes.
DeleteDo you had their food to the carrot mixture before you put it in the kongs? I haven't tried carrots with the collies yet, I wonder if they will like them? (They love, love, love strawberries!)
ReplyDeleteI layer the kibbles, add some of the mix, them more kibbles and use a butter knife to jam it in and them more kibbles, mix, jab at it with the knife, etc. Then smear some at the top to hold in. I've actually got the stuffing time for seven Kongs down to about 15 minutes!
DeleteThe pack likes raw carrots which is why I chose to try cooked ones. I know quite a few people that buy the "baby" carrots for their dogs. I just buy regular carrots and peel them.
You have the best ideas! While I don't stuff Kongs for Blueberry - she's anti-having to work for her food - she'd love this combo in her food or else as a frozen treat! On behalf of Blueberry - I thank you for this idea!
ReplyDeleteBlueberry sounds like Breeze! When I was away, my friends gave Callie the XL Kong which is Breeze's and Breeze got a small one that was packed tight. She barely got anything out of it.
DeleteNow you've given us an idea - we'll freeze this mixture in treat sized portions for the summer. Thanks for the idea.
GREAT idea! I had the brilliant idea that I would stuff some toys with Riley's kibble when she had her first knee surgery 2 years ago... I didn't really know anything about stuffing Kongs...Riley has always been pretty good in the house. So I wet her kibble and smashed it up a little bit and froze it. It didn't really work and, of course, after all my hard work, Riley didn't even show any interest in it. D'oh!
ReplyDeleteGlad you have better ideas than me. Riley loves carrots and gets them in her dinner every night!
Elyse and Riley
Do you give Riley cooked or raw carrots on her dinner? The pack prefers thin slices of raw carrots, too thick and they spit them out.
DeleteHave you tried a Kong again for Riley? Maybe she is like Blueberry and our Breeze who don't like a tightly packed Kong.
That's a great idea. Very cost effective and healthy too! Unfortunately, Beamer lost his Kong and our replacement toy is open on both ends, so we can't stuff anything liquid into it.
ReplyDeleteDK got paid for a freelance job and we will be getting a brand spanking new dehydrator with all the bells and whistles. I can't wait! :)
Oohh...we're jealous! You'll have to let us know how much better an expensive one is.
DeleteWhat a great idea. I was stuffing the Kongs with pineapple chunks but that got super expensive. I now use yogurt and pumpkin but I bet carrots would be less fattening. If you wanted to up the taste, you could boil the carrots in a little chicken or beef stock. :-)
ReplyDeletePineapple? I've never tried pineapple for the pack, I should try that. Pumpkin (and squash) is a favorite here too. I do like the idea of using stock, however, the human element is vegan so no animal flavored stock. I try to avoid extra animal based foods for the pack when possible.
DeleteI think that you and I have a lot in common. I could write a post about kong stuffing too! It sounds as if you've found a great stuffing! We used to use canned food too - but now that we cook for R, we simply stuff kongs with his homemade food. It works well and everyone loves it. I just might try your idea, though!
ReplyDeleteYou should write about the Kong stuffing and what it is that you cook for R, maybe I can borrow some of your ideas for the pack! I'm looking forward to growing extra veggies for them this year since it seems to be popular.
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