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Pet Forum / Miscellaneous / Animal Health / May 2007Home-cooked... gonna try it
I know this has been discussed here before, but I figured I'd ask for up-to-date info and recent experiences. I've always fed my dogs commercial food, so-called "premium" brands. Since March, I've become much more aware and fussy about the foods I choose... and so has Chile, my almost 16 year old chihuahua who is nearly toothless and has a heart murmur and takes Lasix (e.g., low salt required). I had settled on Merrick, because they offer four canned flavors that do not contain egg - she is allergic to egg. Chile, however, doesn't think much of these. She also turns her nose up at the Solid Gold eggless flavors. Finding an acceptable (to me) brand that doesn't contain egg (nor any gluten nor menadione nor Menu Foods or ANI affiliations) has been difficult, and so I'm (belatedly) coming around to the idea of preparing her food myself. So I'm looking for recommendations for books and links that discuss canine nutrition, and for recipes. Meanwhile, until I can educate myself, I plan to try feeding her something like the following, and I'd appreciate any feedback on whether or not you think this will be nutrionally adequate or harmful (I'm also going to discuss it with my vet next week). Organic chicken, frozen mixed vegetables (no salt added - not easy to find!), brown rice or quinoa or barley or rolled oats, flax oil, Missing Link. Unless she turns her nose up at this, too. (She'll be fine with the chicken... it's the mixed vegetables I'm worried about.) Thanks for your feedback! FurPaw  SignatureMy family values don't involve depleted uranium. To reply, unleash the dog. If you are going to go this route there are two yahoo groups just for this that you might want to check out. ThePossibleCanine Totally_Home_Cooking I now cook food for my two. They still get kibble but I've done away with canned food and treats I now make both at home. I can finally say that Bubba seems to be loosing some weight finally but the official word will be when he goes to the vets and get weighed in. I get Jeanieos ground turkey at Walmart cook a pound of that up with 2 cans of either string beads, carrots, mixed veggies or sometimes canned potatoes. I give this along with the kibble. I've also started giving them Mackarel twice a week. Believe it or not the dogs love it as much as the cats do. I thought for sure that my one would turn her nose up at it. Celeste >I know this has been discussed here before, but I figured I'd ask for >up-to-date info and recent experiences. [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > > FurPaw > If you are going to go this route there are two yahoo groups just for this > that you might want to check out. [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > twice a week. Believe it or not the dogs love it as much as the cats do. I > thought for sure that my one would turn her nose up at it. Thanks for the info on the yahoo groups! I never thought of mackerel... they like canned salmon, so they'd probably like a fish that's even smellier! FurPaw SignatureMy family values don't involve depleted uranium. To reply, unleash the dog. >Thanks for the info on the yahoo groups! I never thought of >mackerel... they like canned salmon, so they'd probably like a >fish that's even smellier! Mackeral is great stuff, but the canned mack is really, really high in sodium and so it's probably not a good idea to feed it too often. SignatureMelinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis - shore@panix.com Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community > Mackeral is great stuff, but the canned mack is really, > really high in sodium and so it's probably not a good idea > to feed it too often. ......I agree. My dogs aren't on low salt, but even after rinsing it's still salty. .....To the OP: since your dog is small I'd get sardines packed in water with no salt added. I like King Oscar for myself! Another Yahoo group is K9Nutrition. I'd look into Dr. Pitcairn's book Natural Health of Dogs and Cats. There's more than one way to feed, but unless you're using canned fish with bones for a meal (which I wouldn't do more than twice a week as it doesn't have the same amino acid profile as meat), you'll have to add some calcium. The key is variety in meats. I'd feed heart a few times a week, kidney maybe once every 10 days-2 weeks. If you're using a carb, you don't need a lot of veges - they're usually just more carb. Keep it simple and basic to start, don't worry about rotating the grains/veges, just keep the meat rotated, using as few ingredients as possible. >brown rice or quinoa or barley or rolled