Author: berniceoh

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A wonderful bak kwa recipe for your wonderful pups!

Are you looking to treat your amazing furkids to some delicious Chinese New Year goodies? I’ve got a fun one for you!

Not only is this recipe delicious (based on the reviews of the pups that have tried it), but it’s also extremely easy to make.

You’ll need the following ingredients/equipment:
1. A dehydrator
2. Baking sheet
3. Minced meat (pork/chicken) (~300g)
4. Herbs (Oregano, Rosemary, and any others that you like)

Step 1:

Firstly, be sure to thaw, wash and drain the meat! By doing so, it saves you a lot of time waiting for the dehydrator to make its living.

Step 2:

Once the meat is nice and soft, you can start to mix in any optional ingredients that you’d like. Feel free to add in some fat such as a little bit of butter to just give the meat a nice coating, as well as salt and other herbs that your pup prefers. Personally, I like to use rosemary and oregano as not only are they delicious, but they’re also nutritious for dogs to eat.

If you’re not into that, you can also opt to just pop the meat straight into the dehydrator as is and it’ll still be delicious!

Once done, you can leave the meat to rest as you start to set up the dehydrator.

Step 3:

Spread your baking paper on the dehydrator and make sure its covered as much as possible. Once done, take the minced meat and use the back of a spoon or spatula and spread the meat across the baking sheet.

*IMPORTANT: In order for your Bak Kwa to be crispy, spread the meat thinly across the tray.

Adding it in the oven for extra conchiness

Step 4:

Once done, set your dehydrator to anywhere between 60 – 80 degrees celcius, based on the total weight of meat you purchased. The total cooking time should be set to 8 hours. Once set and the dehydrator is closed, feel free to tend to other work, or just enjoy a nice break on the couch for 7 hours and 55 minutes while you wait for it to be done.

Yummy Bak Kwa for furkids

Step 5:

After 8 hours, your bak kwa will be cooked and ready for your pup to eat! For those of you who want it to be a little bit crispier, you can put the bah kwa in the oven for around 10 – 15 mins for an added cronch 🙂

After that’s done, you can cut the bak kwa into bite-sized pieces for your pup.

Summary

And there you go! An extremely simple recipe that you can make this CNY to give your pups some delicious treatos. Of course, it’s worth mentioning that this recipe is just a basic guide. If you’d like to use different types of meat or seasonings based on your dogs preference, feel free to do so!



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Community Stories

Did I make a mistake adopting a Singapore Special?

I adopted Gigi back in 2017. I was a pawrent noob. Never owned a dog before, hardly knew anyone who owned a dog and knew nothing about Singapore Specials(SS). I did not know what to expect upon adopting and there were times i wondered if I was making a mistake.

My adopted SS – Gigi

One thing you have to know before adopting a SS is that they are all different – personalities, traits & temperament. There is no one-size fits all when it comes to Singapore Specials. I know of super timid, fearful SS but there are also SS who are very confident & friendly.

Gigi is a fearful dog who expresses her fear through aggression. When I first met her, I was told that she was aggressive towards other dogs and also very apprehensive towards strangers, especially in the house. Despite not knowing how to handle an “aggressive” dog, her pitiful past and adorable face moved me and I had to bring her home. She warmed up quickly to me and my family and that’s when I thought it was fate. Apart from her temperament, Gigi is all sorts of perfect – independent, house-trained and all-round well behaved. She could be left alone at home without a problem and she wouldn’t end up destroying the house.

Though she does not look it, she is fearful aggressive

But I struggled greatly with her temperament. She would bark at neighbours, lunge at other dogs, she even tried attacking strangers before. I started to live in fear of her accidentally injuring another dog or human which led to avoiding walking at crowded places or peak hours, waiting endlessly for an empty lift and refraining from inviting people over for dinner. Those were the times I asked myself if I had made a mistake adopting her.

