Home cooking

   I recommend joining K9 Kitchen;  

  K9Kitchen : dog diets raw cooked allergies disease

   The group is for those who feed their dogs cooked or raw diets. Monica Segal stared the forum. This is her site;

   Individualized Nutrition For Your Dogs  

    There is a book available on her site that walks you through the process of calculating Maze's nutritional needs according to her weight and formulating a well balanced diet. It's called "Optimal Nutrition" and is $24.95. I can't share Jessie's diet with you because it wouldn't be suitable for Maze; Jessie needs a low fat, low residue diet and has more food allergies than Maze does. Maze probably needs more calories than Jessie's diet has. Good luck; hope this helps.

Sorry about the font - I did this in email for a friend.  the only things I don't use are onions and eggplant (neither are good).  But whether something is grown above ground, a root, a "fruit of the vine" or however it's grown determines it's vitamins/minerals -- as well as its color.  So by varying how it is grown/produced you vary the nutrition. 

For meat I mostly do ground beef, turkey - occasionally chicken/pork (but not at all often).  Whitefish and sardines.

I do sweet potatoes, ALL kinds of squash (butternut has kind of a not-wonderful calcium/phosphorous ratio -- acorn, pumpkin, and the other squashes are better).  But yellow squash and zucchini too.  I just hack up the hard veg and boil til tender and then take a potato masher to it all (and yes, that's how I do the acorn squash and pumpkin too).

Sometime when you do a pot roast for you humans-- you know carrots, celery, potato??.  Cut up an acorn squash into hunks (like the size of a quartered potato) and just stick it in as one of the veggies in your pot roast.  It is YUM, and something different.

Dogs LOVE okra -- why?  I don't know.  I mean, I love okra tossed with some corn meal and sauted -- BUT in stew?  It gets slimey yuck.  But the dogs LOVE it. It is literally one of their favorite veggies.

red and green cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, collard greens, turnip greens (and turnip itself), KALE (kale is SO good for them and they love it and it is CHEAP), celery (usually diced kinda small - it's SUPER good for the liver but they don't like the strings), bok choy (that's another one to try in pot roast -- YUM). 

Think of where the veggie came from -- above ground, below ground, color -- white, red, yellow, green -- they each have different vitamins/minerals depending on where grown and their color. 

The really HARD veg (like cabbages, kale, etc.) that are tough -- after I cook them I take a food chopper to them to make sure they are broken down sufficiently.  I don't use an electric food processor (I'm too short -- I have to SIT in the kitchen and the food processor becomes too high for me to reach) - I just mash everything.

But his diet will be far more balanced with a wider array of veggies.

  Just remember to introduce new veggies slowly, especially those that are high in fiber. A small amount of squash gives Jessie the runs. Always cook them until they're similar to the consistency of baby food when they're mashed. Red meat is a better source of minerals than poultry, which is important 'cause dogs actually need more zinc than we do. Beef liver is a great source of copper and vitamin A, but you only need a small amount of it. Jessie is 60 pounds and a half an ounce, weighed after braising, gives her a day's worth of both nutrients.

  I saw in another post that a nutrition website was confusing to you. You can also try the USDA's website;

Nutrient Data : Home

True. Even if a certain food is ok for dogs, it doesn't mean that every dog will like it or even be able to tolerate it. Also, like people, our dogs' tastes may change.

I agree that we should introduce our pets to a homemade diet slowly--just like we were always told to do when switching between store bought dog foods. Plus, doing so allows you to determine whether your dog likes/ can eat certain foods.

BTW, Thanks for the information about K9 kitchen! I'll have to look into it.  Also, my friend recommended the book Eco Dog: Healthy Living for Your Pet by Corbett Marshall. Thought that might be worth looking into as well!

 I home cook too, but pretty confused with how to supplement whatever that's missing as opposed to commercial food. They get 2 meals a day, but I do have a big problem with the quantity... My vet says a good gauge is the size of the top of their head/brain is  a good amount.. then again, a mountain full? Once a day? which I divide by 2, which makes it such a miserable amount... and those starving faces and pleading eyes, not helping. And being 9 years old, I was advised against any kibbles.

