[Nadia K]

I really want to get my dog off of kibble. Currently she is eating kibble in the morning and freeze dried raw in the evening. I am retired so I have plenty of time to research and cook for her. However I have found that it is somewhat overwhelming when looking for recopies online and also knowing exactly what supplements are needed to be sure the meal is balanced. Can anyone recommend a good place to start that is easy to understand? If you have any suggestions I would love to hear them. I own a one year old bichon that is 11 pounds. Thanks so much.

[GSDsForever]

Hi Nadia.

Well, I have fed homemade (cooked) and will be again soon. But I have always stuck to the complete and balanced ones from vet specialists. My very first vet referred me to appropriate resources for homemade diets, and loaned me books, for nutrition information and recipes from specialists.

I don’t believe in most, virtually all, recipes presented online or in books, as they are nearly always from sources without proper nutrition credentials. Also, I do not feed raw.

Have you inquired with your vet? He may have some appropriate for normal, healthy dogs from veterinary nutritionists. You can also do a consult with a veterinary nutritionist (DACVN) in your area or remotely via your vet.

Two easy to understand and follow sources you might try to just get started:1) DVM DACVN Susan Wynn’s paleo diet recipe online for normal, healthy dogs, 2)former UC Davis Vet School’s DVM, PhD Donald Strombeck’s book “Home Prepared Dog & Cat Diets” (original edition; do NOT buy the revised by a different author) which includes recipes used for many years with patients at UC Davis, including both healthy small animal recipes and therapeutic diets.

[GSDsForever]

Nadia,

You might also wish to consider purchasing and using the DIY recipes from Just Food For Dogs, which will also come with the matching complete supplement included, as these have been formulated with veterinary nutritionists, meet AAFCO nutrient profiles, and have passed in home full feeding trials (AAFCO protocols).

This might be a really easy, quick, and rather low cost way to jump in to homemade feeding for you, particularly given you have a very small dog!

[Nadia K]

GSDsForever thank you so much for all the information !!!

[william M]

Hi Nadia,
without sounding too condescending to many of the other comments out here in regards to this subject, I would like you to consider just one piece of advice. Common sense rules the day. You have a wolf descendant. I know it’s playful and happy and very loving, but it’s DNA doesnt respond to feelings, it operates on a genetic map. That said, making the food is a great way to see significant health benefits in your pet.
I have had 47 different dogs in my 55 years of life. All have been mid to large dog breeds and all but a very few have been small lap type animals. With that also came a need for them to do what they did best…work. Whether that was herding, hunting or retrieving. Since I was a kid we had always maintained a crock pot for our dogs.
You dont have to spend an exorbitant amount either. Watch safeway, or your favorite grocery store for the managers deals. Safeway always has chicken leg quarters or whole chickens on sale when they are too close to pull date for 30% to 50% off.That means the chicken is less than a dollar a pound and in many cases even less. If you have a walmart superstore close by, they have frozen 10 pound bags of leg quarters for 5.99 per bag. Thats around 60 cents a pound….thats fantastic. I can get one bag into the 6.5 quart crock pot. when its done I peel it from the bone and bag it. Other times I just leave it and let the dogs go for it. Mine have learned to eat the bone so they get the benefit of the marrow and calcium and nutrient in the bone. Other times I will cook the bones for one more day and then throw them in the blender, you get a milky brown meal that you can add to a good kibble for a really high protein and calcium rich treat. You can also find pork and beef cheap as well. Never hurts to hook up with a local butcher to obtain the afal(that the intestinal and organ meat). You can usually get the tendon and connective bits from legs and bone for free or very cheap. adding in potatoe , apple , pear carrot is acceptable. Keep in mind anything dog will gnaw on in a yard (food wise) generally will work in their food. Dogs eat grass for two reasons, to settle their stomach or to get water. In other words, be creative and let the critter have the real deal.

[Nadia K]

Thank you for all that info William.

[Joe D]

When I switched my dog ​​to natural food, he refused to eat vegetables. He ate meat, but all the vegetables remained. Cooking according to different recipes did not help. He didn’t want vegetables, that’s all. As a result, I began to grind vegetables in a blender and add about the same amount of meat, cut into small pieces. Thus, my dog, eating meat, also had to eat vegetables. After about a month, I tried to feed the vegetables in whole chunks, and my pet surprisingly ate everything.

[Carupup]

Hello,everyone,first post here…
I’m going to attempt the homemade food as well when my small breed puppy comes home but I think for me, the veggies in purée form will be easier on their tummies and I’ll skip the root vegetables and just give him mostly leafy greens/some herbs and skip the rice as well and go with quinoa,millet and similar grains.
I’ll have to find a local butcher and maybe get “whole” ground turkey,rabbit,goat…etc,including bones and also use the kidneys, liver and hearts, but getting the ratios right is going to be the most challenging,especially for a puppy.I’d like to give him something different every day,ideally, because I think variety is key.Egg shells (calcium) and some sort of supplement will also be part of the diet.
Another option would be maybe using the “base mixes” like the Honest Kitchen ones and adding the protein to it to start the puppy off and then switch to home cooked only,….if he does well.
No kibble will ever be used in his diet, never have with any of my pets.
I hope I get this right cause I want my new baby to live a long and happy life.
Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

[Eleonora L]

my 3month old mastiff x pitbull x lab puppy loves his rice, barley and oats mixed with yams, carrots, celery steamed, topped with small cup of canned meat. I’m still experimenting with varieties of flavors, knowing from vets about importance of low protein intake for his slower growth to avoid joints problem in future. actually this type of diet been known since old days in Europe due to the absence of pet shops. home cooking for dogs and table scraps is a key to their health and longevity. we’ll stick with it

[crazy4cats]

Hi Eleonora L-
I wouldn’t feed a large breed pup a homemade diet. It is so important to get all their nutrients exactly right while they are growing to avoid joint issues. It’s actually not protein that can cause issues, it is calcium and phosphorous.

Check out this link: /calcium-content-analyzer/

Feed a commercial diet that actually states it is for growing large breed pups. Purina has a lot of research behind their diets and they have food available at different price points. Eukanuba, Royal Canin, Iams and Hill’s would also be good choices.

When the pup is full grown, if you want to make homemade food, check out BalanceIt.com. It is a great site run by veterinary nutritionists that can help build a recipe for you.

Best wishes to you and your new pup! ❤

[Monaco M]

Hello all
My name’s Manandaza. Im a new here. I’d like to get more information about Dogs food.

I was looking for it long time, I hope that I’ll get it from yo.

Thank you

[Emma Monty]

Hi! I make my own dog food for my 2 dogs, one is 3 years old and the other is 4 years old.
They regularly have some rice on their meals mainly because its a staple in our household as well. Along with rice, I make them boiled chicken, squash (and sometimes with beans). In the broth of the boiled chicken, I add ginger and turmeric since I researched that was okay for dogs too. They love it!

For reference, my 3 year old dog is a labrador retriever and the 4 year old was a rescue so we dont know its breed.

[Author]

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