Love in the Bowl Part 1

Today I want to take you into my vegan dog kitchen. I personally love to cook and use it to relax. Doing something good for my body by providing it with all the important and valuable nutrients makes me really happy. And it makes me even happier to provide my dog Lotte with the best possible care and to know what's in her food.

How do I go about it?

I write a meal plan for me and Lotte in advance for a week and then go shopping (and food saving). I combine our meals together. I make her almost the same meal as me, except I leave out the ingredients she can't have and roughly weigh out her required ingredients. Also, of course, I make sure to give her what she likes and what she tolerates well. Don't stress about the weighing. You'll get a good feeling for it over time. The information in the books is only a guideline. Every dog is individual. You can see whether your dog gains a lot of weight or needs a little more. By the way. You can find the guidelines here. Last but not least, she gets the supplement V-Complete in her meal. The supplement and oil should only be mixed into the food after it has cooled down. As often as possible, I feed her food lukewarm, as it smells better then.

How did I start?

At the beginning, I tested one new ingredient per day. That is, I gave her the usual food, but replaced a little of it with potatoes, for example. And the next day I gave her some potatoes and broccoli mixed with the food. If she tolerated it well, I mixed in broccoli and carrots the next day and so on. Lotti is a very simple dog. If your dog is sensitive to food, you should make sure that the change happens very slowly and gently. It is important to keep an eye on the daily poop consistency. If your dog has diarrhoea, pause at first. Thank goodness this never happened with Lotte. Slightly softer poop is normal during a change and not a cause for concern. I have prepared food profiles for many foods so that I know how much of each food Lotte is allowed to eat, how it has to be prepared, what nutrients it contains, etc. So over time I have found out what Lotte's favourites are. I often let her choose between three treats - e.g. a piece of carrot, cucumber and courgette. Surprisingly, Lotti is not a fan of sweets. She is more the savoury type. Almost all dogs like potatoes, as well as rice. Lotti's favourite food is coconut oil. She is really addicted to it. Algae are also high on the list, but be careful, please feed iodine-containing algae only in moderation. She also likes tofu, all kinds of yoghurt (oats, soy, coconut of course :P), carrots, broccoli, kale, spinach, cauliflower, beetroot, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers (please use only red and yellow ones). She also makes a distinction between steamed and raw.

Chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans she only likes pureed

As you can see, a dog's preferences can be quite individual But it's soooo much fun to find out! What do you think about preparing food for your animal companion yourself? For me, it's a way to add my own special ingredient - even more of my love, as an extra portion in the bowl! I'll be sharing my learnings and a few tips with you soon, so stay tuned! 

P.S. You can find inspiration and tips on vegan cooking for your dog on our V4D Recipes blog and on my Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/yinhundyang/ 

If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to post them in the comments below. Click here for the follow up Love in the Bowl Part 2 - My Learnings