No, despite the title, I did not make a bad meal that tasted like dog food.
I write this post today, you see, because my beautiful 2 1/2 year old Australian Shepherd, Remy (named after the character Remedios from 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, NOT THE ALCOHOL) is getting surgery today. Remy has cataracts.
:(
Australian Shepherds (aka - Aussies), famous for their beautiful coats, outstanding intellect, and their two-toned eyes, are actually known to have various eye defects. Some have one brown eye and one blue eye, but in Remy's case, each eye is half-brown and half-blue. It sometimes makes her look like she has a severe case of lazy eye and my father always relishes in making fun of her, calling her Marty Feldman (from Frankenstein).
Cataracts is actually very common in the breed, so although Jack and I were sad to discover a big, white mass in her retina, we were not surprised. When we learned that Remy would have to get surgery, we started to worry like two parents would. We were instructed to give her eye drops twice daily and at first, she struggled and ran around the apartment as if we had said the dreaded B-A-T-H word. After a few weeks, however, she sat obediently as we delicately dropped liquid into her eye (she is such a good girl!).
Taking extra precaution, we fed Remy her last meal before the surgery at around 5 pm. She was not to eat or drink for at least 12 hours, so at 8:00 pm we gave her her last bowl of water. She lapped it up quickly and excitedly, as if she knew that it was the last taste of water she would have for a little while.
We cuddled with her in bed while we fell asleep. I awoke at 5 am and headed to the gym, knowing that an hour later, Jack and I would have to give her her last set of eye drops. Remy excitedly jumped out of bed and ran over to her food bowl, thinking that she would get an early breakfast. I sighed and pet her head as I apologized for starving her. When I returned, Jack and I gave applied the eyedrops and I began making breakfast as she trailed my every move, still waiting for her breakfast to be prepared as well.
But there was to be no breakfast for my little Remy.
She watched me intently as I prepared my egg white omelet, positioning herself next to a 20 pound bag of Pro Plan Salmon and Rice flavored food. She dropped her nose into the opening of the bag, quickly pulling it out and looking at me with a look of both longing and confusion, as if to ask, "Mommy, what about my breakfast?"
It killed me.
I sometimes think having a dog is like having a child, but the difference is that you can't communicate with a dog. I couldn't say, "No, Remy, if you eat now, you'll go poop all over yourself and throw up during the surgery." Instead, I just hugged her as she shook her butt (Australian Shepherds have docked tails, so when happy, they shake their butts like hula girls).
Jack then took our thirsty, hungry, and confused dog off to surgery. I swore to her that I would make her the BEST dinner ever when I got home tonight.
I scoured the internet for a good meal, keeping in mind that, although the meal can contain some human food, Aussies also have very weak stomachs and cannot eat too many different kinds of foods (much to their dismay, I am sure). I was shocked at the plethora of foods you can find on the internet! And they look tasty!
I might actually steal food from her this time! The tables will be turned!
UPDATE: She's out of surgery and doing great! She'll be even better after dinner!
Salmon Dog Food Dinner Recipe - From Gourmet Sleuth.com
Ingredients
1 can of salmon (bones removed)
1 egg beaten
3 tablespoons cornmeal
1 potato
1 carrot
1 stick celery
Instructions
Combine salmon, egg, and cornmeal and mix well, form into patties, and coat them with a little more cornmeal. Fry in a tiny amount of canola oil until brown on both sides. Chop patties into small bites and stir together with chopped and boiled vegetables. A spoonful of cottage cheese may be stirred in for moisture if desired.
Basic Balanced Diet - From GourmetSleuth.com
Ingredients
1lb ground beef, preferably antibiotic and hormone free
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 lb bag mixed vegetables
1-2 lb plain yogurt
Instructions
Brown ground beef in a frying pan. Set aside.
Steam vegetables until tender in a pan fitted with a vegetable steamer. Remove from steamer allow to cool slightly. Add vegetables to the beaker of your food processor and pulse until the vegetables are coarsely chopped.
Combine chopped vegetables with rice, add ground beef. Store refrigerated in a tightly sealed container.
Oh yay! I'm glad she came through surgery okay. We had an Aussie growing up (named Sydney - so clever, right?), and I absolutely loved those blue eyes.
Posted by: Caitlin | April 16, 2009 at 12:45 PM
I'm glad Remy is doing well. I have a 2 yr old Dachshund (Kingston) who are prone to back problems. Although I know when he gets older his back will fail it won't make it any easier to see him go through pain. I've always wanted to cook something for him and this seems perfect. Thanks for posting.
Posted by: Eliana | April 16, 2009 at 12:46 PM
I'm glad Remy is doing well! That's so sweet of you to make dinner for your doggy tonight... I like the dog food recipes - I think my dog would enjoy them, as well. Sometimes when she's not feeling well, I make her "doggy stew" with tilapia, mixed veggies, and potatoes.
