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