Hill's Science Diet K/D, Plan B

Smooch was recently diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, 

a common condition in senior dogs. Our vet explained that the most important thing 

I can do to help manage the disease is to put Smooch on a special diet,

specifically Hill's Science Diet K/D. She sent us home with some samples.

Smooch loved it. I looked up the price. I didn't love it.

I wondered if I could cook something similar that would be 

as good for Smooch's kidneys and not as harmful to my bank account.

I googled around for "homemade dog food for kidney disease" 

and shared a recipe I found with our vet. She supported the idea

and encouraged me to give it a try.

The recipe is called "Simple and Quick Homemade Dog Food for Kidney Disease"

and here are the ingredients:

Simple? Yes. Quick? Hell no.

I'm a messy, disorganized cook, so it took the better part of Saturday morning

 to make this double batch, which I'm hoping will last two weeks.

 

As I was slaving over the stove cooking the rice and the sweet potatoes

and the green beans and the egg whites and the ground beef,

and every stinkin' pot I owned needed to be washed,

that Hill's Science Diet stuff was starting to seem like a bargain...

...until I fed my homemade version to Smooch at dinnertime.

She licked her bowl clear across the kitchen and into the next room

trying to get every morsel. Never has anyone appreciated my cooking as much.

I'm committed to making this recipe for Smooch at least until the fall,

when we'll re-test her blood and see how her kidneys are doing.

Meanwhile, I'm going to look into those instant pot things

and see if there's a way to speed up the cooking,

or at least make less of a mess.