Rio's Chicken: Dog Food in the Crockpot

By á-6315

Our Golden Retriever has awful skin allergies. In lieu of steroid shots and antibiotics on a regular basis, I elected to cook fresh. It's made a world of difference.

If you also feed dry food, check ingredients. The first two should NOT be grains. Since the allergies are bacterial-related, Rio can't have grains, carbs or dairy because those turn to sugars and feed the bacteria.

This recipe makes about 20 cups. I use three 7-cup containers, put two in the freezer and one in the fridge to feed from (each lasts 3-4 days). We feed about a cup of dry and a cup of this chicken, twice a day (60 lb. dog).

Consult with your vet before changing your dog's diet. Rio has done very well on this diet since his allergies started at age 3. He's now 11.

Ingredients

• Optional:
• 1 large pkg fresh chicken thighs (about 5 lb.)
• 1 large can (6 lb. 5 oz.) cut green beans
• low-carb, non-gassy veggies like zucchini, summer squash and celery; veggie scraps (peels and ends) kept in a freezer container and restocked through the week

Preparation

Step 1

Rinse chicken. Remove and discard skins from half the pieces. If the dog is underweight or the allergies and hotspots are particularly bad, leave all the skins on.

Place chicken in large crockpot. Count how many pieces go in, so you know how many bones have to come out (cooked chicken bones splinter - never give them to a dog). Cook until bones completely separate from the meat, 4-5 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low.

If you have veggies or thawed scraps from the freezer, stir them in now. Remove all bones, but leave the gristle (assuming the dog has good teeth and can chew it). Drain beans and stir into the chicken.

Divide food between three 7-cup containers. Put two in the freezer and feed from the third. I microwave the chicken for 20-25 seconds when I feed it to him... spoiled, I know. :)

Note: it takes about a day in the fridge to thaw one container.