home cooking for my dog

[Wingnut1244]

Good morning everyone:
I'm new here and wanted to find some good dog food recipes.
I have been cooking for my whippet for about three months now.
He is about 12 years old. I rescued him about 10 years ago.
He is a beautiful boy and I love him so much. I don't think I worried this much over my kids? (just kidding)
He was sick wouldn't eat and would stumble around. The vet said he had had a stroke. The meds the vet gave me made him sicker and he would vomit everything he ate.
I started cooking his food and he is right back to his own self. Running and playing with my other dogs. I enjoy cooking for him but it's the same everyday. I would like to get some variety.
This is what I have been cooking for him.

2 lbs of ground chicken or turkey.
2 cups of brown rice
a bag of frozen vegetables (peas, green beans)
2 cups of raw carrots
one cup unsalted beef stock.

This will last him for three days.

(today I added a small can of tomato paste.)
He gobbled it up.

Any suggestion would be appreciated. Thanks

Sky's mommy

[bendyfoot]

Good for you for being proactive about your pup's health!!!

We feed a raw diet in our home, and right away I can see a few things missing from your diet...the nutrients/minerals/vitamins that are present in organ meat and bones...

have you ever considered feeding a raw diet? It would be so much easier, no cooking involved! Just meat, meaty bones and organs/offal...

[Wingnut1244]

Hi and thanks for the quick reply.
When I first started doing this I was cooking chicken gizzards and liver too for a little change. I remember that's all my mom would cook for our Chihuahuas and they lived beyond their 20s. Taco was 24 when she died.
Sky liked it but the smell in the house was awful so now I cook them outside on the bar b q.
I would be interested in more info on the raw diet.
Thanks for your time.

[bendyfoot]

Check out the food forum's RAW/BARF section for some great threads on raw feeding Generally speaking, though, it's a pretty simple formula: about 10% organs/offal, about 15% bone, the rest muscle meat. Voila! No muss, no fuss, and no cooking-so no smell! For example, my dogs each had a few chicken backs, a bite of beef liver and a big hunk of beef heart for breakfast today If you can make friends with a butcher, it's cheap and tasty eating!

[Wingnut1244]

Hi there:
If I switch to raw do I do it gradually? And is everything raw?
Thanks I'll check out that forum you mentioned.

[bendyfoot]

1. no, switch cold turkey. some dogs may have some stomach upset (vomitting/diarrhea) for a brief time during the switch. None of my 6 animals had any trouble with the transition at all.

2. yep, it's all completely raw, not cooked whatsoever

[Wingnut1244]

Even chicken bones?

[mafiaprincess]

Cooked bones are a problem. Raw ones should be fine. Chicken and turkey weight bearing bones are actually quite soft, but aren't what I'd start a dog out on until you see their eating style. Some dogs can be gulpers. I picked up my raw order yesterday. It included 20 pounds of turkey neck which my dogs eat all of. There is nothign in the crate when done, pork neck which is also all edible, ground pork, blocks of offal and some other random goodies. I still have things left over in my freezer though to round out their diet.

[dullmau]

i misread the topic as "cooking my dog".......