For those that home feed. ie cook your food

[gemy]

This is for all of us that home feed. My curious mind wants to know if your pup has refused to eat the home feeding. Also indicate if so, was there some other health issue going on. Well I guess I could have put this in a poll. But let's see what others say

[LunasMomma]

I used to home cook for the girls when they were little, but they stopped eating it for some reason Just stuck their little noses in the air and walked away! I gave them some kibbles and they seemed to be happy as clams I've since added some canned twice a day, as my 4lb Luna wasn't eating enough kibble and you know how it is, what you give one, the other wants too No health issues here.

[snowbird]

Its great that you brought this issue up. Yesterday Bella's tummy was a little off so I made her some brown rice with a little boiled beef in it and she loved it. I finished the rest off today and now am conteplating whether I should give up the kibble and just start cooking for her. We travel a lot and it is a pain flying with dog food or trying to get the kind she is on where we go. I think this would be much easier. Other than boiled beef and chicken along with the brown rice, what else do you put into it to make it a balanced diet. She is on prescription dog food now TD small bites for her teeth. Her teeth are perfect and I wonder if I changed her diet if it would affect her teeth. Also I am not quite sure how much to feed. Yesterday I just put some in her dish 3 times and she ate it all and did not look for more. My vet in the beginning said not to feed her people food so I don't know what to do. She is 2 next month and weighs 7 pounds. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I am about to now give her meal of kibble and my husband says she probably won't eat it now that she had the other. I guess I will soon find out...lol

[MikaTallulah]

I would consult with a veterinary nutritionist to ensure the diet is properly balanced. To much thinking and measuring for me.

[BabyGirl Rosie]

I home cook and I have not had this problem. But I do change the meal each time. My girls get chicken and rice mixture at one meal and sweet potato and chicken at the next. Maybe having the variety makes it more appealing to them?

[MidnightUnicorn]

Tatiana never refused to eat. She has a voracious appetite, and does her happy dance when I prepare to feed her. Judging by her behavior, one would think she's starving, but I keep her well-fed (three meals a day. Also, she's perfectly healthy per her vet).

My husband and I often laugh at her huge appetite. She's tiny, but her appetite is huge.

[Sweet Girls]

My girls are great eaters. Only once has one of the dogs refused food and that was a major sign that she was I'll, less than 12 hours later she was in the vets with acute pancreatitis. For me one of the girls missing a meal is a huge red flag! And it really doesn't seem to matter what I feed ( although my Yorkie was not enthused with some Elk I tried her with...and her poos told the story, it didn't sit well in her system.). My schnauzer is on turkey as her only protein b/c of fat and sensitivity issues, but my Yorkie enjoys chicken and beef as well as the turkey

[snowbird]

How much do your dogs weigh and how much each meal do they eat. How many times a day do you feed and how are their teeth

[Sweet Girls]

Originally Posted by snowbird

How much do your dogs weigh and how much each meal do they eat. How many times a day do you feed and how are their teeth

I feed 2X per day. My schnauzer weights ~14lbs (b/c of home cooking, I weigh her often) and eats ~1 cup of food at each meal. Because of her restrictions, I sometimes find it hard to keep weight on her...so I error on the side of more instead of less. I have more difficulties with my Yorkie, she currently weighs about 5.5 lbs, but should be somewhere around 4.5 lbs (according to rib check and vet suggestion) and I am currently feeding 2tbs of food per meal. But she always seems ready to eat (mind you both girls will eat at any time)... and frankly it just doesn't look like very much...I guess you can see why I am having a difficult time getting the weight back off her , it would probably be easier if I fed kibble, but I just can't bring myself to do that. Now for teeth, they were better while on Raw, but I switched to Home-cooked for other reasons, but so far, so good. I'm keeping a close eye on them.

[gemy]

Well I do have a scale, and I've taken to weighing their meals each time I feed. It is amazing how "off" your eye can be. So RAzzle gets about 1/3c divided into two meals a day. I will bump up to 1/2 - 3/4 c if we have a very active, hike/swim day. I use the visual check and palpate the ribs check, and he is weighed wkly. He is a trim muscled 6.5 lbs.

[gemy]

Originally Posted by snowbird

Its great that you brought this issue up. Yesterday Bella's tummy was a little off so I made her some brown rice with a little boiled beef in it and she loved it. I finished the rest off today and now am conteplating whether I should give up the kibble and just start cooking for her. We travel a lot and it is a pain flying with dog food or trying to get the kind she is on where we go. I think this would be much easier. Other than boiled beef and chicken along with the brown rice, what else do you put into it to make it a balanced diet. She is on prescription dog food now TD small bites for her teeth. Her teeth are perfect and I wonder if I changed her diet if it would affect her teeth. Also I am not quite sure how much to feed. Yesterday I just put some in her dish 3 times and she ate it all and did not look for more. My vet in the beginning said not to feed her people food so I don't know what to do. She is 2 next month and weighs 7 pounds. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I am about to now give her meal of kibble and my husband says she probably won't eat it now that she had the other. I guess I will soon find out...lol

There is another thread on here, but yes go see a vet nutrionist, the other thread provided a link to a site, that you can get a balanced diet from. www.petdiets.com

[Ellie May]

I used to homecook. Ellie never refused it. She is less excited about kibble but still really likes it and does not skip meals.