What do you think of this diet?

[Doodlebug]

I have been giving my babies some boiled chicken with mixed veggies (corn, carrots, peas and green beans - frozen, not canned). Is this ok to give them? They love it. I still give them their Nutro Lamb and Rice for the other nutrients they need.

Are these veggies ok to give them with the boiled chicken? I was wondering if the corn in this form is not good for allegies. I haven't noticed any problems after a few days of their eating this.

I have also been microwaving the meat instead of boiling. I read that microwaving is actually a better cooking method because some of the good things are not lost as they are in boiling. Any opinions?

Thanks

[bjh]

Microwaving is fine for warming but for cooking I would not recommend it. Microwaving destroys many of the valuable nutrients in the food. Boiled chicken would be okay As far as veggies, I would not give corn, it is too hard to digest. Peas and carrot, broccoli, green beans, and sweet potatoes are the main ones I use. I like to steam my veggies.

[ARCHIE]

That sounds like Buddy's diet. I have not given him corn, however, thought
it may be to hard to digest. Carrots, peas, greenbeans are all fine. I worry
about the broccoli being gassy so I have not given that to him. I do know it's ok though. Remember never to give your pup a fresh greenbean before cooking. They have somekind of wax on them and it needs to be boiled/steamed off before feeding. I read that somewhere and just wanted
to pass it along.

[Doodlebug]

Thanks! I was wondering about the corn. I will discontinue the corn and continue to boil the meat instead of microwaving. Thanks for the warning about the green beans. I didn't know that.

[Wylie's Mom]

Veggies, overall, can be tough for dogs to digest. Steaming them "starts" the digestion process, so this makes it easier on their system, pureeing them makes it even easier. So, when I was homecooking (we now do raw) - I steamed, then pureed green beans (the greens alkalize the system). I would not feed corn.

You do lose some nutrients from steaming, but you can add those back in through supplementation. It is NOT worth stressing your dog's digestion (if they are having a tough time w/ veg, as many do) - as that can lead to all sort of trouble for some.

Don't micro the meat - it actually alters the "makeup" of the meat. I wouldn't do that at all. If you need convenience, maybe buy a toaster oven and use that to warm stuff up.

[Ellie May]

Homecooked should only be about 10 or 20% of a dog's meal (maybe 25%) if they aren't being supplemented.

If Ellie wasn't allergic to corn, I would have no problem giving it to her. I would grind it up though. You can always pull it if your dog reacts.

[wv yorkie girl]

OK I am new at this but why are you feeding puppies real food? Is the nutrition in good dog food not good enough? Or do some people just have very picky babies?

[deb22]

I wanted to home cook because of all the recalled dog food. Penny is 2 1/2 mos. I made her some ground beef, and veggies, w/br. rice. But I mix a VERY small amount w/ her puppy food. So she still gets nutrients from her puppy food. Maybe some day I will just homecook. But I need to learn more about supplementing. I just pray her puppy food stays safe.

[deb22]

Oh, and I do plan on ordering the YT cookbook!

[Ellie May]

Originally Posted by wv yorkie girl

OK I am new at this but why are you feeding puppies real food? Is the nutrition in good dog food not good enough? Or do some people just have very picky babies?

Puppy food is fine but some of us homecook because the human food supply is regulated more than dog food, so it could be safer. It is fresh food and is good for their bodies. The meat is fit for human consumption and not leftovers. There are no nasty preservatives in it and we can use the ingredients we want.

[marcerella02]

Originally Posted by wv yorkie girl

OK I am new at this but why are you feeding puppies real food? Is the nutrition in good dog food not good enough? Or do some people just have very picky babies?

for the most part dog food is not very nutritious. a lot of us started when the dog food recall began and haven't stopped because our pups are so much more healthy. I believe that raw is the best you can feed your dog, sadly Layla won't even look at it... we might try again soon Dog food is made usually of dead, diseased or disabled animals and has a high content of fillers (corn, wheat...) there are many high quality kibbles (Orijen, Wellness, Solid Gold) if home cooking is not for you. While these kibbles are exceptional.. it is still hard to know where they are getting all their products from... you just gotta trust i guess

[Doodlebug]

Originally Posted by wv yorkie girl

OK I am new at this but why are you feeding puppies real food? Is the nutrition in good dog food not good enough? Or do some people just have very picky babies?

I have been feeding my babies dry food and a few small treats daily. Since the pet food recalls I decided that I want to feed them a little chicken so their entire diet doesn't consist of the processed dog food. They love their Nutro but they love the chicken even more. I split one boiled chicken breast in half to feed both of them. They are 12 lb dogs, so it isn't a large portion of their diet. They love the veggies too.

[Doodlebug]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

Veggies, overall, can be tough for dogs to digest. Steaming them "starts" the digestion process, so this makes it easier on their system, pureeing them makes it even easier. So, when I was homecooking (we now do raw) - I steamed, then pureed green beans (the greens alkalize the system). I would not feed corn.

You do lose some nutrients from steaming, but you can add those back in through supplementation. It is NOT worth stressing your dog's digestion (if they are having a tough time w/ veg, as many do) - as that can lead to all sort of trouble for some.

Don't micro the meat - it actually alters the "makeup" of the meat. I wouldn't do that at all. If you need convenience, maybe buy a toaster oven and use that to warm stuff up.

What are the signs that they are having problems digesting the veggies? I'm just wondering so I can watch and see if they are ok.

Do you think I need to puree veggies for 4 year olds? I was just wondering if you are pureeing for puppies or adults.

[Doodlebug]

Originally Posted by deb22

Oh, and I do plan on ordering the YT cookbook!

Me too!

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by Doodlebug

What are the signs that they are having problems digesting the veggies? I'm just wondering so I can watch and see if they are ok.

Do you think I need to puree veggies for 4 year olds? I was just wondering if you are pureeing for puppies or adults.

Bloated, gassy, or excessive tummy noises. Are the veggies coming out the other end digested or undigested? If undigested, then your dogs are having trouble digesting them - so then you may want to consider steaming/pureeing.

I always purreed for both my 3 yr old and my (then) puppy, just easier to digest for them. That doesn't mean you need to, though ! You can see how your pups do. Or, puree from the get go, kind of depends on what feels best for you. We feed raw now, but they did great on homecooking.