I started feeding my Border-Collie/Labrador cross  home-made food a year ago. The lab in her wins out too often and she gets too fat on commercial food. I wanted food that wasn’t full of fillers and additives, or suspect ingredients. She is not allergic to any foods that I know of, but I wanted to ensure she was getting appropriate nutrition. I intersperse the food I make with some quality commercial raw food products, which you can find in the frozen foods section of your supermarket or pet store. She is back to a healthy weight, her coat looks fantastic and she has more energy than before. My friend's new dog is allergic to wheat and chicken, and as most dog foods contain one or the other, she can’t feed her them. So Tui's food suits her too (the dog, not the friend!).

The dog meatloaf I make her takes only about 10 minutes to prepare and 30 to 40 minutes to cook, so after 1 hour you have food for the week for your dog. It contains ingredients that are good for your dog, like liver that has protein and vitamin A.  Liver is also a good source of copper, iron, niacin, phosphorus and zinc. It provides many B vitamins, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, and essential amino acids all of which help her stay healthy if offered in moderation.  Flaxseeds also provide omega 3 and omega 6’s which help your dog’s coat and skin stay healthy. I also add chia seeds and greenlip mussel powder to help with arthritis.

The eggs have loads of vitamins and minerals, especially vitamins D, B6 and B12, iron, riboflavin and calcium. The olive oil provides good fats and the pumpkin is good for weightloss as it provides vitamins but also fills up your dog’s tummy. Garlic works as a flea repellent, but only ever use a little in dog food. Parsley is a good breath freshener but is also blood cleansing and stops itchiness and bruising as well as being an anti-inflammatory, so  it assists with symptoms of arthritis. However, don’t feed it to dogs with kidney problems. You can leave out some ingredients (I can’t always find good fresh liver) and add others, like a little cooked brown rice.

Don’t feed your dog onions, sultanas or raisins, chocolate or avocado, no matter how much they tell you they want them.

Healthy MeatLoaf

1 kg mince

200 gms lamb’s liver

2 carrots

300  gm piece of pumpkin

1 apple, cored

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 eggs

1 tablespoon flaxseed, ground

1 tablespoon chia seeds

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped

Grate the pumpkin, appleand the carrot -  I use the fine grater on my food processor - and put them into a large mixing bowl. Put the liver into your blender or food processor and blend it until it is mushy. Add it to the vegetables along with the mince, flaxseed, chia seeds, garlic and parsley (I also add some greenlip mussel powder to help with arthritis). Break in the 2 eggs and add the olive oil. Mix everything together well. Line a loaf tin with tinfoil and lightly grease the foil. Make sure you have enough foil to cover the loaf as well. Put the mix into the tin, cover with the foil and bake at 180°C for 30 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Let it cool in the foil so that the juices are all absorbed back into the loaf. Refrigerate and serve a slice at a time.

The following biscuits are used as treats or bribes in our house. While they are baking the smell of liver cooking puts me off a little, but you can’t move Tui from the kitchen until they are done and ready for sampling. She will do anything for one of these.

Tui’s Favourite Liver Biscuits

300 gms lamb’s fry (liver)

1 cup rice flour

2 tablespoons flaxseed, ground

1 tablespoon chia seeds

Pop the liver into a food processor and whizz until mush. This may take a minute or so to get all of the lumps out. Put the liver paste in a bowl with the seeds and ¾ cup of rice flour. Mix together with your hands until you get a cookie dough consistency. You may need to add a little more flour. Flour your bench top and roll out the dough to about ½ centimetre thick. Cut out shapes (or use a cookie cutter). Bake at 160°C for approximately 20 to 30 minutes. The biscuits will puff up slightly and become crispy. You need them quite dry, so that they keep for a long time. When crisp, put them on a wire rack to cool and then keep them in an airtight container. They will keep for a few months -  if your dog lets them.