I prepare some brown rice, raw carrots, wakame kelp, sweet potato (i won't give brown rice if there's sweet potatoes), couple of mushrooms, a slice of papaya/apple, cooked beef or mackerel or salmon. I was a little concerned about the calcium that could be missing in their diets... read a little about egg shells, but no idea about the quantity. My girl was allergic to chinese cabbage (she swelled up like a newborn shar-pei) and I've never tried that since. I cook in the morning and split that into 2 meals everyday. I'm thinking of adding some ginger, but have no idea how to.

 I have a book, The Whole Pet Diet by Andi Brown.  She includes recipes.  What I like about her book is, she explains what is the benefit of various foods, herbs and spices!  Initially I found the book at my library; liked it so much, I bought a copy on amazon.com

Welcome back to a good but old thread!!!

Lee debbie

I home cook too, but pretty confused with how to supplement whatever that's missing as opposed to commercial food. They get 2 meals a day, but I do have a big problem with the quantity... My vet says a good gauge is the size of the top of their head/brain is  a good amount..

Unless you are also giving raw recreational bones or similar you need to supplement calcium first.  I like sea calcium rather than food-quality bone meal -- bone meal is tough to calculate the absolutely right amount .  But this one is easy -- 1 teas per pound of meat.

this is the one I use:  Animal Essentials Sea Calcium

 How much to serve?

I do this differently -- it's all going to depend on what you use routinely AND it depends on that particular dog's metabolism.  I home cook once a week -- then I simply measure it out.  general rule of thumb -- I do about a smallish 1/2 c for the 18 pound pug (who gains weight just looking at food), almost a cup for the Cavalier (who is a 28 pound dog -- he's not a typical Cavalier and he's not fat, just way bigger than standard), and just about 1 C for the bassett/beagle mix - 30 pounds Those amounts TWO times a day.  I always feed twice a day so I don't even think of a 'daily' amount.

Note:  for YEARS I fed Luna almost twice that amount -- and I couldn't put weight on her.  Finally send bloodwork to Dr. Jean Dodds and found out she was LOW thyroid -- odd since she wasn't at all heavy but rather a skinni mini -- but a low dose of thyroid supplementation has leveled her weight out perfectly.

GENERALLY tho -- I decide on an amount and measure it faithfully usually for about 2 weeks.  Then WEIGH the dog.  See if the dog has gained or lost and adjust accordingly.  Do that every 2 weeks -- you'll arrive at the right amount for **that** dog.

Long term?  Im a hard-hearted Mom -- they get what they get.  It's more mean to make them pay the price for my being too soft & disciplined to feed them properly -- making them 'go on a diet' when I can prevent that by portion control is a no-brainer for me.

If the dogs are absolutely STARVING -- then you can bulk it up with a veggie like green beans.  Low calories, they love them and you can bulk it up quickly with that without hurting anything

Lee debbie

or mackerel or salmon

keep it to small fish rather than the large fish.  Salmon can have a lot of mercury in it (at least here in the States).  Mackerel and sardines -- better.  Mackerel can have a LOT of salt so watch the labels.  Sardines - I use the cheap sardines (bigger than the tiny ones -- these are about the size of my thumb but a bit longer) and generally one sardine per day per dog is sufficient for OMega 3 needs.

calliecritturs

Long term?  Im a hard-hearted Mom -- they get what they get.  It's more mean to make them pay the price for my being too soft & disciplined to feed them properly -- making them 'go on a diet' when I can prevent that by portion control is a no-brainer for me.

I don't home cook, so I apologize in advance. What Callie said about "they get what they get" or in my case she really caught my attention. Last year my Corgi weighed a whopping 27.5 lbs. How did this happen? It happened because Tootsie has eyes that could melt ice and super cute. The vet immediately said she would like to see her at 20 lbs in a year. Welp, she weighed in at 19 lbs! The vet said I've added years to her life.  Whoa, sorry to derail this thread. Excellent subject!

