Help....

    • Gold Top Dog

    Help....

     Maze has been on home cooked for about a week now. She gets a meat base (whatever I pull out of the fridge except chicken), couscous or qinoua (just started this one) and a mixture of veggies. This last batch I cooked up squash, broccoli, and green peppers.  I've noticed recently that she'll eat the food when it's fresh off the stove but refuses to eat the grain/veggies the next day. The supplements she's takes says to take it with or after a meal so I normally toss it into her dish. She'll eat the pills no problem but she's refusing to eat the rest.

    Advice?? 

    • Gold Top Dog

    oranges81

     I've noticed recently that she'll eat the food when it's fresh off the stove but refuses to eat the grain/veggies the next day. 

    Maybe she doesn't want them because they're cold, from being in the fridge? Have you tried warming the veggies?

    Bailey didn't used to like veggies (he loves them now, though) and to get him to eat them I'd just mix them in a bowel with yogurt. Anything with yogurt mixed in is yummy to him.

    • Gold Top Dog

    I agree, heat it up.  Alternately you could add a bit of hot water and stir to warm it before adding the supplements.

    • Gold Top Dog

     I had tried heating them up and she refused.

    This morning after heating everything up, I took some anger out with a potato masher and made a mush. Lol. She ate it no problem.. So we'll see if she likes the new mush.

    • Gold Top Dog

    Mush, yes, sometimes this is the way to go.

    I used to grind the cooked veggies down in a food processor or blender with some of the liquid I steamed them in for both Bear and Agnes.  Then I'd mix it all together and they'd eat everything.  It really helped Agnes to do this since most of her teeth were broken or gone, so she could slurp/gulp the food with little difficulty.

    • Gold Top Dog

    oranges81

     I had tried heating them up and she refused.

    This morning after heating everything up, I took some anger out with a potato masher and made a mush. Lol. She ate it no problem.. So we'll see if she likes the new mush.

     

      You have to mush the vegetables well or puree them in order for her to be able to digest them. Also, some veggies can be hard on their stomach ( too much fiber), so it's best to introduce them slowly.

    • Silver
    if you have a food processor that works great
    • Gold Top Dog

     All the veggies Maze has been getting so far, she's been eating all her life.

    My food processor died so I'm mashing them by hand.

    • Gold Top Dog

    oranges81

     All the veggies Maze has been getting so far, she's been eating all her life.

    My food processor died so I'm mashing them by hand.

     

     Maybe your doing too many changes too fast and it's upsetting her digestion. It may be a good idea to stick with one carb, either couscous or quiona for a few weeks, and the same meat, too see if that helps. Have her stools been good? 

    • Gold Top Dog

     Yep. Stools have been nice, energy level increased, all around good changes. The only thing is an increase in scratching around her ears. But I'm not sure if that's due to the weird weather we're having or what.

    • Gold Top Dog

     

    oranges81

     Yep. Stools have been nice, energy level increased, all around good changes. The only thing is an increase in scratching around her ears. But I'm not sure if that's due to the weird weather we're having or what.



       I'm glad she's doing so well. The pollen count has been very high, so that could explain the ear itchies. I hope she keeps eating her veggies.
    • Gold Top Dog

    I cook for 3 and never use a food processor (it just doesn't work for me) -- I use a potato masher ALL the time.

    Dogs don't want "chunks" usually -- they like everything all mixed together (it's a dog palate you're catering to here not a human one). 

    AND -- I tend to make sure the meat broth mixes with everything -- don't try to serve it separately -- mix EVERYTHING all together.  In fact, you could cook the meat first and THEN add that broth to the veggies so the meat flavor mingles.

    And don't try to make the food "hot" -- just NOT cold.  Think about it -- they aren't used to "cold" or "hot" stuff -- kibble is room temp.

    • Gold Top Dog

     What I've been doing is browning the outside of the meat, so it's still raw in the center (or totally raw, depending on what I'm using), then mix the couscous, veggies and meat in to her dish and mush it all together. Maze doesn't mind chunks but she does like it all mixed together.  Then I let it sit for about 10 minutes so it's luke warm.

    • Gold Top Dog

    oranges81

     What I've been doing is browning the outside of the meat, so it's still raw in the center (or totally raw, depending on what I'm using), then mix the couscous, veggies and meat in to her dish and mush it all together.

     

      Are you supplementing with a source of potassium? One of the most common mistakes with a home made diet is not having enough of this mineral, and I don't see a good source, such as potatoes or bananas, in your ingredients. It's important that dogs with heart conditions get enough.

    • Gold Top Dog

     I'm gonna mix in potatoes as I go along. I didn't want to overload her system since potatoes isn't something she eats all the time. I've never fed Maze banana's.. I may have to try that.

    Would sweet potatoes work or just regular potatoes?