Home made dog food

[marko]

Here's a recipe for homemade dog food taken off the Pet nutrition link on this site.

HOMEMADE DOG FOOD

By Stanley Coren

Generally speaking, commercially produced dog foods, especially those that have been certified by national veterinary societies, provide a good, safe and convenient way of feeding your dogs. However, some people find that their dogs are sensitive to some of the preservatives in these foods and want an inexpensive alternative. Other people worry about what they should be feeding their dogs at times when they have let the dog kibble supply run out, or are in some circumstance where commercial foods are not available. Some other people simply don't feel that the monotonous diet of the same kibble all of the time is good for their dogs, while others worry about trace nutritional elements that might be missed any one set diet.

Actually a nutritious and balanced diet based on “people food” is easy to prepare.

A 12 oz portion is suitable for one day’s ration for a 20 lb dog.
4 oz (1/2 cup) protein – any meat, chicken, fish or eggs (all cooked).
4 oz carbohydrate – for example cooked rice or grains, pasta, cooked cereals such as oatmeal, potatoes or even bread (packed tight when measuring).
4 oz vegetables – any cooked vegetables (obviously not potatoes or other high carbohydrates). Carrots, broccoli, turnips, green peppers, green beans, etc., but not onions which contain high sulfur content which is bad for dogs.
Simply mix the contents together or not as you choose.
While this basic diet is balanced it can be improved by some simple supplements.

To mix the basic supplement use
1 cup debittered brewers yeast
1 cup wheat germ
2 cups powdered milk
¼ cup powdered kelp
Mix together and store in a cool dry place.
To improve the diet quality add 1 tsp of the basic supplement for each 12 oz portion of the food mixture and 1 tsp vegetable oil (I prefer corn oil or flax oil since they have high content of linoleic acid which is good for the dog’s skin).
12 oz of the basic diet is appropriate for a 20 lb dog, you would double this daily ration for a 40 lb dog, triple it for a 60 lb dog or halve it for a 10 lb dog. Watch the dog’s weight and adjust portion sizes accordingly.

© Copyright Stanley Coren, reproduction by permission only.

[huggybear]

Has anyone here tried the raw meat diet.Just wondering.
I have recently changed my dog over to it and have seen wonderful results.
Minus the main result I needed , to boost her immune system to get rid of a chronic ear infection.
It has only been a month so I am still looking towards a good outcome.
She has had this infection for over a year now.the vet did not take well to introducing this diet stating she could get fat...but I have noticed she is more active...coat is soft and smooth.No bad breath...and the best...her poop has no smell and has reduced in size.She's a 7 year old shepard rotti mix...and she used to poop like a horse lol.Just wondered if anyone has any input.

Thanks

[dogmelissa]

Originally Posted by huggybear

Has anyone here tried the raw meat diet.Just wondering.
I have recently changed my dog over to it and have seen wonderful results.
Minus the main result I needed , to boost her immune system to get rid of a chronic ear infection.
It has only been a month so I am still looking towards a good outcome.
She has had this infection for over a year now.the vet did not take well to introducing this diet stating she could get fat...but I have noticed she is more active...coat is soft and smooth.No bad breath...and the best...her poop has no smell and has reduced in size.She's a 7 year old shepard rotti mix...and she used to poop like a horse lol.Just wondered if anyone has any input.
Thanks

Sounds like a food allergy to me... could likely have been solved by going to a commercially-prepared allergy food, but if this is working for you, it should be fine. As long as you're getting the right balance of protein, carbs, vitamins, etc.... I hope you're doing this under the guidance of a vet (if not yours then another one) as some foods can be harmful to your pet in long-term even if they seem good for the short-term. If your percentages of proteins/carbs/etc are off even a few percentages for a long time, there could be serious health benefits, such as liver disease, kidney disease, etc. Otherwise, glad to hear it's working!

What were you feeding her before, if I may ask?

Melissa

[huggybear]

my vet does not approve , then again he just said she would get fat.
He has been giving her the same drops for over a year now.It's obvious he is just in it for the money...which is upsetting because he was young and all gung ho when he first started 7 years ago with her.He used to tell us homemade ways to cure her problems...sometimes even giving her free shots here and there.Now we cannot even do payment plans...the whole vet clinic has changed..and not for the better.Food allergy could be it ...hard to say.I have not looked into carbs or any of that.I used to feed her iams when she was a pup...but she began to dislike it.I found only one food she would eat...dog chow.blah...Iv'e also read many articles about how dog chow has caused many problems...like the urine leaking she has to take medication for now.I usually feed her a cup and a half of chicken mixed with a grated vegie.Once in the morning and once at night.I was feeding her van dykes dog food also but I discontinued a few days ago.Her beef and liver ground I only feed once a week.I also give her plain yogert on ocasion for snacks.Carrots for snacks also.I am kind of running out of ideas with treats and meals for her.There are not very many raw food sites out there and the few there are disagree with each other.I have contacted a vet through email who deals with holistics for dogs but I am imagining it would be very expensive.So for now I have just watched how she reacts with each food and keep it simple for now.If you know of anywhere I can get good info on this please let me know.As I am on my own with this.My vet did state she looked very healthy on her last visit 3 weeks ago.So something must be working.She just had her eardrops refilled and in a week will return for her visit.I am hoping he will have an open mind for this food idea.But his recommendation was science diet or things of that nature.He needs to expand his knowledge....as do more vets.

[Cactus Flower]

Huggy, sometimes giving a dog plain yogurt every day will help stave off ear infections. Oftentimes there is a yeast infection in there, and the yogurt will help balance that out. I have to give my dog yogurt every day, or she will be back to the chronic infections she used to have.

[huggybear]

I have not given her yogurt everyday , I was not sure it would be good for her.
Is there any special kind you use or is it just plain yogurt?I had read somewhere that yogurt , would help yeast infections.This is was she has, so the vet thinks.
I will increase her dosage and see if it helps.I also was thinking of giving her echinacea.Although same as the yogurt...was not sure of how much or if allowed a dosage.
I will definatly look into that.I am trying to aviod surgury for her...which is probably the next step if medication does not work...although i'm trying to refrain myself from drugging her to make her healthy.Hubby thinks i'm a little nuts...but he agree's anything is worth a try if it's cheaper than the vets.
Thanks for the advice ,
I'm really glad I found this site.