Doggies Are People Too!

[rockinmama]

So, I decided to start regularly making my d doggy his food ( why shouldnt he eat well too!- and it's a bit cheaper... ) and i wondered if anyone had a good recipe.
Right now im just boiling brown rice with chicken- i know there are veggies in canned food, but is that the best way for them to get their vitamins?

[Rainbowbird]

My sister does this b/c she has no kids and her dogs are like her children! She adds things like bone meal, brewer's yeast, grains, and vitamins to the meat, but I don't know exactly what. There are books on the subject. You might try a google search on homemade dog food, etc. I do think you have to know what you're doing b/c speaking as a former vet assistant, dogs can get stomach upsets, pancreatic infections, etc. from a diet of table foods. If I talk to her this weekend I will ask for some titles.

[Bluegrass]

You can get good recipes in Dr. Pitcairn's Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats. We made dog food when I was younger and less busy. I really like that book. I found it at my Library.

[*green*faery*]

Hi!

We prepare about 70% of our dogs diets. One of the main reasons is because our lab/shephard got pancreatis and our vet told us to feed him brown rice and low fat cottage cheese. Mainly you just don't want to feed them "processed" food like bread, dog treats, or packages stuff.

I cook either barley, quinoa, or rice once a week, enough to last the hole week. They will eat ANYTHING, so for snacks they have apples, carrots, and other fruits and veggies. At meals they have veggies, low fat cottage cheese, grains, brewers yeast, flax oil, digestive enzymes and about 1/2 the quantity of a good quality dog food (we like Solid Gold holistic blend). We are veggie so I'm not really comfortable about cooking meat, although we often give them eggs.

Both of there digestive problems have improved tremendously! They haven't puked once! They are both seniors (that act like puppies) so there protein and fat needs are lower. Their coats have also become thicker and softer. :

*erin*
: #1 edd 10/29/05 :

[jeniferm]

Just a quick but very important warning for people giving their dogs "people food".

Please don't ever feed them grapes, raisins, onions or garlic!!!!! These can be very toxic to a dog. As far as I know, other fruits and veggies are OK, but these are out.

[kaydee]

Here are some recipes: http://www.api4animals.org/508.htm

And here's a list of common household items (including foods) that can be toxic to dogs: http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer...fe_poisonproof

[boricuaqueen327]

Dr. Pitcairn's Guide to Natural heatlh for Dogs and Cats is a good book. I read most of it this weekend at the bookstore. Also, Grow your Pup with Bones is a good book though I forgot who wrote that one. Do a quick search online for natural dog food recipes and sites and you can get great ideas on how to balance it all. I'm still feeding my dogs kibble but am looking into a more natural diet for later on.

[spyiispy]

rockinmama....good for you! We just recently made the switch from kibble (regular dog food) to a raw diet (BARF-inspired). BARF stands for Bones and Raw Food or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food. Something interesting....dogs share 98.9% of their DNA with wolves. How well do you think wolves would do on commercial dogfood?? Similar to the incentives that doctors receive for prescribing different drugs..........the dog food industry is BIG business and they've conditioned most vets (pardon me if there are any vet mamas here....do not want to make hasty generalizations) to spout the benefits of kibble.

We feed our 2 1/2 year old boxer 1 pound of raw chicken necks in the AM and one pound at night. At night, he gets a cup of veggie mash; which usually contains a veggie (sweet potatoes this week), some offal (organ meats, like beef kidney) and some kefir or yoghurt. I keep that in a sealable glass bowl in the fridge and scoop it out each night on top of his chicken necks. IF you are choosing to do grains or rice.....PLEASE soak them overnight in something like kefir, yoghurt or whey. The grains that wolves would get in the wild are sparse......for example, by eating the stomach of a prey animal who eats grains. The grains would have already been partially digested and that's how they are best tolerated. By soaking them, you avoid having to cook them AND make them much more absorbable for your dog. Less fuss, less muss for you! AND...with kefir or yoghurt, they get beneficial probiotics too I buy 10 pound packages of chicken necks at Yokes Fresh Market (any supermarket will do)...for 37 cents a pound. That's 50 pounds of dog food for under $20.00.

Also, today....I asked the guy at the fresh fish counter what they do with "old" fish. He said after 3 or 4 days...they just throw them out. (I'm referring to whole fish) I asked if I could have them or buy them at a reduced price.........he thinks I"ll be able to, he just wanted to ask his boss.... so...there's another resource for you to explore. YES...you can give your doggy a whole fish!!!

One VERY VERY important caution.......never, ever give him cooked bones. Cooked bones will splinter and cause big problems...unlike raw ones.

Good luck to you and bon appetit to your doggy!

Lisa