| My dog, Spunky, was put on a new diet last fall by | | | | 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar |
| our veterinarian who sold us the food. After five | | | | 3/8 cup water |
| days Spunky became very ill. He was vomiting, eating | | | | Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray cookie sheet |
| less, became listless and staggered when he tried to | | | | with vegetable oil spray. Lightly dust work surface |
| walk. His veterinarian refused to admit that the new | | | | with flour. Blend flours and cornmeal in large mixing |
| food was causing his illness. Spunky became so ill that | | | | bowl. Add apple, egg, oil, brown sugar and water. Mix |
| he was hospitalized for five days and came to the | | | | until well blended. On work surface, roll dough out to |
| point where we were told he was dying. | | | | 7/8-inch thickness. Cut with cookie cutters of desired |
| I insisted that we try to feed him some of his old | | | | shape and size. |
| food before we gave up on him. We visited the | | | | Place treats on prepared sheet. Bake in preheated |
| animal hospital and fed him small amounts of his old | | | | oven 35 to 40 minutes. Turn off oven. Leave door |
| food. Within hours his bloodwork was back to normal | | | | closed for 1 hour to make the treats crispy. Remove |
| and he recovered very quickly. Some damage to his | | | | treats from oven. Store baked treats in airtight |
| liver, kidneys and gallbladder remained but these are | | | | container or plastic bag, and place in refrigerator or |
| problems that can be monitored. | | | | freezer. |
| In my anger and despair I decided to publish an all | | | | Recipe makes 24 servings. |
| natural cookbook of dog food recipes. Several | | | | Pet owners who love their pets will no doubt be |
| months later the very food that made Spunky ill was | | | | searching for new food sources. Remember that |
| added to the recall list and this only served to make | | | | when changing your dog's diet (no matter what the |
| me more aware that pet owners need to consider | | | | food source) that you need to introduce the new |
| feeding their pets human grade food. | | | | food carefully and in small amounts before actually |
| An Apple A Day Dog Treat | | | | making the switch. If you have any concerns about |
| 2 cups whole-wheat flour | | | | allergies and food sensitivity please consult your |
| 1/2 cup unbleached flour | | | | veterinarian before introducing human grade food. |
| 1/2 cup cornmeal | | | | (c) 2007, Davis Virtual Assistance. You may reprint |
| 1 apple, chopped or grated | | | | this article so long as you keep it intact with the |
| 1 egg, beaten | | | | resource box and make all links live. |
| 1/3 cup vegetable oil | | | | |