I’m looking for advice as to homemade diets for dogs. There’s so much information on the internet. It’s something I’ve been thinking about, but I’m not exactly sure how to get started. Our one dog, a Shih Tzu, is just getting over stomach issues which the vet thinks was an intestinal parasite, other than that he’s very healthy. Our other dog, a small cocker spaniel, will eat anything at anytime. In fact, we were floored that the Shih tzu had the intestinal issues because the cocker is such a scavenger. Anyway, I was doing the chicken and rice diet because of his stomach and I’m starting to transition him back to their regular kibble. I know the chicken and rice isn’t a balanced diet for them, but they absolutely love it. I mentioned it to one of the girls at the vet’s office and she said, sure, you can try a homemade diet there’s information on line. Yes, a lot of info and I don’t know what sources to trust. On the one hand, I have to assume homemade would be healthier, but on the other, I’m very concerned about making sure it’s balanced. Do you do homemade diets for your dogs? Do you have recipes to share? Does anyone know of any reputable websites with good information?
I used to make my dog’s food. I had 1/2 carbohydrates like brown rice, potatoes or whole wheat pasta. 1/4 was high fat ground beef (cooked and undrained) and the other 1/4 was frozen mixed 7 veggies.
Cooked everything, mixed the portions together and froze the servings. They got breakfast, lunch and dinner warmed up with a little brewers yeast sprinkled on it. I also gave them a multi vitamin.
Their coats never looked so shiny and their poops were always healthy.
You might consider getting a pressure cooker like the InstaPot and an immersion blender. It makes cooking everything real easy. Throw everything in the pot and then blend it all together when it’s done. If you do chicken with the bones, the pressure cooker will make it really easy to remove the bones as the meat will just slide off.
I was wondering about getting fat into the diet, lots of what I see says chicken breast which has less fat, but by not draining the beef, that’d be a natural source right there, thanks.
That would probably make it easier to do a large quantity at one time, thanks!
I like to give my pups a raw meat treat every now and then. I get cheap beef cut and grind it up and mix with boiled rice. They go crazy for it. It’s really a bunch of trouble so I do it rarely. I am not sure about dietary needs of a canine but it seems to me raw is better. Warning: the poo will be gross after raw meat!
I had a dog with inflammatory bowel disease and I fed him a home-prepared diet for quite awhile. Here’s a couple good resources - there’s recipes and also a lot of good information about nutrition and the gastrointestinal system:
Monica Segal (she is a canine nutritionist who helped me develop a diet for my dog).
Dr. Donald Strombeck’s dog and cat diets (he is a retired professor, University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, who has an interest in gastroenterology).
I’d go to the butcher shop and get beef heart, usually frozen.
I usually would cook up a few pounds of green beans, carrots, and potatoes along with the beefhearts. I’d throw in a couple of eggs, shell included.
I have a meat grinder, but I found that tossing everything into the food processor was generally easier, esp for clean up. This is when I would also add a bunch of fish oil (omega-3’s), and powdered glucosamine for her joints.
I portion it into 10 OZ portions (for my 55 lb dog), keep a few out for the next days, and freeze the rest.
Depending on what else was on sale, sometimes I’d pick up liver or chicken gizzards. If ground beef was a particular deal, or if I had some left over and was tired of ground beef related dishes for myself, I’d throw that in too.
It is in many ways better to go find a list of things that you need to avoid. As long as you give a range of ingredients and change them up occasionally, you should have a balanced diet. Do keep an eye on weight while doing this, as it is a bit harder to measure calories when you make your own, there’s more variance.
Cheaper cuts of chicken have more fat. When I cook for my dogs, I buy the 10-lb bag of chick leg quarters. Usually you can find then for .69 or .79/lb. Toss them in my pressure cooker with brown rice and they’ll cook together. Add a bag of mixed veggies and you’re done. If you’re worried they may not be getting all the vitamins they need, add a multivitamin.
StG
It also doesn’t hurt to ask hunters that you know to give you the things they won’t eat. Won’t eat venison hearts and lungs and kidneys? Add them to your dog’s diet. Left over meat from the year before taking up freezer space - you’ll take it. Dogs aren’t squeamish.
StG
Thank you! Little guy was having some diarrhea again this afternoon just when I thought he was on the mend. It could’ve been stress related, he had an appointment with the groomer and although he’s good about it, the car ride and the whole event is outside of his normal routine. I spoke to the vet, I’m putting him back on the few days of antibiotic/anti inflammatory, they originally prescribed 10 days but said only do seven. So, it’s medicine and bland diet. We are wondering if it’s colitis or he’s suddenly developed a food allergy. Hopefully, he’s feeling better soon.
Thanks, all for the advice so far. Right now, bottom line is we need to find out what the hell is going on with his digestive issues so for now it’s back to a total bland diet.
In a different thread Ukulele Ike shared thisand honestly I’d eat it too.
The concern with homemade diets often the quantity of trace minerals, especially calcium and phosphorus. There’s a specific ratio that needs to be reached for optimum health and it’s really easy to miss it. Calcium is critical for muscle health - which includes the heart. While your pet may look healthy on the outside, there could be trouble a-brewin’ under the surface. The only way to know for sure if your homemade diet is complete and balanced is to have one formulated with the assistance of a boarded nutritionist and follow it exactly.
Yes, that’s a huge concern I have, especially the calcium. Right now I’m in a holding pattern, I spoke with the vet yesterday and we are tossing around the possibilities of colitis or he’s developed a food allergy. There’s also the possibility that he had a bug and he was stressed out yesterday and it just got the better of him.