Hello.

In the quest to always feed a varied diet, I have looked into alternative sources of grains. I friend of mine recently made me a dish using quinoa, along with various veggies and cheese. It was delicious. I have heard about quinoa, but have been "afraid" to try it, both for myself, and my dogs. Does anyone have any experience using this grain? How did it work for you?

Susie,

Brown and white rice, oats, millet, quinoa and barley, work your delicious wonders its quite all right.
White rice is the most commonly used for most dogs because it causes the least reactions in dogs with skin and allergy problems and  its very inexpensive. The exception being rice may not be appropriate for overweight or diabetic pets. Go ahead and make any of these grains 20-30% of the diet cooked with meat and vegetables the way I think you already do. These grains provide energy, minerals and some protein; including the Quionea!

You are correct again in that quionea is commonly considered a grain native to South America,  quinoa is actually a relative of leafy green vegetables like spinach and Swiss chard.

I have a friends who swears by Quinoa. I had never heard of it being used in food for pets. thanks for popping up Jay!!

Susie, let us know how it goes!

Hello to Jay and Corgimomma.

Always good to hear from you.

I have made a batch of food using quinoa. Not all quinoa, but 1 part quinoa to 3 parts white rice. First, I must tell you that 1 cup of  dry quinoa makes a whole mess of cooked quionoa. I wasn't quite prepared for that. I had purchased it at the bulk isle of the health food store, so, I had no idea how much I'd end up with. In the current economy, quinoa is at least as economical as white rice. I used all the cooked quinoa, and am adding some cottage cheese at feeding time, as I believe the carb to protein ratio is a bit skewed with all the extra quinoa.

The kids seem to like it, and, so far, there is no stomach upset. I think I will increase the quinoa:rice ratio with the next batch and see how it goes. The quinoa cooks much quicker than the rice.

I have also read about a grain called Amaranth. It's a teeny tiny grain in the package, but am considering giving it a go after trying quinoa. Will keep you posted.

Hope this information is helpful.

 

Amaranth is another one you can feed with a clear mind. also from South America and is is highly nutritious. In Mexico it is popped and mixed with a sugar solution to make a confection called "alegria" (happiness) Peruvians use fermented amaranth seed to make "chicha" or beer. believe it or not it is now grown in Colorado, Illinois, Nebraska, and other states, but is still not a mainstream food. Amaranth can be cooked as a cereal, ground into flour, popped like popcorn, sprouted, or toasted. high in protein (15-18%) and contains respectable amounts of lysine and methionine, two essential amino acids that are not frequently found in grains. It is high in fiber and contains calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, and vitamins A and C. The fiber content of amaranth is three times that of wheat and its iron content, five times more than wheat. It contains two times more calcium than milk. This food treasure also contains tocotrienols (a form of vitamin E) which have cholesterol-lowering activity in humans. Cooked amaranth is 90% digestible and because of this ease of digestion, it has traditionally been given to those recovering from an illness. All I can say is "what lucky dogs"! Experiment and bon appetit, bueno provecho

Wow! Amaranth almost sounds too good to be true! I may have to look into this food! Like a miracle food! Will definately have to closely examine the iron benefits! Thanks for the info Jay!!

 

My pleasure,

iI you are getting curious about the nutritional aspects let me give you one more piece to the puzzle. The dog needs 31.9 ppm iron in the diet. most of the iron released from red blood cell breakdown is used to synthesize new hemoglobin. However, if the red blood cells are not replaced as rapidly as they are destroyed, anemia occurs. An iron deficient dog develops anemia and tissue anoxia. The cat requires 100 ppm iron in the diet. A deficiency of iron results in anemia as I am sure you are probably aware. Iron in hemoglobin is essential for the proper function of every organ and tissue of the body, two-thirds of body iron is present in hemoglobin in red blood cells and myoglobin in muscle, 20% is in labile forms in liver, spleen and other tissues.

Thanks Jay, you always have such good information. As for my "lucky dogs", they sometimes eat better than we do. I just got done making a batch of turkey and apple jerky, where I wrapped a piece of turkey around an apple slice. I don't do this too often, as I have limited counter space for the dehydrator.

As for the amaranth, I would have to get it at the health food store, as well as the quinoa. It is available in the bulk ilse, and seems pretty economical. I plan on increasing the ratio of quinoa/amaranth:rice slowly, and, hopefully switch to all quinoa or amaranth. I would like to rotate thru rice, quinoa, amaranth to keep things varied and interesting. That is the spice of life!

