By Katy Cable, The Weekly Runt
A 4 min read I bet you love your dog like family and wish they could live forever, right? I sure do! I went through so much with my first, very sensitive pug, Raisin. He suffered from rashes allergies, chronic bladder and ear infections. It cost a fortune. One health problem would clear up just as another problem would appear. When Raisin passed away, I took a job with a new pet food company and started learning about nutrition and it’s impact on health. I was blown away. Around that time I rescued my current pug, little black Olive. She was just a puppy at the time and in deplorable condition. I nursed her back to health and began documenting it with my blog and show, The Weekly Runt. Seven years later, Olive is healthy and thriving. I have also now built a successful career helping other pet parents keep their fur babies happy and healthy. In addition to The Weekly Runt, I’ve always loved planning events. From birthday parties, to baby showers, I love finding any reason for a celebration. My parties were always so well received and I got a lot of requests to help others. It was natural that I started doing event planning. I found a great niche doing dog-inclusive parties. I was in my element planning all sorts of fun, creative events for pet parents and even working on my own reality TV show when Covid swept in and cancelled everything faster than a sneeze. Coincidentally, around that time, my health took a turn for the worse. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. What sounds like a fancy Teppan restaurant is actually a serious autoimmune condition where my immune system attacks my thyroid like a foreign invader. The thyroid regulates everything from heart rate to metabolism. My meds weren’t controlling my symptoms and I was exhausted all the time. Not only that, my hair was coming out in clumps, I was packing on weight despite being on a cabbage soup starvation diet and I was puffy and swollen. Feeling extremely frustrated with conventional doctors and poor results, I began seeing Dr Kim Loomis, an integrated doctor who used both conventional AND alternative treatment options. I learned how negative self-talk and thinking is toxic. I learned stress is debilitating. Most importantly, I learned about how to use food as medicine to treat the root cause of my condition. I had to laugh that many of the tips I’d been giving pet parents, were things I needed to apply to my own life. My diet of ultra-processed, high inflammatory foods, was converted to a diet of fresh, whole foods. Within 12 days, I saw a huge transformation. Swelling was gone, brain fog lifted, weight melted off and my hair grew back. I cut my disease of meds in half. The only problem was, I couldn’t eat much. Literally everything I enjoyed was a NO NO! That’s when I started cooking and experimenting making my favorite foods with healthier ingredients. It was a lot of trial and error to get the right ingredient swaps, correct blends and ratios but I did it. My pug Olive lives for food but she is also very sensitive. Too much of the wrong, (or even right) foods can go through her like a laser beam. This inspired me to modify the recipes so they could be safely shared with your dog.* My close friend, Caitlin, encouraged me to put my new creations into a book. We met weekly for brainstorming and recipe testing. A few months later, I had created a book with a party theme, and a full menu of dog-inclusive recipes for each month of the year. It also featured ideas for decor, invites, party games and sWAG, so you can host the perfect PAWTY! Not only that, the recipes are much healthier and, with simple swaps, they won’t trigger autoimmune issues. Once my manuscript was written, I reached out to my talented friend, and fellow pug owner, Catherine Large, to help me bring it to life with photos, layout and design. We spent several hilarious days photographing the dishes and our pugs in their party attire. Our pugs became the “official taste-testers!” Olive enjoyed every single one of the creations, and Cat’s little pug Jewels passed on most of them. On June 16th, 2022, one year to the date of beginning this project, I had my first draft completed. After lots of proof reading and revisions, it’s finally finished! I am so excited! I’ve planned a book launch event, THIS SATURDAY, September 17, 2022 at Caffe Luxxe and Woofpak Kitchen in Long Beach, CA. from 2:00-4:30pm. I will be selling first addition, autographed books for a discount price of $20. Guests buying books will receive raffle tickets for prizes and a FREE topper from Woofpak Kitchen valued at $15 (one per family while supplies last) All attendees will have the chance to sample recipes from my book such as: red velvet pupcakes, apple dippers. pup-accinos and more. Can’t attend? You can still purchase the book for the $20 discounted price** (plus S&H) through my PayPal account (Katherine Cable/ [email protected]) A portion of the proceeds going to support several pug and animal rescue groups. Now, back to those 5 reasons you should buy the book: 1. Easy recipes so you can enjoy your favorite foods and be healthier. 2. A great way to spice up your dog’s regular diet. Perfect for picky/sensitive dogs. 3. A great way to stretch your grocery and pet food dollars. 4. A fun way to get kids to enjoy cooking, and eating healthier, without sacrificing their favorite foods. 5. Contribute to the worthy cause of rescuing and rehabilitating neglected animals. Bonus reasons: You’ll learn lots of tips for throwing awesome parties! And, the book is filled with darling pictures of dogs. I’d love to hear your thoughts and reviews on the book and any of the recipes. I’ll be selecting random reviewers for special prizes. Happy cooking! *Always consult with your vet before making any changes in your pet’s diet. While these recipes are made with healthy, safe ingredients, they may not work for every dog and recommended portion sizes may vary. Dogs with special medical conditions may also have specific dietary needs. Recipes are meant to supplement not to replace a regular balanced diet. **Only available in the USA |