oats, flax oil, Missing Link Brown rice sounds like a good idea, but dogs really dont' digest it well. Missing link has a bunch of stuff in it, so it wouldn't be my first choice if you haven't already bought it. The value of preparing food yourself is that you can adjust the food to the dog's needs. I'd add a B vitamin since your dog doesn't get egg. I'd also add some liver (around 10% of total meat). buglady take out the dog before replying >> Mackeral is great stuff, but the canned mack is really, >> really high in sodium and so it's probably not a good idea [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > your dog doesn't get egg. I'd also add some liver (around 10% of total > meat). Thanks for all of the above! Do you know if liver powder or dessicated liver would suffice here? I can't stand the smell of liver or kidneys cooking... FurPaw SignatureMy family values don't involve depleted uranium. To reply, unleash the dog. > Do you know if liver powder or dessicated liver would suffice > here? I can't stand the smell of liver or kidneys cooking... .....Yeah, I suppose you could. I feed raw so I don't have to endure that! I like liver anyway, but my gallbladder hates it. buglady take out the dog before replying > I'd look into Dr. Pitcairn's book Natural Health of Dogs and > Cats. This just made it on to my "to read" list. I'll be keeping an eye open for it at the book store. I'm not in to the whole home-cooked meals thing myself, but I figure the least I can do is educate myself. Any other books you'd recommend? Dale "Dale Atkin" <labrador1@ibycus.com> said in rec.pets.dogs.health: > This just made it on to my "to read" list. I'll be keeping > an eye open for it at the book store. Tailblazers, at least the original store in Inglewood (say hi to Tamara for me if you go there), carries good books and good food. I haven't been to any of the others, though a friend manages (works at?) the one in Arbour Lake. Unless things have changed in the last year or so, I'd give up on regular local book stores for anything dog. http://www.tailblazerspets.com/ Signature--Matt. Rocky's a Dog. Any other books > you'd recommend? ........You might look at Donald Srombeck's book. Never seen it myself, but people do use it. He's a DVM in gastro. His book is over 30 bucks though. buglady take out the dog before replying "FurPaw" <furrealpawdog@gmail.com> wrote in message: > Meanwhile, until I can educate myself, I plan to try feeding her > something like the following, and I'd appreciate any feedback on > whether or not you think this will be nutrionally adequate or > harmful (I'm also going to discuss it with my vet next week). I think it will be worth your peace of mind to consult a nutritionist. When we thought Khan had kidney issues, I told the vet I would cook for the dogs, and she said that the local nutritionist would do an email consult (which includes follow-ups, since dogs invariably turn their nose up at something or the other they recommend) for about $50.00. Suja > "FurPaw" <furrealpawdog@gmail.com> wrote in message: > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > includes follow-ups, since dogs invariably turn their nose up at something > or the other they recommend) for about $50.00. Thanks - I'll mention this to my vet and see if she knows anyone around here who does this. There must be a scadzillion "experts" on human nutrition in Santa Fe (many of whom violently disagree with each other) - hopefully she can point me to a reasonable one with canine expertise. FurPaw SignatureMy family values don't involve depleted uranium. To reply, unleash the dog. There must be a scadzillion "experts" > on human nutrition in Santa Fe (many of whom violently disagree > with each other) - hopefully she can point me to a reasonable one > with canine expertise. .......just be aware that many *nutritionists* use a spreadsheet and recreate.........kibble. AFAIC kibble is not an end product I'm interested in! You might read the postings under Cooked (or raw) diets without bone - Problems with Diets formulated by nutritionists at: http://www.dogaware.com/k9nfaq.html I remember Marshall?? posting about a diet a nutritionist had worked up for his dog Max with gall bladder problems. It was based on green peas - no meat at all and while the nutritionist had added B vits, I don't think (IIRC) there was any thought to the need for L-taurine and L-carnitine, both of which only come from meat. L-taurine is now considered conditionally essential for dogs. There's also not much thought about variety in these paid for diets. They think dogs should eat the same things day in and day out. buglady take out the dog before replying |
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