Say 'No' to Kibble: Vegan Dog-Food Recipe

The following article was written by Corinne Alexaki. 

Does feeding processed kibble to your pooch gross you out? Have you been told that your canine companion could not survive on a cruelty-free diet? If so, you are not alone. Many people have eliminated meat from their diet but are afraid to do so with their beloved bow-wow because they believe that dogs are meant to be carnivores. Well, happy day! Many dogs do quite well on a vegan diet.

Meet my vegan doggie, Daphne. She is a "poochie foodie" and loves this recipe so much that when I set her food down, she shoves her entire face into the bowl and the feeding frenzy begins. She doesn't stop, not even for the doorbell, until she has licked her bowl clean. Is she healthy, you may ask? She plays harder and longer than her canine counterparts and has a clean bill of health from the vet.

Did you know that the term "carnivore" refers to a diet that is primarily flesh-based, not entirely flesh-based? Wild canines love to gobble their greens, too, and they are by no means flesh-dependent, like zombies.

The most important thing for your dog, aside from lots of love and exercise, is a well-balanced diet, not necessarily a meat-based diet. So try this peanut-buttery, sweet-potatoey stovetop or slow-cooker recipe to give your puppy prince or princess the cruelty-free, unprocessed gooey goodness that he or she deserves!

Homemade Sweet-Potato Peanut-Butter Vegan-Dog Delight
6 cups (filtered) water
1 cup mixed rice and quinoa (I mix black, brown, and long grain rice with black and/or
white quinoa.)
1 cup mixed lentils (I mix green, red, and French lentils.)
3 medium sweet potatoes sliced into 1-inch cubes
3 cups or 24 oz. natural peanut butter
1½ cups or 8 to 12-oz. apple cider vinegar, optional (My dog is a flat-nosed breed, which means she tends to get gassy. The vinegar gets rid of virtually all of her gas, but if your dog does not have a problem with this, you can omit the vinegar.)
8 g hemp protein
1 Tbsp. flaxseed oil with DHA (Store in the fridge or freezer.)
200-250 mg cranberry extract (Since a vegan diet is alkalizing, your dog may need this acidifier to maintain a healthy urinary pH.)
VegeDog multivitamin powder
Prozyme Plus (This helps with digestion so that your dog can absorb as many nutrients as possible.)
125 mg PB8 brand probiotic (1/4 pill)

• Boil the water.
• Add the rice, lentils, and sweet potatoes.
• Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 40 minutes to 1 hour, or until all ingredients are soft. Stir occasionally and add more water as needed. Too much water is better than not enough water. (Remember, you want the ingredients to be extra moist because they will be easier to digest.)
• Mash the sweet potatoes with a fork and mix thoroughly. Let cool.
• Add the peanut butter and vinegar. Stir well.
• Place 3 to 5 servings in your refrigerator and store the rest in the freezer.
• Measure 2/3 cup of food per meal.*
• At mealtime: Add hemp protein, flaxseed oil, cranberry extract, Vegedog, Prozyme Plus, and PB8 into the 2/3 cup of food. Mix well and serve twice daily.

* Serving size is based on the diet of a 20-lb. dog. Please adjust the portion size to suit your dog's weight.

Note: Please remember, as with the introduction of any new food, to introduce this new diet gradually. This means replacing a small portion of your dog's current food with the new food and gradually increasing the amount of new food while decreasing the amount of old food over a period of approximately 10 days.

Wild canines keep their smiles sparkling by chewing on sticks and bones, so don't forget to brush your pupperoni's teeth! I brush Daphne's teeth every day, and her favorite dental snacks are sliced apple, Sam's Yams, and PETA's vegan pig ears.

Stay tuned for gluten-free Vegan Scooby Doo Scones!