I do have a question for you. I would like to use soy beans as part of the legume fraction of the diet. I have heard they are not good for dogs. They have so much protien and fiber, I hate to lose out on this potential. Also, we would like to start an herb garden. What can I give to the dogs safely. I am stuck in an basil, oregano, parsley rut.

Thanks so much! 

 

I am finding this topic very interesting! I don't know much about this topic to be honest but I love learning about it! I would also like to know about safe herbs that I could add to dog cookies when I get back into the swing of making them this fall. =) Thanks for asking all these questions Susie! And thanks for answering them Jay!

 

Well Susie, you ask the question in the middle of a very current war and I wish to error on the side of the warnings.

Chemicals in soy could increase the risk of *** cancer in women, brain damage in both men and women, and abnormalities in infants. The scientists Drs. Daniel Doerge and Daniel Sheehan decided to break ranks with their colleagues in the FDA and oppose the decision last year to approve a health claim that soy reduced the risk of heart disease.  Drs. Doerge and Sheehanwrote an internal protest letter warning of 28 studies revealing toxic effects of soy, mostly focusing on chemicals in soy known as isoflavones, which have effects similar to the female hormone estrogen. It has been reported from reliable sources that Soy may lead to health problems in animals including altering sexual development of fetuses and causing thyroid disorders. This battle is very fresh and I would abstain.

As to stuck in a rut for little guys spices, Oh boy, that is exhibit A all over again of lucky dog syndrome. Your selection of herbs is terrific. In fact that is gastronomy heaven. They are our furry kids and family but dare I say it they are still canines with canine wants needs and desires that if I might also add is less picky in what will make them happy. But what intelligent canine would stand in the way of lucky dog syndrome. When it comes to gastronomic delights you are making every effort for the four or five star cuisine when their heritage is raw in the wild and their digestive systems have not changed since almost the beginning. That’s what makes certain dogs so fortunate as  to be in the center of lucky dog syndrome. PPSsst…Chicken broth is a real canine crowd pleas er in their food.

 

OK. I have used organic soybeans once or twice in a batch of food. And, yes, there is certainly a link between soy products and *** cancer, and other ailments. If one uses them only occassionally, is there a significant risk? Probably not, unless there is a known history of *** cancer or other problems. However, I had decided to quit using soybeans and tofu(and they really like tofu and veggie burgers!) for the dogs some time ago. I wanted to get another opinion. So, Thanks Jay, for validating my decision.

As for the Lucky Dog Syndrome, I have no human kids, so, alot of my energies go into caring for my dogs. Are they spoiled? You bet!  But, not as badly as you may think thay are. I do demand obedience(a full-time job with Corgis...whoever said they are easy to train didn't mention how freaking stubborn they are!). They do get the best of healthcare, and they get plenty of exercise.

As for herbs in the diet, I had read that some fresh herbs can be beneficial, so, I experiment.  I think I had even read about adding dandelion greens on occassion.I sometimes add a pinch of the aforementioned dry herbs to the water for the grain. Probably not enough to really alter the taste or nutritional benefit, so, perhaps I'll leave them out next time. But, I will use the chicken broth. That seems reasonable.

Thanks again, Jay. If you can think of anything else, let me know!

 Yes, above all continue the culture of lucky dog syndrome and try and spread it like a (Oxymoron) healthy virus.

I do try to get all my dog loving friends to go all natural, and home cook when they can. They are mostly resistant. I do tend to bring gifts of healthy and organic snacks when I can. Evrey dog should be a Lucky Dog!

Hi CorgiMomma!

I have been looking at a few recipies that I have for doggie biscuits, and none of them talk about herbs. They do mention things like pumpkin and sunflower seeds, along with molasses or honey. Sometimes grated carrot is mentioned. I always thought that honey was not good for dogs, so I would do some more research on that. I have some magazines at work that have some neat recipies, so I will let you know what I found out when I take a look at them.

Take it easy! 

 

 

Thanks Susie!

I love new recipes! I have used honey in the past and will continue to do so as I use such a small amount and my boy does fine on it. If I had the time and money I would cook for my boy. I have allergies to molasses so I choose not to use it. I have been eager to use pumpkin and hope to this fall when I start baking again, but if I only use a small portion of the can, I have to come up with something else to use it with. I would be interested in using herbs in cookies like a chicken and herb cookie. I don't know, just like to experiment. :) I have to start checking out new types of flours now. Thanks again Susie and keep it cool!

 

P.S. I hate these servers!