These days, Lucy is simultaneously adorable and heartbreaking: She’s slowed down a lot in the last few months, and sort of hops rather than walks. Plus she no longer tolerates grooming – I can give her baths and brush her a little, but that’s about it – so her lifelong transformation into an actual muppet is nearing completion. (If you’re worried about her being able to see past that aggressive bang situation she has going on, please recall that she is in possession of a grand total of one eye, and that said remaining eye is, alas, completely blind.)
Related Read: The Many Lives Of Lucy
She seems happy enough, though. She hops from napping spot to sleeping spot to napping spot, and spends most days snuggled up against my left thigh, basking in the warmth emanating from my laptop and snoring audibly. But I think it’s safe to say she’s officially an old lady now. Which…I mean…I’m okay, I get it, but still. I want so badly for this stage of her life to be one where she gets to relax in her rocker with a nice warm blanket over her legs and watch the seagulls.
You know, metaphorically.
I brought her to the vet the other day, just for a once-over to make sure everything’s in good(ish) working order. I should have known what I was in for when the very nice receptionist helping me to schedule the appointment asked me if I’d like to sign up for acupuncture.
“For…me?”
“Oh no, for Lucy.”
“But…Lucy is a…dog?”
Anyway, Lucy shall not be getting acupuncture (nor shall she be taking advantage of the underwater treadmill that this particular veterinarian’s office also has handy, because of course it does). That said, I did allow myself to lean into the extraordinary levels of L.A.-ness I was dealing with at this vet on one point:
Food.
The vet asked me what she was eating, and the answer was “mostly cat food, if we’re being honest” – she’s always preferred the cats’ food to hers, and I figured, you know: whatever. But the vet informed me that a) dogs should not eat cat food, because they have different vitamins and such, and b) that if I was a good owner, I would really be making Lucy her own customized blend of holistic dog food.
I’m kidding; he was very nice and not dog mom shame-y at all. But he did give me a recipe titled “Holistic Vet Blend For A Natural, Balanced, Homemade Canine Diet,” along with a bag of all-natural powdered supplement. And so now?
Now we make our own dog food.
(She loves it. It makes me so happy.)
P.S. Remember tuna cubes? You’re welcome.
P.P.S. Here is a vintage photo of Lucy loving her walk.
Holistic Dog Food: A Veterinarian’s Recipe
Note: This makes quite a lot, so freeze it in a bunch of smaller containers for easy defrosting when needed. Also, I improvised a bit when making this myself, incorporating some leftover vegetables (lentils, red potatoes, etc) I happened to have in the refrigerator.
What You Need:
- 3 lb ground lean meat (10-15%)
- 1/4 lb orange vegetables (pumpkin or sweet potato)
- 1/4 lb green vegetables (spinach, green beans, broccoli)
- 1/4 lb mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, etc – your choice)
- 1 handful blueberries
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup all-natural vitamin mix
- Combination of cooked brown rice and cooked sweet potato to equal a total of 5 cups
What You Do:
- Cook ground meat until almost done.
- Add all vegetables and cook until done.
- Add coconut oil, eggs, and blueberries. Mix well, and cook for one more minute.
- Mix in vitamin blend and the cooked brown rice/cooked sweet potato blend.
- Serve warm.
Here is a photo of a dog that is about to do her version of exploding in joy (a.k.a. waking up, and moving).
