Breakfast

Every morning, our three dogs are treated to a fresh, home-made breakfast. Breakfast has gone through many incarnations at our house, depending on our dogs, their ages and health needs, and as I have weeded through fanatical opposing opinions out there about the best way to feed your dog. Everything from raw meaty bones only, to "scientifically" commercially produced kibbles are touted as the
way, and often the only way, to successfully feed our dogs.

For anyone seriously wondering what your dog should eat, I highly suggest reading Pet Food Politics, by Marion Nestle (no relation to the chocolate chips), and Food Pets Die For, by Ann Martin – just in case you think that there is solid science behind the production of kibble, or operate under the misconception that the dog food industry exists first and foremost to make healthy food for your dog. Thankfully, we've had the advent of better quality kibble with better ingredients in recent years. Still … little dry brown nuggets, every day …?

In the morning, I grab a bundle of veggies that I have prepped on the weekend. It includes leafy greens such as kale, collards, and mustard greens I have plucked from the garden; carrots, red pepper, and yellow squash, that I've supplemented from the store; zucchini from our freezer (we grew so many zukes this summer we saved enough to get through the entire winter for soup and dog food), a touch of celery or cabbage or broccoli, a few blueberries, half an apple. Chopping lightly, I then throw it into a food processor blending it into a fine mash. To this colorful veggie mash, I add a bit of organic whole milk yogurt, cottage cheese, and steamed yams. Several days per week, one fresh egg – shell and all – will top off the breakfast serving.

I add digestive enzymes (though the fresh raw food is replete with un-degraded enzymes, I supplement because of Nicholai's cancer – just to hedge my bets), an anti-oxidant vitamin, fish or flax or olive oil, and Nicholai's prescribed herbal medicines. On odd days, I put in a touch of local raw honey, a tablespoon of vinegar, a dollop of molasses, or a sprinkle of nutritional yeast.

The dogs dive into their breakfast with unrestrained gusto. Visiting dogs do not turn down these rations. When we fostered a litter of eight-week-old puppies, the youngsters scavenged from the garden of their own volition, nibbling on cabbage and zucchini, trying leaks and apples that had fallen on the ground. Many a morning, I have looked at my cup of coffee and my biscuit or muffin, and plopped a big scoop of veggies into a bowl with some of that creamy yogurt – m-m-m good.

And this is only breakfast.