homecooked verses dog food

I think that homecooked is very good IF you add in the proper amount of calcium for the type of meat, AND if you give a good dog mutlti-vitamin, and just a tad of oil (fish BODY oil, or olive oil,etc) .  However, this doesn't mean that you have to homecook at every meal.
 
You can make big batches on a Saturday, and freeze them, and pull out a quart size bag when needed.  He can get homecooked at one meal, and kibble for the next, or the next two.  You can even do both in one meal - just remember to supplement in the right portions.  So, he would need some calcium and some multi vit/ but not as much since the kibble already has viatamins and minerals.
 
Right now I am having to do a homecooked elimination diet for one dog.  So, she gets her stuff, with the proper supplements, and he gets kibble.  However, I can't just give him kibble when he's smelling REAL FOOD, which is sooooo much better!  So, I throw in some mixed veggies, sweet potatoes, meat ect. whaterever in the bottom of his bowl with kibble on top.  If I do just a tad of homecooked, then I don't worry too much about the supplements, but I will add them in if they are over 20%.  I lessen the amount of kibble by the corresponding amount.   I have found that he eats kibble just a bit slower with good stuff at the bottom of the bowl, which is good.  And, I feel better about him having some real food in the bowl b/c I know how much better they like that than eating kibble every day.  Just kibble every day gets boring, so it's good for the variety.
 
I think the homecooked is so good for dogs, but I understand the stress of cooking.  So, just  mix them up.  For my dogs, there has been no problems with mixing in one meal, or eating kibble for a couple of meals, back to homecooked.  Whatever you can do.  This "mixing" up the meals should not upset his stomach.  Now, since you have been cooking for a long time, I would start by adding in some kibble at each meal, and give his body time to get used to it again.   Personally, I use well cooked veggies and that provides good fiber.  If you have not been doing this, then you would definately want to take it slower in adding in the kibble to let his body get used to the different fiber.  But, once he has adjusted, it should be fine to go back and forth. 
 
I think that you will find yourself cooking for him again, b/c you know he likes it and it probably makes you feel better.  But, I also understand the relief of not "having" to do it.  That's what happened to me.  I homecooked till I wore myself out, and then went back to kibble only for a long time.  But, it's a happier home with some fresh cooked added in, so I think I have found a good balance with doing both.  It does reduce the stress levels to be able to feed kibble.   I hate waking up in the morning being out of food b/c I was too tired the night before to cook!  So, yep, kibble then does come in handy!
 
I notice that the foods you gave him all had potato.  Have you homecooked potato?  If not, then that *might* be an issue with Jake.  So, you might want to consider California Natural or some other top food if you do think that potato might have something to do with the ear problems. 

What I do is add home cooked to the kibble.  She gets a cup of kibble and then I add the home cooked to that twice a day.

I make a big batch of home cooked and freeze what I don't use right away in baggies that are portioned out.  Then when I'm ready to use it I zap it in the micro and she loves it.  I usually go about two weeks before I have to cook another batch of food.  I'm sure if I had a bigger cooking pot and a bigger freezer I could go even longer between batches.

     The ear infections were likely caused by allergies; either food or environmental. When you decided to homecook did you avoid the ingredients in the dog food Jake was eating; if you did then the ear infections were probably caused by food allergies. If that's the case you need to find a dog food with different ingredients than he was being fed before; perhaps with the same protein and carb source as the homecooked if possible.
     I think homecooking is great and sent for a booklet from Monica Segal with cooked diet recipes; unfortunately the recipe in my dog's weight class includes some ingredients she's allergic to. I'll have to have a nutritional consultation with her but it'll have to wait until after Xmas. I did learn that a balanced diet for dogs is more complicated than I thought and that most homecooked diets don't have enough phosphorus.
  

I definitely think that "real" cooked food is preferable to kibble. But I looked into homecooking and I knew it would be too much for me. The recipes that I was considering were a week's worth of food- refrigerating some of it and freezing the rest. So cooking once a week would definitely be less work than every 2 days like you're doing now.

What I've found to be the best solution is to feed kibble mixed with either canned food or cooked leftovers. I've been rotating Natural Balance sweet potato & fish and Eagle Pack Holistic Duck. It's working really well and for the first time in a looooong time Gingerbread has been consistently cleaning his bowl every meal and also not itching much. I think variety is very important for the immune system and I've also found that it can stimulate their appetite.

