Tinker and her quest for venison meatloaf

So Nick and I were up late on Friday night preparing food for his grad party and then he watched the Philly's game while I researched kidney failure and ordered a few supplements for Tink. While we're up, a post comes across on freecycle: venison meat for dog food. We reply stating we're interested and can pick up on Saturday morning. Great. It's ours.

We were just talking about cooking more for Tink to help her body out which is why I was buying more supplements (calcium and a Wysong Biotic PH plus.) Nick and I were thinking 5, maybe 10lbs of meat. We were excited because no sooner had we discussed a plan, God was already helping to provide an affordable way to do this.

We showed up saturday morning and had 4 bags full of meat. Nick weighed it all when we came home. Over 50 lbs of venison is shoved in our freezer (ok, 45, we cooked with 5 lbs this weekend.) I did some research about how long meat can be frozen and we should be just fine. Everything smells and tastes fine and she is LOVING it! here are some pictures we took just after her meatloafs came out of the oven. As you will see Tink is IN the kitchen. She doesn't venture in there very often unless something VERY yummy is in there and she can't wait! She was even nudging my leg like "will you hurry up, Mom!"

Wrong way baby girl

I'm waiting mom....

mmmm! That's the stuff!

Of course everything had to be Tinker tested and approved!

She hasn't come up for air yet, i think she approves!

She has been so excited about her food! We still give a tiny bit of kibble, but with all the research and reading, it seems home cooked is the way to go. And with venison, why not? We substituted rice instead of oats in the meatloaf because i guess oats are high in phosphorus and that is what I am trying to avoid! The venison was already ground and appears to be a bit greasy, again which is better for her and her kidneys. Lots of cabbage, carrots, some fennel too! Mix a little cottage cheese and her longevity and voila! A tasty treat fit for Tinker!

Her body especially needs more calcium now, so a supplement is a must! (they should be here by friday.) She's making it through some nights and not others. But some is better than none! She seems pretty content, although getting comfy this evening is proving a little challenging for her : ) My little heart dog is such a joy in our lives.