Spots Stew

[ShihtzuBeauty 47]

Cooking a home made meal for your pet is easy, and you KNOW that what your pet is eating is whole, nutritious food.

SPOT'S STEW

Yield: 20 cups | Serving Size: See below

2 1/2 pounds whole chicken or turkey (bones, organs, skin, and all)

1/4 cup chopped fresh garlic

1 cup green peas

1 cup coarsely chopped carrots

1/2 cup coarsely chopped sweet potato

1/2 cup coarsely chopped zucchini

1/2 cup coarsely chopped yellow squash

1/2 cup coarsely chopped green beans

1/2 cup coarsely chopped celery

1 tablespoon kelp powder

1 tablespoon dried rosemary

11 to 16 cups spring water

For dogs only: Add 8 ounces whole barley and 6 ounces rolled oats, and adjust the water content to a total of 16 cups or enough to cover the ingredients (I don't recommend the grains portions for cats).

Combine all of the ingredients in a 1O-quart stockpot (stainless steel, please) with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat as low as possible and simmer for 2 hours (the carrots should be quite soft at the end of the cooking time). Remove from the heat, let cool, and debone the chicken. With an electric hand mixer, or using a food processor and working in batches, blend all the ingredients into a nice puree; the stew should be slightly thicker for dogs and more soupy for cats. Using ziplock bags or plastic yogurt containers, make up meal-sized portions. Refrigerate what you'll need for three days and freeze the rest. Be sure and seek your pet's advice on ideal meal sizes.

Serving Size: Amounts will vary depending on age, activity level, current health, weight, and season, but here are some guidelines. The average adult cat will eat roughly 1 cup a day. Because dogs vary so much in size, consult the table below. The amount shown should be split into at least two meals daily.

DOG'S WEIGHT TOTAL DAILY PORTION

Up to 10 pounds 1 to 11/2 cups

11 to 20 pounds 2 to 3 cups

21 to 40 pounds 4 cups

For each additional 20 pounds, add 2 cups. Remember, all pets are individuals, so let your intuition and observations guide you.

Originally posted by Kelli