Our Marvelous Breakfast Routine with The Honest Kitchen's New Limited Ingredient Recipe

Since I feed a rotational diet, my brand loyalty can be a fickle thing, but The Honest Kitchen is one of my favorite companies around, and one I don't rotate from for The Ginger Sisters' breakfast. We change recipes by the box, but I don't switch brands for this meal. As the only human grade dog food on the market, I believe it's one of the very best.

Frozen Pumpkin Treats with Goat Milk and Turmeric

I decided to make The Ginger Sisters some frozen treats this weekend, and I wanted them to be healthy. I chose a base of pumpkin and goat milk - two things I almost always have on hand - and wanted to add one more beneficial ingredient. I have read about the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and detoxifying qualities of turmeric and happened to have a jar of it, so I was ready to whip up my creation!

I already know that Ruby and Boca like goat milk - we've used both the dehydrated powder from The Honest Kitchen, and more recently tried the raw goat milk with honey and cinnamon from Answers Pet Food. When using canned pumpkin, always make sure it is 100% pumpkin with no additives or spices. There are several things to know about turmeric. First, it acts as a blood thinner, so you should not give it to a dog leading up to a surgery or on any medications with blood thinning properties. Second, there are various schools of thought on increasing its potency which are addressed in recipes for golden paste. I did not make the paste for these treats, but I did add a small amount of black pepper, which is said to aid its absorption.

Knowing that when I use my Freezy Pups tray to make 14 bone-shaped treats, I need approximately one cup of liquid, I formulated the following recipe accordingly. I also wanted each treat to contain no more than the recommended dosage of turmeric for each dog (1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight per day) and erred on the conservative side so please adjust accordingly if you make a different number of treats.

 

I used my immersion blender to combine the ingredients in a measuring cup. Being familiar with the bright yellow stain that turmeric can leave, I coated my ice-bone tray with coconut oil - another healthy addition - and it did work to repel the staining for the most part. I let the tray sit out on the counter for a few minutes before removing the frozen treats. I have heard that silicon mold trays also work well.

Ruby and Boca were more than ready to taste their home-made healthy treats. Ruby is happy with plain old ice cubes and comes running if she hears one fall on the floor, so take their review with a grain of salt, but both dogs enjoyed the frozen creations, finishing them just as quickly as their other "pupsicles" that I've made. Since we're going through this summer without air conditioning, I like to have refreshing treats on hand for my sweet girls. This is something I will probably make regularly! 

Disclaimer: I am not a veterinarian or pet nutritionist, I'm simply sharing things I've picked up along the path of determining what works for my dogs. Please do your own research before adding supplements to your dog's diet. 

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Five Things I've Learned About Oil Supplements For Dogs

I've been giving The Ginger Sisters a rotation of supplemental oils for quite a while now. They get coconut oil with their breakfast and camelina oil or fish oil with their dinner. Only recently did I delve into researching the different oils more thoroughly, and I learned some surprising things...

Coconut oil is really versatile.
I found out that Ruby loves the taste of coconut oil, so it has helped with her picky eating as well as having other benefits. I've even used it topically for minor skin irritation/dry paw pads with good results, and I love the fact that it's safe if they lick it off. It's also great if you cook for your dog - I like to scramble eggs with coconut oil as a special treat on birthdays and gotcha days.

Coconut oil and fish oil are not interchangeable!
If you are feeding supplemental oil mainly for skin and coat benefits, either one is a good bet; however, it's important to know that coconut oil is a saturated fat containing medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). MCTs are known to have antibacterial, antiviral and anti-fungal properties. Coconut oil may also benefit the thyroid and digestive system and help to maintain a healthy weight. Coconut oil does not contain the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids found in fish oil.

Omega-3 oils found in fish oil are probably the most important.
Most experts agree that if you are going to give your dog any one supplement, it should be fish oil or krill oil. Omega-3 fatty acids have many proven benefits but are also very delicate and don't usually hold up when added to dog food or treats. I have read that animal sources are more available than plant sources to dogs, so I am switching The Ginger Sisters to sardine oil as soon as we finish our current bottle of camelina oil.