Lee debbie

I prepare some brown rice, raw carrots,

  Your dogs probably can't digest the carrots raw, or any uncooked veggies. It's best to cook them until they're very tender. And, when you feed them brown rice, the raw amount needs to be cooked in three times the amount of water until very, very soft, in order for them to digest it well.

Lee debbie

My vet says a good gauge is the size of the top of their head/brain is  a good amount.. then again, a mountain full? Once a day? which I divide by 2, which makes it such a miserable amount

  How many calories were they getting when feeding kibble? That's the amount of calories they'll need from cooked food. This site will help you to determine the amount of calories they're getting from the cooked meals;

   Nutrition facts, calories in food, labels, nutritional information and analysis – NutritionData.com

Lee debbie

 I home cook too, but pretty confused with how to supplement whatever that's missing as opposed to commercial food.

  This book will guide you in accurately determining your dogs nutritional requirements according to the guidelines set by the National Research Council;

 Optimal Nutrition:Raw and Cooked Canine Diets 

  You can use NutritionData.com to find the nutritional value of the food you're using so you'll know what needs to be supplemented or if they're getting too much of something.

  You may want to join this yahoo group for owners who cook for their dogs;

K9Kitchen : dog diets raw cooked allergies disease 

  You can get a lot of great advice from the members.

tiffy

Last year my Corgi weighed a whopping 27.5 lbs. How did this happen? It happened because Tootsie has eyes that could melt ice and super cute.

My excuse (and my holistic vet has beat me up with this SO MANY TIMES over the years until I finally believe her!!) -- my head wants to say that a dog that is 19 pounds should eat approximately 2/3 of what the 28 pound dog eats. 

Well that flew out the window with Luna who, until her thyroid was supplemented, was totally confusing because I couldn't keep weight ON her.  So she historically has eaten more than TWICE what Billy (who weighed more than she did) and now Charlie (who weighs exactly what she does) eats.  Now that I'm supplementing her the weight thing has totally evened out -- but it made me SO aware of how each dog's own metabolism plays into this.

My holistic vet calls pugs "easy keepers" -- which is a total misnomer.  Her point is -- you feed them VERY minimally (so they are easy, cheap to 'keep';) because a pug may only need HALF what any other breed may need.

Tell that to the pug??

So tink, at 19 pounds literally eats HALF of what the other two eat.  Now at first, I gave her a TON of french cut no-salt canned green beans. 

WHY do dogs love CANNED green beans?  (and the no salt ones are a favorite! sheesh).  But I was able to bulk it up a bit with the grin bins [sic] but dang ... guilt is SOOOO the "gift that keeps on giving" and those mournful looks "Mom -- they're still eating and there's NO MORE food in **MY** bowl.  Didja furgit me??"

tiffy

Last year my Corgi weighed a whopping 27.5 lbs. How did this happen? It happened because Tootsie has eyes that could melt ice and super cute.

My excuse (and my holistic vet has beat me up with this SO MANY TIMES over the years until I finally believe her!!) -- my head wants to say that a dog that is 19 pounds should eat approximately 2/3 of what the 28 pound dog eats. 

Well that flew out the window with Luna who, until her thyroid was supplemented, was totally confusing because I couldn't keep weight ON her.  So she historically has eaten more than TWICE what Billy (who weighed more than she did) and now Charlie (who weighs exactly what she does) eats.  Now that I'm supplementing her the weight thing has totally evened out -- but it made me SO aware of how each dog's own metabolism plays into this.

My holistic vet calls pugs "easy keepers" -- which is a total misnomer.  Her point is -- you feed them VERY minimally (so they are easy, cheap to 'keep';) because a pug may only need HALF what any other breed may need.  They'd just like to talk you into more.

Tell that to the pug??

So tink, at 19 pounds literally eats HALF of what the other two eat.  Now at first, I gave her a TON of french cut no-salt canned green beans. 

WHY do dogs love CANNED green beans?  (and the no salt ones are a favorite! sheesh).  But I was able to bulk it up a bit with the grin bins [sic] but dang ... guilt is SOOOO the "gift that keeps on giving" and those mournful looks "Mom -- they're still eating and there's NO MORE food in **MY** bowl.  Didja furgit me??"