Dog food help

 No, it's not a balanced diet. For one thing, there's very little calcium in that, and for another, there's no organ meat, and probably not enough fat.

There are books you can buy and wonderful nutritionists available to create balanced diets, and there's a site called Balance It that sells a vitamin premix and recipes. Lots of ways to create a balanced diet for a dog.

 Thanks for your reply.   I just have a hard time believing that this diet is 'unhealthy'.  Are you telling me that if I ate brown rice, organic boneless skinless chicken, and mixed vegtables consisting of(carrots, peas, and corn) with filtered water every single day...  That I would not thrive and be healthy?   are you serious.  Are you insinuating that you would live longer than I would because you drank milk, i doubt that. 

 Don't most people give their dogs the same dry food...  over their entire life... and that is more healthy or "balanced" then what we are doing?  I am having a hard time believing it.  

Buying store brand kibble and bits, with all the chemicals and stuff they throw in there that is BY LAW not allowed to serve to humans(beaks,ears, hoofs)... with preservatives to allow that junk to last months in the open air...  is "healthier" because they dump some powder calcium chemical vitamin in there. 

Posted on this site just recently and received this reply:   Vetclick.com

 _____________________________________________________

 Hi, Mike,

Congratulations!
You seem to have found the perfect hypo-allergenic diet for your dog, similar to that advised by many vets for patients with the same problem, though mutton can be used instead of chicken.

It is normal for a dog to shed its coat at this time of the year - the thicker winter coat will be growing in. Reguler grooming to remove the dead fur helps.

W.

 _____________________________________________________________

Walter Beswick

Just wondering what affiliation you have with "Balance It" pet supplements. 

 You're not a dog, and milk doesn't have enough calcium to balance the phosphorus. You asked a question, I answered it, and you argue. *shrugs*

Why'd you ask if you weren't going to believe me? I've been feeding special needs dogs for 6 years, now, with a variety of diets, home prepared and not so home prepared. I have done the research that you've not done. I do have a basic idea of what I'm doing. Believe me if you want, or don't. 

Darvon

 Thanks for your reply.   I just have a hard time believing that this diet is 'unhealthy'.  Are you telling me that if I ate brown rice, organic boneless skinless chicken, and mixed vegtables consisting of(carrots, peas, and corn) with filtered water every single day...  That I would not thrive and be healthy?   are you serious.  Are you insinuating that you would live longer than I would because you drank milk, i doubt that...

 No- what she is saying is it is not a balanced food for dogs.  People and dogs have different nutrional needs.

 Definitely not enough calcium in that. I'd also worry vitamins and all your trace nutrients.

but rice, chicken, and vegetables aren't.  

 My only other problem that I have is, why is a retired veterinary surgeon, who has seen and heard everything, telling me exactly differently? 

  Jennie. did you goto 8 years of medical school and another 20 years of practice?  just curious what your knowledge base is for you to make such an affirmative opinion.  By looking at your profile it seems as if you have simply owned several dogs.  ...

I absolutely agree.  This needs a calcium supplement, MORE chicken than rice and a variety of veggies, not the same old same old every day.  It also needs organ meat.  Organ should average 5% of a dogs daily intake.  White rice is not as good for any of us as whole brown rice.

I homecooked for my dogs for a long time, however, once I moved south, they couldn't tolerate the homecooked for some reason, so they now get Blue Buffalo kibble in the mornings (there are many varities) and raw for dinner.  The raw ALWAYS includes organ.

Yes, dogs do shed, normally spring and fall, so this is a bit late in the year for a fall coat blow.  Not brushing actually increases shedding from what I've been told.

We have a very dedicated and highly educated group of owners here.  We do extensive research on a number of different dog issues.

I have to say that I think it is highly irresponsible for a vet to congratulate you on a food selection that is this unbalanced.  No one can offer a diagnosis sight unseen.

Well, attitude aside, you asked for advice, you got some excellent suggestions.

Darvon

Are you telling me that if I ate brown rice, organic boneless skinless chicken, and mixed vegtables consisting of(carrots, peas, and corn) with filtered water every single day...  That I would not thrive and be healthy?

No, actually, corn isn't healthy for dogs.  They don't need it, and have a difficult time digesting it.  Most of it comes right out the other end.

Vets are NOT nutritionists.  That's why so many vets recommend foods like Science Diet, which is full of stuff dogs don't need.  Ya know, like the Kibbles n Bits you keep referring to, which I can promise you no one on this forum would touch with a 10-foot pole.

Darvon

Just wondering what affiliation you have with "Balance It" pet supplements. 

Oh, that's real nice.  Welcome to the forum.

 If you added powdered nutrients like Kibbles & Bits does, yes, this would probably be balanced.

 Fine.

What if I added this to her daily diet every day.

  http://www.petco.com/product/6217/Pet-Tabs-Calcium-Supplement-for-Dogs-and-Cats.aspx?cm_mmc=CSEMGooglebase-_-Cat-_-Virbac-_-27480&mr:trackingCode=03FDEB15-8381-DE11-B7F3-0019B9C043EB&mr:referralID=NA

That would solve the calcium deficiency.  She is getting the protein, carbs, vegetables, all high grade food.  Plus calcium.  

carbs aren't all that important to dogs, not like they are for people.  Dogs get energy from FATS.

I'm not real sure why you asked for advise and are getting so darned snarky with those of us who are trying to help you.

Some good resources on balancing a homemade diet would be:

Home Prepared Dog and Cat Diets by Donald Strombeck

Dr Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health

Dogaware.com has some nice resources and links on balancing a homemade diet : http://www.dogaware.com/dogfeeding.html#Balance

These are but a few, but would be tremendously helpful to you in your quest to feed your dog a natural diet.

Good Luck

 I am not a veterinary nutritionist, and neither is your board certified surgeon. I have no affiliation with any pet food company, but I've been feeding dogs with very specific needs (a congenital kidney abnormality got me into homemade pet food, and it's exploded from there) for years. I've worked with a veterinary nutritionist, several holistic vets, and seen more vets than I hope you ever have to see with your vets, dealing with my dogs' issues. I've spent  (like everybody else that's commented on this thread) hundreds to thousands of hours researching pet food, and thousands of dollars learning and preparing it for them.

I think that qualifies me to answer a question like "is chicken and rice a balanced diet?".

Sigh.  I don't normally waste time on people who post asking for advice and then only want to argue.  But for your dog's sake, here goes.

Read this one page -- here.

It gives you the basics of a balanced home-made diet, along with a couple of sample recipes.  Please note that Rule 1 states:

1) Always balance a home cooked meal with calcium. You cannot feed cooked bones to dogs safely, and when you are feeding a diet without bones, you need to add either 900 mg of calcium per pound of food served, OR 1/2 teaspoon of ground egg shell. Save eggshells and dry overnight, and grind in a clean coffee bean grinder.

You HAVE to add calcium to home-cooked foods if you want a healthy dog.  Period, end of paragraph.  IMO the other supplements suggested in the article are nice if you have the money, but not absolutely necessary.  Calcium is NOT optional.