If you feed fish oil, you may need to supplement with vitamin E. 
Did you know that the omega oils found in fish oil deplete vitamin E reserves and can create a deficiency? I didn't either, and I kind of freaked out when I learned about it. We hear all the good things about fish oil and think we're doing the right thing by feeding it willy-nilly. Most dogs fed a commercial diet are getting added vitamin E already, but to be on the safe side, I give my dogs extra vitamin E along with their fish oil. This article explains why it's important and dosage guidelines.

Camelina oil can be an alternative to fish oil.
Although there is less information available about camelina oil and animal sources are probably best, like fish oil and unlike coconut oil, camelina oil does contain valuable omega-3 fatty acids. If your dog has a sensitivity to fish oil or simply won't eat it, camelina oil might be the answer. My dogs love it - it has an unusual, herbal smell. The brand I buy also contains vitamin E, though not as much as recommended above.

I hope this helped to clarify a few things about oil supplements for dogs. There is so much to learn about nutrition and feeding our dogs the very best. I am an information-seeker by nature and feel much better about the choices I make for The Ginger Sisters when I have it all in front of me. What about you? Do you give any oil supplements to your dogs? 

Disclaimer: I am not a veterinarian or pet nutritionist, I'm simply sharing things I've picked up along the path of determining what works for my dogs. Please do your own research before adding supplements to your dog's diet. 

Ruby Reviews: The Honest Kitchen Revel

It's no secret that we are huge fans of The Honest Kitchen at the Ginger Sister residence. Ruby and Boca have been eating their dehydrated, human-grade recipes for breakfast for close to a year now. I feed a rotation diet and I think that quality and variety are important for nutrition and healthy appetites. I was excited to hear that The Honest Kitchen was introducing a new chicken formula, highlighting affordability and palatibility. Revel is their lowest priced whole-grain food, and it should please the pickiest pups. 

I normally stick to grain-free kibble, but I rotate between whole-grain and grain-free recipes of The Honest Kitchen.The girls don't have any allergies or sensitivities that I'm aware of, so I'm completely fine with The Ginger Sisters having some "cereal" in the form of oats or barley for breakfast.

As with all of their products, Revel's ingredients are 100% human-grade:  

Free-range chicken, organic barley, potatoes, organic flax, organic oats, green peas, carrots, bananas, parsley, organic kelp, celery, tricalcium phosphate, choline chloride, zinc amino acid chelate, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, potassium iodide, potassium chloride, iron amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate, thiamine mononitrate

Ruby tends to be a bit picky about her meals, but my dad discovered that adding coconut oil to her breakfast guarantees a clean plate every time. I previously added coconut oil to their kibble in the evenings, but this one little switch has made such a difference for Ruby's appetite. Boca is happy to eat anything I put in her bowl (or that she finds on the ground, unfortunately!). Taste-wise, they do seem to prefer the whole-grain Honest Kitchen varieties, and I feed mainly Halcyon and Keen. I will definitely be adding Revel to their regular rotation! 

As you can see, Ruby was sure to lick every last bit of Revel from her bowl! We're happy to offer you the chance to win a 4 lb box of Revel for your dog, and I'm also throwing in an awesome pair of Robusto bowls like the ones pictured. We won them from Kol's Note's Advent for Dogs giveaway and ended up being sent two sets. They are lightweight ceramic-lined aluminum, easy to clean, and best of all, the orange and white and red and cream are the Ginger Sisters' colors! 

Click here to receive 50% off a 2lb box of The Honest Kitchen.

THIS POST PREVIOUSLY CONTAINED A GIVEAWAY WHICH HAS ENDED.

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Disclaimer: I was provided a 2 lb box of The Honest Kitchen Revel chicken recipe in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own and I only publish reviews for products I feel comfortable using in the day to day life of my pets.