Little Man's Luscious Loaf

Makes 12 servings

This fun and easy recipe is one of my favorites—I make it at least once a month. These mini-loaves freeze beautifully for up to 3 months, and you can add everything but the kitchen sink. Not only does this recipe have a little extra protein boost, but when you slice open a mini-loaf, it's very pretty. From start to finish, it takes about 2 hours to prepare—well worth it for the joy you will see in your dog's face while he eats. I hope that your dog enjoys this recipe as much as my boys do.

3 raw eggs
2 pounds ground lamb
1/2 pound ground beef
2 cups cooked brown rice
1/4 cup rolled oats
4 carrots, chopped
1 cup chopped green beans
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, or 2 2/3 tablespoons parsley flakes
4 tablespoons plain wheat germ
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs
12 hard-cooked eggs, shelled
2 tablespoons ketchup

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a mixing bowl, mix together everything except the hard-cooked eggs and ketchup.

3. Place a small amount of the meat mixture in the bottom of one section of the mini-loaf pan; then set a hard-
    cooked egg on top. Cover the egg with more of the meat mixture.

4. Repeat this process for the remaining mini-loaves. Not to worry—if your mini-loaf pan makes only 6, then make
    6 small loaves at a time (meat, egg, meat). What you are doing is placing an egg in the center of the meat.
    When it's cooked and you slice it, it's beautiful.

    If you are making one large loaf instead of mini-loaves, make a well in the center of the loaf and add as many  
    hard-cooked eggs as will fit into the well, in a line from one end of the loaf to the other.

5. Before placing in the oven, spread some ketchup on top of each mini-loaf.

6. Bake for 1 hour and 40 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the
    oven, let cool for an hour, and serve.

Storing Mini-Loaves

These loaves store fabulously in vacuum-sealed food storage bags. I love to use these because each loaf is sealed individually with all the moisture taken out, and they can be stored for 2 weeks in the refrigerator or 6 months in the freezer. If you don't have a vacuum-sealed food storage bag system, wrap each loaf very well in wax paper and aluminum foil, and then store in a zippered plastic bag for no more than a week in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer.

Dr. Kevin Says

A sudden intake of a very fatty meal can cause pancreatitis in dogs (as well as cats). Pancreatitis is a condition in which the pancreas is stimulated into overdrive, and the release of extra enzymes starts to digest the pancreas itself. We have kept regular bacon, organ meats, and other fatty foods out of the recipes in this book in order to make these meals low-fat and healthy.