Doctor Michael Fox

It's our monthly pet call-in segment on Friday's Morning Show. Dr. Fox is an entertaining fella, to say the least! And, he'll answer your pet and animal questions or emails.

Pet food has been a big issue lately, with over 60 million cans and packages being contaminated. What food is okay to feed our cats and dogs? Dr. Fox always suggests people make homemade pet food - I haven't made the leap yet. Have you? What do you feed your dogs and cats? Here's one of dr. fox's pet food recipes:

Dr. Michael Fox's Homemade 'Natural'Dietary Supplement for Dogs
2 cups uncooked whole grain rice (or barley, rolled oats,
or pasta noodles)
Pinch of salt1 T. vegetable oil (flax seed oil* or safflower oil)
1 T. wheat germ
1 T. cider vinegar
1 t. brewer's yeast
1 t. bone meal or calcium carbonate
1 t. dried kelp
1 lb. lean hamburger, ground lamb, mutton, one whole chicken or half of a small turkey.

Combine all above ingredients. Add water to cover ingredients, simmer, stir, and add more water as needed until cooked. De-bone chicken parts and do not feed cooked bones since they can splinter and cause internal injury. The recipe should be thick to be molded into patties (add oat bran or meal to help thicken).Mix well into the stew while it is still very hot, a cup full of raw, grated carrots, sweet potato or yam.. Serve 1 cup full of this recipe for a 30 lb. dog with the rest of his/her rations, and freeze the rest into patties and store in the freezer. Serve thawed, or frozen to gnaw on outdoors in hot weather.

For variation, you can use cottage cheese, plus well-cooked lentils, chick peas (garbanzo beans), lima beans or other pulses or a dozen eggs as meat alternatives.. All ingredients, ideally, should be organically certified. (Note: some dogs are allergic or hypersensitive to some foods, especially soy, beef, eggs, wheat and dairy products.).
T = Tablespoont = teaspoon
* Add flax seed oil after the cooked food has cooled down to room temperature.
For dogs under 30 lb, and for over-weight and less active dogs, use 2 cups of uncooked rice in the recipe..

You can leave your questions or comments for Dr. Michael Fox here and we'll pass them on to him on Friday...

-Heidi

*photo by John Bauer