Posted by: Jen Schall @ My Kitchen Addiction | April 16, 2009 at 01:26 PM
My love to Remy!
I grew up with Australian Shepherds! My parents raised them and showed them at some big dog shows. I started showing Aussies when I was 3 years old! They will always hold a special place in my heart. And when i'm a grown-up some day I'm going to get one for myself!
Posted by: sabrina | April 16, 2009 at 01:38 PM
I'm glad sweet Remy is doing well! I love Australian Shepherds, a good friend of mine has one. I've often pondered homemade dog food but I've never tried it. Thanks for the post -- it was super interesting.
Posted by: Jessica | April 16, 2009 at 02:19 PM
So that is why my cookies looked different? There are different kinds of amarettini cookies? Well live and learn girl. Don't forget my give away - come on over and sign up!
Posted by: peggy | April 16, 2009 at 02:31 PM
Remy is beautiful! We'll keep our fingers and paws crossed for her. I'll look forward to any updates.
Posted by: Judy | April 16, 2009 at 03:23 PM
I'm glad Remy is doing well. What a great idea to make her a special meal! She's lucky to have you!
Posted by: Melissa | April 16, 2009 at 05:13 PM
Oh, I am so glad I caught this after you updated it, because I would have been a wreck all day not knowing how she was doing.
What a good mommy you are - making her a special dinner is the perfect way to help end a very tough day (for both of you.)
I have three dogs, so I understand completely what you were going through all day. :)
Posted by: Megan | April 16, 2009 at 07:55 PM
What a gorgeous dog - I hope Remy is recovering well, and how wonderful that you made her a special homemade meal! You are a great mommy.
And I also wanted to let you know that I gave your fabulous blog an "I love your blog award" in my latest post:
http://mehungry-phyllis.blogspot.com/2009/04/i-love-your-blog-awards-and-little-more.html
I always look forward to all your recipes and posts. Lucky to have found your blog!
Posted by: Phyllis (me HUNGRY!) | April 16, 2009 at 08:35 PM
Awwwww, she's precious! I'm glad things went well and I hope she enjoyed her special dinner :)
Posted by: Tracey | April 17, 2009 at 12:46 AM
I am so glad that Remy is doing well. She had a well deserved wonderful meal. My Australian cattle dog does the hula butt too. So cute.
Posted by: Leanne | April 17, 2009 at 05:16 PM
Remy is beautiful - and a fellow Aussie!! Get well soon Remy.
Posted by: Cakelaw | April 17, 2009 at 08:42 PM
Remy's a sweetie-girl! Hope she's back at home and continuing to do well. We have a Boxer named Cruise (he's my avatar pic) - we are currently monitoring a small mole-like growth on his leg. Boxers are prone to skin cancer so we are a little anxious but hoping for the best. BTW, his tail is docked too so he always does the butt-wiggle! 8-)
Posted by: Tangled Noodle | April 18, 2009 at 10:49 PM
What a beauty ~ talk about a glamour-shot! :)
Posted by: Sandy | April 20, 2009 at 09:40 AM
Thanks so much, everyone!!! Remy, Jack and I are really feeling the love here! She is doing much better... now she just hates her cone that she has to wear for two weeks!!!
Posted by: Teanna | April 20, 2009 at 11:12 AM
Oh, my, Teanna, your Aussie is absolutely GORGEOUS!! Sorry about the surgery at such a young age (both of you!), and you're so sweet to make her dinner. I've never heard that Aussies have sensitive stomachs - I feed mine all manner of food. Nearly every type of fruit and veggies, fish, meat (dogs don't digest pork well, though), etc. Obv I avoid things bad for dogs like chocolate, onions, etc.
I know exactly what you mean about the no food or water thing. Last year my older Aussie had a cancerous tumor on his leg and I took him for daily radiation - all through Thanksgving, Christmas and New Year's. Every day they put him under general anesthesia - for a treatment that lasted just a few minutes - because you can't say to a dog "just hold perfectly still for a minute." He had to stay there all day (and I ended up driving 2.5 hours total each day, even though the vet was local, it was in a different part of the city). And I brought him every day with no breakfast. Poor baby. But the good news is the treatment was totally successful (it has a 95% cure rate!!) but it was quite the ordeal.
Sorry for the long comment, but those little wiggle-butts are very special babies, aren't they?!
Posted by: Nancy (n.o.e.) | April 21, 2009 at 08:12 PM
Some new organic dog foods taste as good as similar human foods, like liverwurst and duck liver mousse. Although people do not enjoy eating dog food, they are also not able to distinguish its flavor from other meat-based products intended for human consumption.
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