So, my dog, Max, got really sick a while back. Poor guy wouldn’t eat anything. The vet checked him out, ran some tests, and said he needed something super bland and easy on his stomach to recover. You know, the usual advice. They suggested some special canned food, but Max just turned his nose up at it. Wouldn’t touch the stuff. He was losing weight, looking miserable. It was tough to watch.
I felt pretty useless just watching him fade. The vet mentioned boiled chicken and rice as an option if the canned food failed. So, I decided, alright, let’s do this. I had to try something, right?
First thing, I went to the grocery store. Didn’t need much. Just grabbed a pack of plain, skinless chicken breasts and a bag of simple white rice. Nothing fancy, no seasonings, no extras. The vet stressed plain.
Got back home, washed my hands real good, and got a pot out. Filled it with water and put the chicken in. Just boiled it straight up until it was cooked all the way through. No salt, no pepper, nothing. Smelled kinda boring, honestly. While that was boiling, I got another pot going for the rice. Cooked it with a bit more water than usual, trying to make it soft, almost mushy. Figured it’d be easier for Max to get down.
Once the chicken was done, I pulled it out and let it cool down on a plate. When I could handle it, I started shredding it. Used two forks at first, then just my fingers to get the pieces really, really small. Like, tiny bits. Max wasn’t showing much interest in chewing, so smaller seemed better.
Then, I just mixed the shredded chicken and the soft rice together in his bowl. Started with maybe one part chicken to two parts rice. Gave it a good stir. It looked incredibly bland, just white and pale. Not exactly appetizing, even for a dog, I thought.
Okay, the moment of truth. Put the bowl down for Max. He sniffed it once, twice… and walked away. My heart sank a bit. Was this not going to work either? But I didn’t give up. A little later, I brought the bowl over to him again. Tried offering a tiny bit on my finger. He licked it off, hesitantly. Progress!
It took a lot of patience. Small amounts, offered frequently throughout the day. He never gobbled it down like his old food, but he started eating small portions consistently. It wasn’t messy, just simple. The main thing was just being persistent and calm about it.
Slowly but surely, over the next few days, Max started keeping the food down. He began to get a little sparkle back in his eyes. Started moving around more. On this simple diet, he gradually got his strength back. Took him back to the vet, and they were pleased with his recovery. Said the bland diet did its job.
Making that recovery food wasn’t complicated, really. Just basic boiling and mixing. But it felt good to be doing something practical that actually helped my buddy get better when he really needed it. Simple stuff, but it worked.
