Who's done a homecooked consult?

Mordana and Monica Segal are both very good -- Monica is an old friend from AllPet days and I've actually gotten (and insisted on paying for) two consults I think. 

You can hang out on K-9 Kitchen (her Yahoo group) for nothing.  But seriously -- if I were you I'd ask Dr. Faisano or Dr. DiNatale -- they have good stuff they'd give you.  She's also got a ton of breed books (and something like a JRT or small terrier is going to work fine for Pirate) that are super good additions.

I don't actually follow a recipe -- for me it's all a proportion and I adjust it **constantly**.  Like I stood today (while David waited) because I added carrot this week (which I don't usually use) and had one medium acorn squash at home, so I had to stand there and mentally calculate how many sweet potatoes to buy.  Then field greens were on "sale" at Publix so then I had to calculate how much frozen greens and shredded cabbage to get (I DO use pre-shredded simply because time is such a huge consideration for me.)  Often I cook kale but *not THIS week* b/c of time.

Monica Segal has recipes in a couple of her pamplets.    The pamphlets are pretty inexpensive.     You can ask on her yahoo group what foods should be avoided with a seizure dog (I can't remember off the top of my head) and then use a recipe that doesn't include those ingredients.   Monica's recipes are fully dependant upon the weight of the dog.   There's a toy dog booklet that is for dogs up to 15 lbs.   The other homecooked booklet starts at 10lbs and goes up in 5 lb increments.    You might want to start with those and see how you deal with 100% homecooked.   I was doing it for awhile and I'll be honest with you - 1/3rd is 100 times easier since you don't have to worry much about exactness and balance.

 Give Pirate a kiss from me !

I had two done with a veterinary nutritionist at Virginia Tech.  If you live near a veterinary university, you might be able to get one there. 

JoAnnDe

Monica Segal has recipes in a couple of her pamplets.    The pamphlets are pretty inexpensive.     You can ask on her yahoo group what foods should be avoided with a seizure dog (I can't remember off the top of my head) and then use a recipe that doesn't include those ingredients.   Monica's recipes are fully dependant upon the weight of the dog.   There's a toy dog booklet that is for dogs up to 15 lbs.   The other homecooked booklet starts at 10lbs and goes up in 5 lb increments.   

  Great advice; I have several of her booklets. I did a consultation with Sabine Contraras (aka Mordanna);  http://www.betterdogcare.com/   and was very happy with her service. She's great to work with and has the same educational background from the same university as Monica. Both Monica and Sabine formulate diets according the 2006 guidelines by the National Research Council. They don't have a phd behind their name but are fully capable of designing a balanced diet for your dog. In addition to the diet plan, you will receive information about how to prepare the food items and Sabine also includes websites that carry the supplements. I know from reading Monica's books and booklets that she can design diets for dogs with health problems, but you can always ask Sabine if she can design a diet for a seizure dog.

I've done several formal consults with Sabine (Mordanna) and have been very happy.  Lu is the first dog I've done that has some major issues.  I was just getting ready to post an update on her, but the Reader's Digest version is that following her suggestions Lu's gone from steady improvement to major leaps in her soundness and energy levels.  This week she has started acting younger, right in front of our eyes - even the kids have noticed and commented on how Lu "bounces" everywhere all of a sudden.

Each consultant has their area of expertise.  Sabine has an extensive knowlege of not just nutrition, but also holistic solutions.  It's not a replacement for a certified veterinary holisistic practitioner but many times all we need as caretakers is a game plan to get us started.  Sabine is great for this.  I'm biased of course because I'm really happy with what she's been able to do for me and also because she's been a good friend.

Monica really is solid on nutrition and has the trust of many in the world of animal nutrition research.  She's got a great support network and lots of inexpensive and free resources and even if you went with someone else for a formal consult, it's all complementary rather than competitive.  I'm astounded that she runs that huge list and answers every question addressed to her, with the only restriction being you can't post a recipe and ask for a thumbs up or down, or ask for recipes.

If I had a dog with serious multiple problems I'd start looking to the veterinary specialists.  Dr. Remilliard (sp) has a service that is well spoken of.  And anyone named Rebecca already has one point in their favor. 

sl2crmeg

Maybe Santa will bring me a bigger food processor - I'm going to need it! :)

  I'm wanting one too; ours only has a 2 cup capacity and I have to puree about 45 ounces of fruits and vegetables.

jessies_mom

sl2crmeg

Maybe Santa will bring me a bigger food processor - I'm going to need it! :)

 

  I'm wanting one too; ours only has a 2 cup capacity and I have to puree about 45 ounces of fruits and vegetables.

   

Mine is a ONE CUP! A true 'mini', LOL. Right now I only have to puree 32 oz of meat plus veggies, but it still takes about a million little batches.

Yikes - I have an 8 cup capacity (or maybe its 10 cups) and even then it wasn't big enough to do any more than 10 days worth of food for Prancer (13 lb dog !).     I'd have lost my mind if I were trying to deal with anything smaller.    As it was I had to do the carbs sep from the veg sep from the meat so that I could do 10 days worth of food at one go.     My kitchen was a complete disaster after ward but at least it was only 3 days a month.

You're DEFINITELY going to need a bigger food processor if you go 100% homecooked - unless you have the patience to do only 2 days worth at a time.   Definitely NOT for me !   

JoAnnDe

Yikes - I have an 8 cup capacity (or maybe its 10 cups) and even then it wasn't big enough to do any more than 10 days worth of food for Prancer (13 lb dog !).     I'd have lost my mind if I were trying to deal with anything smaller.   

   Ha ha; it's really not that bad. It takes about 2 hours to make enough for a week, and I don't puree everything, just the fruit and vegetables. I simmer the meat on low until it's not pink anymore, while cooking the rice and steaming the veggies.  After the rice is done, I stir in the eggs. The heat from the rice cooks the whites but leaves the yolks soft (thanks Becca). The fruit is raw. After pureeing the fruit and veggies I put everything in a very large bowl and blend it together with my mixer. I could skip the last step and puree the veggies much faster with a larger food processor though. And, I have to make 3 weeks worth of food this week because of the holidays coming.

sl2crmeg

  Maybe I'll start off with Monica Segal's booklets and go from there.

    That will probably do for Pirate. Jessie was allergic to at least one of the ingredients in the 3 recipes for her weight class in the "Cooked Diet Recipes" booklet (you can go up or down to the next recipe, subtracting or adding 10% as needed).  Becca would have been smart enough to know what to substitute for the problem ingredient(s), but I needed a consultation.