Chicken breast in the rice cooker (for dogs)
Miss Noodle is getting old. She’s always been old, and when we got her I said my goal was to have her for four years, but the truth is, I am a selfish person, and I am also a liar. I said that my goal was to have her for four years, but really, my goal was to have her forever. Recently though it’s started looking like my original goal might be more in line with what is going to happen.
Miss Noodle has always hated the Fourth, but this year was particularly bad. I tried getting a light sedative for the vet, and I don’t know if it did nothing, or if it would have been even worse without it, but she was in a state of absolute terror all night. She didn’t really sleep, and then the next day she was off her food and reluctant to go outside. In the evening of the fifth she was beyond reluctant to go outside, she was absolutely terrified. Ultimately, I had to carry her down the stairs because I was afraid she’d give herself a bladder infection if she didn’t pee. The next morning was more of the same, she was scared to go outside, and wouldn’t touch her breakfast. She spent all day lying listlessly on the floor.
She’s not always a super interactive dog, but watching her just sort of lie there on the floor, refusing food, was stressful. It was bad. We decided that we should get a chicken breast or something for her, and see if that worked. I spent a lot of time contemplating Miss Noodle’s quality of life, and when we needed to take her to the emergency vet.
Then, around six, she decided that she was ready to eat her breakfast, and was happy to go outside and wander up and down in front of our apartment. There’s still something wrong with her liver, so she’s on some TCM the vet gave us for a month, and then after that they’ll see if her liver is better, or unchanged, and then… something else will happen.
The idea of subjecting my dog, whose primary joy in life is being comfortable, to painful and stressful medical interventions to prolong her life feels selfish. She values her own comfort so highly. But also, she’s the most stubborn animal I’ve ever met, and I have met some pretty stubborn animals. I really thought this dog was on death’s door, but she was just having a tantrum over fireworks. I’m glad she was just expressing her will, but I’m still worried about this liver thing, and she is old, but she’s eating like normally now (especially since I cooked dinner for her…..)
The good thing about this is that I learned something useful: you can make a perfectly cooked chicken breast in your rice cooker. I don’t know why you would do this for your ungrateful dog, who wouldn’t care if her chicken breast was perfectly cooked or not, but you can. In fact, you can make a complete dinner for your large stubborn dog in your rice cooker, which is especially useful when it is like… 96 outside. So if you, like me, have a good rice cooker (I hope you do) you can make food for your dog. (You could also use this to make food for you, but I’d change some things….)
Rice cooker food for your big dog
1 rice cooker cup of oatmeal
1 rice cooker cup of enriched long grain white rice (none of my fancy Japanese rice for the dog, sorry Noodle)
1 cup of cranberries (from the freezer, if you have some from the fall)
2 cups of mixed frozen peas and carrots
1 boneless skinless chicken breast
Mix oatmeal and rice, add water up to the 2 cup line. Place chicken breast, 1 cup of frozen veg, and cranberries on top. Cook using the regular white rice setting. Once it’s done, temp the chicken obviously, mine was, seriously, a perfect 161 and I let it rest up (lol).
Once chicken is cool enough to handle, finely chop. Scoop rice/oatmeal/cranberry mix into a large bowl, add the other cup of frozen peas and carrots. Mix well. Give to ungrateful dog.