I talk “poop” way too much these days…!
My (super awesome) former colleague, Danielle, had been struggling to “beef up” her boy Bentley’s bowel movements. Try saying that three times real fast. Poor Bentley has a sensitive tummy, and he was suffering from chronic diahrrea on his (processed food!) diet.
DANIELLE: “Ben’s anal glands are not expressing because his stools were so soft and never solid. The vet recommended more fibre, and so we tried vegetables (carrots everyday, peas made him sick) but his stools were still soft, so we switched to a grain free food which made his stools much more solid but he still needs more fibre.”
The first things that came to mind were oat bran and beets – yes, beets. Beets are nice & sweet, with a good dose of fibre as well. And since Bentley has a sensitive tummy, I wanted some pumpkin in there as well. A few ingredients later and you have some Smooth Moves! These are such pretty treats -The Boys love them too, although they don’t need the extra fibre, these are still great treats for them. (I have never had to even think about anal glands THANK GOODNESS). I’m pretty sure that their home cooked meals have a little something to do with that – and I’m still campaigning Danielle to start cooking for Bentley full time!
Smooth Moves (aka Bentley’s Beet Balls!)
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups oat bran
1 egg
1 banana
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup beet juice
2 TBS canola oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mash banana in large bowl. Add pumpkin, egg, canola oil, beet juice. Mix together. Add the oats and oat bran and mix again. Line baking tray with parchment, and form beet balls (whatever size works for your dog). Bake for 30 minutes.
I also made a batch with what I had on hand at a later date – I had wheat bran rather than oat bran, and no beet juice, so I reduced some fresh blueberries to replace it, and they were also lovely! Not as pretty as Bentley’s Beet Balls – but still good!
UPDATE FROM DANIELLE: “We’re still giving him carrots & it seems to be working well, he loves apples too and loves the beet treats you made him! They smelled delicious too!”
xo/J
