Homemade dog food

[Sunshine 1528]

I know many of you are avid animal lovers.

After the discussions about all the tainted pet foods, a horrible bout with the "runs" and just plain old age and sore joints, I have decided to begin making my dog's food.

I have numerous recipes, basically seeing that a mix of 40% protein, 30% veggies and 30% starches seems to be the norm.

My question that I don't seem to be reading about is how much of this homemade food would they get?

I have two approx. 100 lb. dogs.

Anyone out there know?

TIA ;-)

 

[hiitdogs]

60 % of carbohydrates is too high for a dog. Dogs are carnivores, pet food manufacturers only add higher amounts of carbs because it is cheaper than protein.

I vary my dogs diet with raw meat and a home cooked diet I put some recipes in another thread on this forum. It also gives amounts of how much to feed. If you don't feed meat or raw meat every other day, you should cut back on the carbs in those recipes.

http://69.0.137.118/dc/dcboard.php?..._id=410709&mesg_id=410709&listing_type=search

If you do a search on raw dog food on this forum you will find a lot of threads that discussed this subject.

Good luck!

Carola

 

[Fach]

I wanted to say I have a sheltie that has bouts of digestive problems [diareah sp?] and when he is having a problem I up the carbs [typically brown rice] to "tighten" him up. He sees a qualified vet regularly so there are no undiagnosed health issues. Usually stress from the groomer or something sets him off. Also, I never feed raw meat. I know some doggie parents do, but I prefer the safety of cooked meat.

 

[hiitdogs]

>I wanted to say I have a sheltie that has bouts of digestive
>problems [diareah sp?] and when he is having a problem I up
>the carbs [typically brown rice] to "tighten" him up. He sees
>a qualified vet regularly so there are no undiagnosed health
>issues. Usually stress from the groomer or something sets him
>off. Also, I never feed raw meat. I know some doggie parents
>do, but I prefer the safety of cooked meat.

I don't want to sound like a know-it-all but I have to disagree on the "safety" of cooked meat. It is not any safer for dogs to eat cooked meat, as a matter of fact, cooking destroys vital minerals, vitamins and enzymes.
Dogs have short digestive tracts and high levels of stomach acid, so the food moves quickly through their digestive system, and the high level of stomach acid kills salmonella or e-coli.

Dogs were not designed to eat grains. They have a very difficult time breaking down the complex carbohydrates found in grains. In fact, most pass through undigested resulting in large, smelly stools. Yeast thrives in an environment supported by grains.

CAN they eat carbs, yes, dogs survive on almost anything.

In my opinion, upping the carbohydrates to "tighten" your dog up, may well contribute to his digestive problems and even make it worse in the long run. I don't know what kind of meat you are feeding but it maybe that he is allergic to beef or chicken. A lot of dogs with allergies do better on lamb or venison. Maybe worth a try.

Just my 2 cents, you have to do what you are comfortable with.

Carola

 

[Fach]

Hi Carola,
I do agree with you regarding a dogs capability to eat raw meat. After all that is what a wild k-9 eats. My opinion of holding back raw meet derives from the fact that I have no faith in the freshness of grocery chain meat. I might consider it if my DH was a hunter and had fresh kill. That is just my feeling.

My sheltie is a very old guy with a long history of digestive problems. This diet is what works for him and gives him the best quality of life. When he has a bout of problems [occasionally] I do up the carbs [b. rice]. This is the best method I have found and he has absolutely no problems with the carbs. It is typically stress related and a couple of meals w/ a higher rice content does the trick. The stools are small and don't have the vulgar smell associated w/ commercial dog food. It works for him.

I did get a lot of helpful suggestions from you and a couple other members w/ great ideas for home made dog food. The bone meal is one example. I had not thought to add this to the food. It's a great example of how sharing thoughts and ideas can be such a benefit.

 

[hiitdogs]

I am in complete agreement with you on the grocery chain meat, don't trust it either.

I get my dog food meat frozen from the processing plants directly deliverd to my supplier who delivers it to my house in a cooler(i.e. Bravo, Nature's Logic, etc) as well as a local meat processing plant. I just store it in my freezer and thaw it in the fridge, so that cuts out a few middlemen

I didn't know you get your meat at the grocery store, I guess I should stop assuming and ask instead

Have a great day!

Carola

 

[Sunshine 1528]

Carola,

Thanks so much for all the info and the links.

It seems after just about a week on "real" food the dogs are feeling better and "ridding" themselves of quite a bit less undigested food.