Dog Community

Thinking of switching to home-cooked; where do I start?

Posted : 2/20/2007 10:17:21 AM

I've always bought commercial food for my five dogs, but would really like to consider feeding them home-cooked foods. I have no idea where to start learning about what is best for them. They are each a different breed, so do they need different foods? How do I know how much to make? How often to feed? Will they need supplements? What should I avoid? I know the answers are probably right here on this forum somewhere, but I started doing a search and felt overwhelmed with all the threads that came up, some that didn't seem to have much to do with my questions, or went into more advanced information that I want right now.

So if someone can direct me to basic answers to my questions for now, I would really appreciate it! [

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Oh, and in case you need to know, here are my dogs:

2 year old male Labrador/Greyhound mix
2 year old female Golden Retriever/German Shepherd mix
2 year old female long-haired Chihuahua
2 year old male Pekingese
11 year old male Poodle/Bichon Frise mix

All my dogs are spayed/neutered, and all are currently in good health with up-to-date vaccinations and vet checks.

Thanks!!

sooner

Posted : 2/20/2007 10:23:55 AM

I don't feed raw so I'm not too familiar with it, but here are two good links that might help. The second gives percentages of what to feed and how much to feed to help get you started.

[linkhttp://www.njboxers.com/faqs.htm]Top 50 Frequently Asked Questions[/link]

[linkhttp://www.rawdogranch.com/rawdietbasics.htm]Raw Diet Basics from Raw Dog Ranch[/link]

tzu_mom

Posted : 2/20/2007 10:30:42 AM

Monica Segal has a Starter booklet for home-cooked feeders:

[linkroducts_id=87&osCsid=9289fbc48ab27038927979efad37a882]http://www.monicasegal.com/catalog/product.php?cPath=25_26&

roducts_id=87&osCsid=9289fbc48ab27038927979efad37a882[/link]>http://www.monicasegal.com/catalog/product.php?cPath=25_26&

roducts_id=87&osCsid=9289fbc48ab27038927979efad37a882]http://www.monicasegal.com/catalog/product.php?cPath=25_26&

roducts_id=87&osCsid=9289fbc48ab27038927979efad37a882[/link]

It might help.

sooner

Posted : 2/20/2007 10:31:46 AM

Oops sorry, for some reason I was thinking raw when you said home-cooked.

For home-cooked I would order one of the many recipes books available. [linkhttp://www.monicasegal.com/catalog/productindex.php?cPath=25_26&osCsid=0405152f0648a14d96920236dcb5c7a6]Monica Segal's booklets[/link] or [linkhttp://www.amazon.com/Pitcairns-Complete-Guide-Natural-Health/dp/157954973X]Dr. Pitcairn's Guide[/link] are the two that immediately come to mind.

Katran

Posted : 2/20/2007 10:38:48 AM

Thanks guys! Is raw better than home-cooked, or vice versa?

Melissa Camiel

Posted : 2/20/2007 11:24:41 AM

I recently started homecooking--my dog loves it! I use the recipe on [linkhttp://dogiebag.com]www.dogiebag..com[/link]

Katran

Posted : 2/20/2007 12:01:22 PM

By the way, should I be prepared to spend more money for raw and home-cooked dog food, or less?

jennie_c_d

Posted : 2/20/2007 1:27:07 PM

It costs more, short term, to feed raw or homecooked than commercial kibble. Less than commercial canned, or premade raw. Long term, fresh foods cost less because dogs are healthier. My dogs do not require any flea and tick meds. They rarely go to the vet, any more. It's fantastic.

I feed modified raw. They get cooked root veggies, and raw everything else. I used to feed homecooked, because one of my dogs had a very compromised immune system. As she grew healthier and healthier, I started cooking less. I do this, because it works for us. Homecooked and raw are both VERY healthy options. It depends on what you have time for, and are comfortable with. One regular poster feeds a kibble breakfast and a homecooked or raw dinner. Lots of folks with big dogs feed that way. I probably would, if I had a lot of dogs, or very large dogs.

glenmar

Posted : 2/20/2007 4:07:45 PM

That would be me...the regular poster. If you'd like my recipe just send me an email...you can do that on my profile page, just select email instead of PM. I do ask that you consider making a pledge for me for this years MS Walk, but of course, that's optional. [

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shamrockmommy

Posted : 2/21/2007 4:50:56 PM

ORIGINAL: jettasmomma

I recently started homecooking--my dog loves it! I use the recipe on [linkhttp://dogiebag.com]www.dogiebag..com[/link]

Me too.

OP, I don't envy your food bill

As for raw/cooked being better, eh, it's a toss up. I have fed both ways, and kibble, all in combinations or by themselves and there is little difference overall in my dogs- usually the poops are the first to change. Sometimes my dogs get itchy, etc, but for the most part they do well.

What I prefer to do is part homecooked (or canned) and part kibble. Spreads out the cash a bit better.

Oh and the recipe on the website above is super easy to do if you put it all in a pot and let it simmer, then I use a potato masher to mix it all together, easy peasy!

Trev El

Posted : 2/23/2007 4:30:04 PM

Raw is better than cooked. Cooking depleats food of nutrients and natural enzymes that help with digestion. Dogs are designed to eat raw meat and bones. Never feed a dog cooked bones. If you want to feed vegetables, break them down to a paste in a food processor. The amount of food you feed should be 2-3% of their ideal bodyweight.

M.W.Lewis

Posted : 2/24/2007 12:17:59 PM

This is a great link also if you are thinking of starting a home prepared diet:

[linkhttp://b-naturals.com/Apr2006.php?PHPSESSID=769026ba9dc7e8d0e46aa90d6528b107]http://b-naturals.com/Apr2006.php?PHPSESSID=769026ba9dc7e8d0e46aa90d6528b107[/link]

Stacita

Posted : 2/24/2007 2:18:12 PM

One of mine eats raw plus cooked and the other two eat home cooked only. This was done mainly because of health reasons, but they certainly like it better too.

The most important thing is to balance the calcium. I think Donald Strombeck's book is very good if you plan to use grains/carbs--and grains/carbs are not necessarily bad for all dogs. I like this book because it tailors diets for special conditions and ages etc.

Katran

Posted : 3/7/2007 2:22:52 PM

Thanks everybody! Looks like I've got some good resources to start with. I appreciate everyone's experiences and advice. [

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starsenchis

Posted : 3/7/2007 5:03:47 PM

Are Dr. Strombeck's recipes easy to follow?
I was reading the reviews of his book on Amazon and one reader was complaining that they didn't know what "10 grains of bonemeal" are and they couldn't figure out how much to add to the recipe.
[linkhttp://www.amazon.com/Home-Prepared-Dog-Cat-Diets-Alternative/dp/0813821495/ref=sr_1_1/002-2043566-6516049?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1173304574&sr=1-1]http://www.amazon.com/Home-Prepared-Dog-Cat-Diets-Alternative/dp/0813821495/ref=sr_1_1/002-2043566-6516049?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1173304574&sr=1-1[/link]
(second to last review)