So from what I'm gathering, homecooked is the best.  I guess I better stick to that and leave well enough alone.  I can give him some canned dog food as a snack.  Jake basically eats venison and sweet potatoes one week and venison and wheat free pasta the next.  I alternate between sweet potatoes and wheat free pasta.  Sometimes to give him a break from the venison, I will make pork (with the fat cut off). 
 
He gets EFA Vites.  One vitamin each morning with some low fat cottage cheese.  I add canola oil, salt substitute and bonemeal to each meal.  He also gets lots of veggies throughout the day, carrots, green peppers, zucchini, brussel sprouts, etc. 
 
Thank you all for being honest with me.  Of course it's much easier to open a can of dog food and give that to him, but if he is doing so well on homecooked, I better stick with that for the time being.  Yes, it is quite a bit of work. 
 
Question:  I get the venison fresh.  I get about 8-10 Lbs. worth at a time.  When I get it, I come home, cut it into pieces and freeze it.  When I'm ready to cook it, I broil it in the oven.  So is it okay to re-freeze it once it's cooked?  Is it also okay to freeze the sweet potatoes with it or pasta?  When you say you make a big batch at once, exactly what foods are you freezing and is it okay to re-freeze the meat after it is cooked?
 
Thanks!

I can relate! When I first put Penny on homecooked, I was quite daunted by the prospect of cooking for her at all. I avoid cooking at all costs! But, it's not so hard if you make up a big batch at a time. Penny is a small dog and I found it pretty easy once I got into the habit, but seeing the vast improvement it had on Penny's health has converted my mother as well. Penny and I are currently living with her, and with 3 dogs to feed, it can get pretty full on to keep up with them all. We buy bulk pet mince at a considerable saving and make up enough to feed the 3 dogs for about 2 weeks all at once. We had to invest in some more freezer space, but it's been worth it to see the improvement in their health. I'd urge you to try working out how much you need to mix up enough for 1 or 2 weeks. It's so much better when you only have to do it now and then.

My recipe has a whole lot of different stuff in it and when I need to get ahead I'll make three batches, instead of two for the week and freeze one, and it's always fine.
 
My crew eats kibble for breakfast and homecooked or raw for dinner and I started doing that in 2003.  Yes, some weekends I groan at the thot of cooking dog food, but I'm commited to doing it and if I'm efficient and organized it doesn't take more than an hour, but I have to admit that some weeks I REALLY wish they made 3 day weekends.....

I do the same thing Shelley. I usually cook but at least one day a week, sometimes more,  I feed canned. It's convenient if I have taken out food and it has not thawed or I just need to cook, so I feed a can instead.
I have a dog who reacts also to certain ingredients but this works out very well for her and 'ole Ironsides' (my boy with no dietary issues). I rotate among several canned brands and formulas and the homecooked also varies each batch I cook.

When I was homecooking, I cooked up enough for the entire week on Sundays.  I put one days worth into ziploc freezer bags and just always made sure that I had 2 bags in the frig defrosting.  I had decided that if I was going to continue with homecooking, I would need a separate freezer though.  It would make life much easier if you could buy in bulk when things are on sale, and also prepare larger amounts and avoid cooking all the time.
 
My only caution is, like Janice said, many people don't realize that there's more to it than just cooking up some healthy food and feeding it.  The ratios and supplements need to be precise or you could run into other health problems. 

When you say you make a big batch at once, exactly what foods are you freezing and is it okay to re-freeze the meat after it is cooked?

Thanks!

 
My recipie is also a mixture of a lot of different things.  For the most part as far as meats, I use Chicken and Salmon, I don't feed beef or pork im my dog's main diet.  Sometimes I just go with what is cheaper at the store, if frozen raw checken is on sale I'll buy that.  Once it's cooked it's alright to freez.  I prefer to use a slowcooker because I like the way the food turns out but often I just cook on the stove top because I get bigger batches that way.

I would like to add, in addition to Glenda's reply, that she has 6 GSDs, averaging 80 lbs or so, each.
 
Homecooking is arduous, but if you have the time and money, it can work. Especially if you have the opportunity to shop in bulk.