I attempted to train her, engaged trainers, sent her for daycare all in hopes of helping her. There were failures and successes, there were times I really wanted to give up. Only when I came across our very last trainer did things change for us. It took a lot of conditioning, firm handling and hard work but I saw the changes in her. Both our lives have changed for the better and I cannot be more grateful.

If you asked me if I think adopting Gigi was a mistake – no, she is the best thing that happened to me and my family. And if given the choice I would still adopt her. But, there are some things I learned along the way and for anyone who is looking to adopt a SS, I would encourage you to consider these 3 things –

  1. Be prepared – There were so many things I wished I knew before adopting, like how to handle her temperament & what to expect. That would have saved us from ending up living in fear and feeling hopeless.
  2. Understand Singapore Specials – They may come with their trials & difficulties. SS are known to be skittish & fearful. Understand the temperament of the dog you are adopting be ready to make the commitment.
  3. Do not give up – The journey may not be easy but it is rewarding and don’t give up on your furkid once you have made the commitment.
Hang in there pawrents!

There is no journey like the one you embark on with your dog. The key is to know what you are getting into and never give up.

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Community Stories

Help! I have a picky dog!

gigi

When you have a picky furkid, it leads to constant headaches worrying about what treats & food to buy. Afraid that he/she may reject the food. There have been many frustrating moments whereby I buy Gigi’s treats in bulk (especially during a good sale) & I realise that she doesn’t even like them!

Here are my top 5 picks of treats for other furkids who are picky like Gigi – all tried & tested on the queen of treats.

  1. Tumeke Friend Air Dried Dog Snacks Gourmet Beef
Tumeke Friend Air Dried Dog Snack

Holy cow (pun intended) does Gigi go CRAZY for these treats! They’re air dried and the smell is pretty strong which is one of the reasons why Gigi cannot resist these tasty treats. They make great food toppers too, I love to spice up Gigi’s daily kibbles & toppers are one of the ways I do that.

2. Vitakraft Dog Sticks

Vitakraft Dog Stick Seafood

I was pretty hesitant at first when my friends recommended these dog sticks to me. But dangggg was I taken by surprise! The second I ripped open the packaging, she was immediately seated at my feet. I have to admit the smell of the meat is strong, I can tell why it makes such a great treat for picky dogs. Plus, the stick is easy to tear into bite-sized pieces to suit your furkid’s size.

3. K9 Natural Freeze Dried

K9 Natural Hoki & Beef Freeze Dried

My next 2 picks are both designed as meal toppers but they make great bite-sized treats too! Whether it’s for training or to be used in puzzle toys, freeze-dried meal toppers do a great job!

K9 Natural has always been one of our favourites and has never failed to tantalise Gigi’s tastebuds. Her favourite is the Hoki & beef feast! K9 Natural is one of the best in terms of quality treats/food. It may be a little pricier but it’s worth it when I can use it both as a meal topper & treat!

4. Instinct Raw Boost Mixers

Instinct Raw Boost Mixers Immune Health

We were recently introduced to the Instinct Pet brand and we have been loyal customers ever since. Double points for its amazing quality & affordability when it comes to freeze-dried food. I highly highly recommend Instinct Pet if you are checking out freeze-dried options. They have a wide range of variants to choose from as well that help to target specific health needs such as gut health and immune health. If you’re considering Instinct Pet, check out their wet pouch line as well! It’s a must-have for us!

5. Dehydrated Treats

Truffleruffel Turmeric Pork Tendon

You can never go wrong with dehydrated treats. Whether you make them yourself or get them from a small treats business, dehydrated treats are our top picks because they’re healthy – no added preservatives or chemicals, plus they’re super delicious! There are different recipes that add on herbs such as turmeric & rosemary or toppings such as cheese. The recipes available are endless!

Pawjourr is my go-to platform when it comes to sampling out food for Gigi. What’s better than free samples am I right? You can try out all of our top picks from Pawjourr’s sampling platform and find your furkid’s next favourite treat!