Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Im having a nostalgic morning today because Im going to see my family but my daughter isnt home.  She stayed at University to get her homework done and to work because we have a family event next week and she just couldnt do both,  nor did we want her to............until about 4am.  I keep thinking if my Mom and Dad, Sister, Brother and their families will really notice me, Todd  and the pies not showing up,  and just head East instead of Southwest. 
In the meantime it's a great sunny morning on the farm and I was thinking about what your pets might be eating today.   I started researching canine nutrition and I agree that there are a lot of unhealthy dog foods on the market and that we could be doing a lot better job of feeding our animals. 
.........but we could be doing a lot better job of feeding ourselves and we probably need to fix that first.........that's a topic for another day!
Today just be extra vigilant about making sure that the turkey carcass gets set far far out of the way of the dogs because those bones will kill your dog! (But save it because we're going to be using it later)
My dogs LOVE sweet potatoes, pumpkin, gravy and of course sweets. 
If you dont trust your guests not to be feeding your dog stuff that will make them sick,  put them in their kennel during the meal. 
They'll be safer and you can relax and enjoy yourself!!!

Now that the meal is over and the people are gone.  Go get that carcass and lets make some REAL FOOD for these critters that you love!!
To start:
Decide how you want to cook it. 
You can use your soup stock pot, crock pot or a large roasting pan in the oven. 
Now for the really hard part.............plop that whole carcass in your chosen vessel,  cover it with water and add in any veggies that you want and about
1/4 cup of APPLE CIDER VINEGAR ---this helps to extract the minerals out of the bones.
Now.....cook on very low heat for a couple of days. 
I usually use my crock pot on low and cook it for 2 or 3 days on and off.  Since it's cool enough here right now,  I cook it on low during the day and let it chill on my deck over night.  I also take out some of the broth after day one and add more water,  that way I get more broth!!!!
............Once you're done cooking it:  strain it a few times to make sure you dont get any bone fragments left behind.   While the broth is still warm,  I add in pureed carrots, squash or any other veggies that I cooked in the broth or need to use up in my fridge. 
..............Feeding:  My dogs get about 2 soup ladles (about 1 cup) every morning over their dry dog food. 
.............Storage:  Your broth will last at least a week in the fridge.  If you made a lot, freeze in baggies for both human and canine use later on. 

I started feeding this bone broth consistently to my dogs about 3 years ago.  Duke,  our mastiff/lab mix has totally healed from hot spots and licking his legs. 
Macey, our  golden retriever has THE softest coat you could ever imagine and her shedding has great decreased. 
Leighla and Willow,  well they just like to eat and play so they take anything we give them!  They are like 2 toddlers. 

..........OK,  well my turn for the shower then off to Shelly's house we go! 
​The pecan pie is calling my name!!  
Peace out!!
Sherry 
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