Editor’s Note: Henrietta has kindly given us two copies of Dinner for Dogs so we can run a contest for Dogster readers. Enjoy the recipes below and then find out how to enter.

If your dog stops eating, it’s usually a sign that something’s up. I know how concerning this can be: When my Border Terrier, Lily, was a year old, she stopped eating altogether. She would run up to her bowl with her usual exuberance and then back away slowly. I was horrified! I tried different foods, but to no avail; she would seem enthusiastic until she smelled what was in the bowl and would then turn away and wander off, looking rather dejected.

I started cooking her chicken, rice, vegetables and apples, which I knew she loved, and she began to eat properly again. This was definitely good news all around, and I kept a copy of the recipes I made and turned them into a book.

Check out two recipes from the book, then enter to win a copy!

1. Chicken and Rice Balls

If you have a dog who seems to prefer bland food, this is a good recipe. It provides a balance of vegetables, carbohydrates and protein. If your dog is overweight or has an intolerance to fat, discard the skin of the chicken after it has been cooked. This is a good recipe for a sick dog, too.

Ingredients:

• 4 or 5 chicken thighs
• 3 medium carrots (200 g), chopped
• 3 medium parsnips (200 g), chopped
• 1/2 cup (100 g) white rice
• 1 rounded teaspoon finely chopped fresh parsley or rosemary
• 1/3 cup (50 g) old-fashioned oats

Directions:

1. Put the chicken thighs in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.
2. Put the chopped carrots and parsnips into another saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until soft, about 10 to 15 minutes. Drain, then return the vegetables to the pot and mash together.
3. Once the chicken is cooked, place on a plate, remove the bones from the thighs and chop the meat and skin into small pieces.
4. Put the rice in the saucepan with the stock, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer until cooked. (Follow the package instructions as cooking times vary depending on the type of rice used.)
5. Put the chicken pieces into a bowl with the cooked rice, mashed vegetables and dried herbs, and mix together well.
6. Spread the oats on a large plate. Form the chicken, rice and vegetable mixture into small balls — about 2 to 3 tablespoons each, depending on the size of your dog — and roll them in the oats to coat.
7. The finished chicken and rice balls can be stored in the fridge for up to five days or you can freeze them for two months.

Per 4 ounces (100 g): Calories: 400; protein: 20 percent; fat: 18 percent

2. Power Treats

These small liver cake treats are designed for dogs who turn their nose up at baked biscuit treats. I defy a dog to refuse these! They are bursting with really great ingredients, each of which has a specific nutritional purpose. This recipe has a two-stage cooking process to make sure the treats are properly cooked through.

Ingredients:

• Vegetable oil for greasing
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 pound (250 g) fresh beef liver, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup (50 g) grated cheddar cheese
• 1/2 heaping teaspoon blackstrap molasses
• 2 1/2 cups and 2 tablespoons (300 g) buckwheat or spelt flour

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
2. Break the eggs into the bowl of a food processor and add the liver, grated cheese and blackstrap molasses. Pulse to purée together.
3. Add in the flour and pulse to combine. You should now have a soft dough. The dough will be quite sticky so it’s a good idea to put plenty of flour on your hands to handle it.
4. Take out the dough and put it straight onto the prepared cookie sheet. Flatten it down with your hands so that it is about 1/2-inch thick. Alternatively, roll the dough into a cylinder on a lightly floured surface and slice it into discs. Bake for about 20 minutes.
5. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and cut the dough into small squares; tiny size if you have a small dog and larger if your dog is bigger — you know what size treat your dog is used to!
6. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F/150°C. Put the treats back into the oven and let dry completely for 2 hours.
7. Remove the treats from the oven and let them cool completely before storing in an airtight container. They keep well in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Per 4 ounces (100 g): Calories: 390; protein: 30 percent; fat: 14 percent

Tip: I like to add the eggs whole as there’s lots of good nutrition in the shells: some natural calcium, as well as glucosamine, which is good for joints. Crush up the shells with your hands or a mortar and pestle so that the shell pieces are as small as possible, and add them to the food processor with the other ingredients.

Enter to win a copy of Dinner for Dogs for your pup

Just leave us a comment below telling us how your dog likes to help you in the kitchen. We’ll pick our favorite answers next Wednesday, September 11, at noon PST, and we’ll contact the winners via email. You’ll have two days to respond or we’ll choose another winner. (Sorry, that’s just how it goes!)

Creating a Disqus profile and avatar just takes a minute and is a great way to participate in Dogster’s community of people who are passionate about dogs. Please note that if your Disqus account doesn’t contain a valid email address, you can’t win because we won’t be able to contact you. That’s not fun! So, pretty please, check your account.

Best of luck!

About the author: Henrietta Morrison is the founder of Lily’s Kitchen, voted the UK’s No. 1 pet food company for the last four years by the Good Shopping Guide. Her dog food is sold in hundreds of stores across the UK. Morrison believes that dogs should eat proper food, so she works with cooks, nutritionists, and vets to develop her recipes. Her border terrier, Lily, is her chief taster. Follow Lily’s Kitchen on Twitter, and click here to purchase Dinner for Dogs.