DIY recipes for diet trials

When patients need to complete an elimination diet trial for dermatologic woes, Anthea Schick's, DVM, DACVD, first choice is home cooked. Why? Because you can control all aspects of the food. Not many owners are able to do this, but when they can there are two recipes that Dr. Schick recommends. The first is black bean and quinoa. It's not fully nutritionally balanced for long-term feeding, but for a six-to-eight-week diet trial it is OK, she says. This diet has the added bonus of helping with weight control if the pet also needs help in that area.

Another diet that Dr. Schick uses is pork, oatmeal and green beans. Sometimes pickier dogs enjoy this one because it's a meat-based diet, Dr. Schick says. This one is also easier for clients, because those three ingredients are readily available and are easy to batch cook and then portion out at meal time.

Want the two recipes Dr. Schick mentions above? She's kindly provided the recipes below, with a slightly modified black bean version that includes pork. Keep in mind that these diets are recommended for feeding as a six-week diet trial, as they are not balanced for long-term use.

Pork, oatmeal and green bean recipe

Base to start with:

1 cup cooked pork

2 cups cooked oatmeal

1 cup cooked or fresh green beans

Click here to download this recipe.Notes: A lean pork roast is preferred for this mixture, which is readily available at grocery stores or butcher shops. Rolled oats cooked in water are also preferred over instant oatmeal varieties. For the green beans, fresh or frozen whole beans may be used. Fresh green beans can be blanched or given raw, and frozen green beans may be cooked appropriately and added to the mixture.

This diet can be cooked in large quantities ahead of time and frozen for later use, then rationed out accordingly. The portion chart below will help determine how much the pet should be fed per day.

If you'd like a printable version of this recipe-with a feeding guide-click here to download the handout at right.

Pork, black bean and quinoa recipe

Base to start with:

1 cup cooked pork

1 cup cooked black beans

½ cup cooked quinoa

Click here to download this handout.Notes: A lean pork roast is preferred for this mixture, which is readily available at grocery stores or butcher shops.

This diet can be cooked in large quantities ahead of time and frozen for later use, then rationed out accordingly. The portion chart below will help determine how much the pet should be fed per day.

If you'd like a printable version of this recipe-with a feeding guide-click here to download the handout at right.