Home cooked - Questions

I would go to Target pharmacy and get Culterelle probiotics and give to help with putting back the good gut flora.
 
I am homecooking for a food elimination diet.  If you can, I would recommend switching things around and not staying with the same foods.  There are a number of good books out there to help with that.
 
I am giving about 1/3 each of meat, veggie, grain.  I supplement with Calcium CITRATE.  You can go to nutritiondata and find out how much phosperous the meat has and then you will know about how much of a capsule of calcium to give.  I *think* they say a 1:1 ratio up to a 2:1 calcium/phosperous ratio is good.  Citrate is more easily absorbed that carbonate.
 
I am giving Thorne Research Basic Canine. The Basic one.  It has to be ordered directly from the manufacutere.  They make human supplements as well.
 
Now would be a good time to get a subscription to Whole Dog Journal, b/c they are supposed to be doing an article on this in the near future. Can't wait for that one.

Chasza - thanks for the info! Do you know where I could find more info on the Thorne Research Basic Canine? Is that a supplement that you add to the food, or feed seperately?
 
I will definitely look into Whole Dog Journal also. Thanks again for the help!

Darn, I just posted and it timed out.
 
OK, again, but quicker and shorter:  Thorne Research.  On the web at THORNE.COM  Go to veterinary line.  Then do a search for the product you want and put in "canine basic".  They don't make it really easy to find.  You want the Canine BASIC Nutrients.  It is code # V960.  It will show you what's in it.  I don't like the senior version b/c it has too much Vit A in it for my taste.  It is one capsule for 25 lbs.  If your dog weighs some more than that, say 35 lbs, you should be alright sticking with one capsule still.  I wouldn't give more than that for that weight, becuase it does increase the Vit A intake quite a bit.  From what they said to me during an e-mail, it has more than what the dogs get in kibble (I can't compare that), and it is in a more absorbable form (that's true, they use citrate forms instead of carbnate forms).  So, for the weight of your JRT, you might just use 1/4 each (depending on weight).   Nutrients are vital.  But more nutrients than necessary can actually be bad - so there is a "line" to walk.   Keep the capsule in a small ziplock bag or the air turns it dark.  You do not have to register to order - you can call.  Warning: they are NOT cheap.
 
Food:  I would also add in veggeis, well cooked or well pulverized.  You can also do oatmeal instead of rice (oatmeal is great for the wintertime b/c it is a "warming" food). Can give other grains.  Can give some lentils or eggs in place of some of the meat proteins.
 
So, in each meal, I add in the appropriate amount of Canine Basic, also calcium citrate, probiotics if needed, and oil.  I started out at 1/8 tsp oil and worked up to 1/2+ for my dog.  For a JRT, I guess you wouldn't use more than 1/4 tsp per meal.  Good first pressing olive oil, good coconut oil, Carlson's fish BODY oil (not cod liver oil).  Any of these would be fine.   You also might not need to give as much oil with beef and chicken.  I've been giving rabitt and it's a very lean meat, so I really have to give the oil.  I notice the canned chicken I give her brother is covered in fat.  So, giving oil wouldn't be as much an issue.  But, still a little bit would be good.  Don't give too much or you could set off a pancreatic attack.  That's one reason I build up to it, and to not make soft stools.
 
When I can give kibble again, I would like to do so every second or third meal.  But for now, it's kibble for him, homecooked for her.

For the probiotics, you don't need a supplement. You can add a half-cup (per 50 lb.) of plain or vanilla Kefir. It is cheap, and found near the yogurt. I personally don't like it, but my family loves it. It comes in flavors like cherry, raspberry, blueberry, and pomegranite.

For a supplement, I would give [linkhttp://www.nuvet.com/ingredients.asp]NuVet Plus[/link]. It has great ingredients (this site has all of the ingredients, plus what they do) and I have been please with the results.

Veggies- No onion or garlic! I knew a person who read on her kibble bag that there was garlic. Garlic is just as poisonous to dogs and onion is. Also, just well cooking your herbs and veggies don't help with the absorbtion. Dogs are obligate carnivores by nature, and cannot digest  whole form of veggies. They have to be well pulvarized!

Yes, thank you belgmal girl for mentioning no onions or garlic.  Garlic in small amounts should be alright, but for a small dog, I wouldn't do it at all.  And also avoid avocaodos.  And I would stay away from nuts as well.
 
I think well cooking veggies breaks down the cellouse.  Some veggies are still good to give raw, but run thru a grinder or blender. A good example of this would be fresh dark green lettuce.   Running a raw veggie thru a food processor, however, is not enough to break down the cellous wall.  But, potatoes, for example should be cooked.  And, I think there is some  benefit to adding a small amount of raw, uncooked veggies such as carrot pieces - I think it helps with the bulk in the stools.
 
Yep, you can give yogurt, too for probiotics.  My favorite is Stoneyfield Farms full fat version.  I stay away from the sweetened varieties.  But, your dog can be sensitive to milk products and might have a hard time of it.  And in the case of a dog whose been on meds, then I still recommend a good few weeks of a store bought probiotic.  Really need to get those good bugs back in there.
 
If you don't repopulate with the good guys, then candida alba____ ( can't remember the proper spelling) will take over.  This yeast in the body is necessary to survive.  However, if you don't have the good guys around to keep it in check, then they take over and can actually grow long "arms" that reach thru the lining of the gut causing "leaky gut syndrome".  Then you end up having other health problems.  So, be proactive afrter antibiotics. 

Garlic is just as poisonous to dogs and onion is.

Erm.... my dogs eat garlic every day. It's in LOTS of high quality dog foods. Mine don't eat dog food, but I use garlic for the nutrients it contains, and to help repel creepy crawlers from my pets. They're doing fabulously well.

I hope and pray this doesn't start the whole carnivore/omnivore discussion again (I'd rather read 50 pages of CM discussion, lol, or maybe have my hair ripped out slowly by the roots instead). But I did have to mention that dogs are not obligate carnivores, whatever they may actually be instead. Obligate carnivore means the animal literally cannot survive without animal protein and this isn't true of dogs - it's cats that are in the class. Dogs can get all the nutrients they need from a vegetarian diet if you are very careful and do a ton of research. I'm not saying I agree with this, I'm just breaking out my boring old schoolmarm hat. []