Homecooking + Kibble ~ is this OK?
 

We currently feed Canidae, but I was wondering if it would be OK to cook for them a couple times during the week as well. I can't home cook everyday (only 3-4 days a week) but would love to during the days I can. And, during the days that I can't, they'd just eat their kibble.

Is this OK to do, or will it throw off their diet in any way?

I mix home cooked with kibble for ours everyday and am please with the results. As with any dietary change, I wouldn't make the transition all at once, but would do it gradually to allow their tummies time to adjust.:)

Thanks! Where do you get your recipes from?

My only concern would be that you might have a real problem getting them to eat kibble after they've tasted home cooking.

Can you cook for them on the days you are off and freeze enough to get through the whole week?

Do be sure to use a recipe that is nutritionally complete and add what ever supplements are recommended. Dogs do not get all the vitamins they need from home cooking alone. Their calcium needs are really high (as much as an adult woman!) and you must supplement with a good quality bone meal.

or instead of bone meal, you can use egg shells crushed into a powder...

Here's how to prepare the egg shells and the amount to give:

You can make your own calcium from egg shells and avoid any contamination. Buy organic eggs and after using the eggs rinse the egg shells thoroughly and put them aside in an open container. When you have gathered enough egg shells, put them in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes. Then when cooled, crush them and put them in a coffee grinder, or a fine grinder, until they are like powder.

EGG SHELLS DOSAGE: once a day

10 to 50 lbs 1/8 tsp.
50 to 75 lbs 1/4 tsp.
75 to 100 lbs 1/2 tsp.
100 lbs + 3/4 tsp.

:thumbup:

Very useful, thanks! :)

Also, you brought up a good point that they might not eat their kibble anymore when they've tasted home cooking. Maybe I'll just make them a home cooked meal once a week ... sort of like that special Sunday dinner :)

I think most homecookers will cook a large amount of food at one time. They then divide it into meals and refrigerate and freeze most of the portions. That way they are only cooking once a week or so. Maybe doing that will work for you. Then you are only cooking like once a week. All you have to do is thaw out and warm up and feed.

This is what I do. Sometimes I cook for a week and once I cooked for about a month. If you can give up about 3 or 4 hours once or twice a month then you could homecook all the time.

Oh, this is definitely something that I can do! Does it lose nutritional value if you freeze it? Will it spoil if you leave it in the freezer for that long? What recipe do you use, and do you interchange it between several others?

I had a nutritionist make a recipe for Ellie. She gets just about all her nutrients in supplement form. I cook up her meals and freeze in daily portions. I take one bag out a day and thaw. Then I add her supplements for the day and feed her three times. The recipe I have here is 24% protein dry matter and some people prefer more than that, so it might not help you. I also use a supplement that you have to get through a nutritionist or vet. It is an all-in-one.

Here is the recipe:
23 grams or about an ounce of white meat, skinless chicken
88 grams carbs (I use brown rice)
60 grams mixed veggies)
1 tsp. oil (I use canola or olive)
Supplements

This recipe was formulated for a 5 1/2 pound dog who needs about 182 calories daily post-spay.

You can mix it up however you want. You don't have to use chicken or rice. Noodles or barley or... could be used for the carb (or no carb at all). You can use turkey, beef, lamb... for the meat.

I think it is important to figure out how many calories your dog should have a day and feed that much. It is easy to not feed enough homecooked after feeding kibble because homecooked requires you feed a highter volume of food. That is one of the reasons why I feed three times a day.

Thanks! I have some more reading around to do before I commit to home cooking. :)

None to very little of the nutritional value is lost through freezing at all, so freezing is no problem :thumbup:
I cook up a bunch...Enough to last one month and then freeze in 2 day portions.. It does not spoil...

Just an FYI regarding the eggshells/bone meal--make sure that you are also supplementing proper amounds of vitamin D w/ the calcium additives--otherwise, it's actually BAD for your furkid.:)

Good point about adding vitamin D.

Here is a list of all the supplements you should be adding to a homecooked diet. I used to homecook for Lady, but I got lazy, plus it gets really expensive.

http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-...pplements.html

I have been homecooking for almost 2 years now. After the first couple of times it gets really quick and easy.

I prefer to feed a variety of foods each day so I cook up big batches of everything separtely and flash freeze on a cookie sheet lined with parchment.
Then I bag everything up in its own bag i.e. bag of chicken, bag of beef, bag of carrots etc.

Then each day I scoop out different combinations and thaw. I do serve oatmeal, scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, some fruits and plain yogurt fresh.

I buy everything at the grocery store and figured out that the cost is about the
same as high quality kibble per month. I buy meat when it is on sale and stock up as that is the most expensive part I find.

HTH

I love to talk about homecooking, so if you have any questions about the way I do it please let me know.

You have to be VERY careful with supplementing vitamins D and A...An overdose could cause toxicity, and it is very easy to overdose on these.... I prefer to feed foods high in betacarotene for vitamin A like carrots and sweet potatoes rather than giving vitamin A as a supplement.
Fish oils are rich in vitamin D, so keep that in mind so that you don't overdose your dog on vitamin D by giving it through several sources...An excess of it over time can cause hardening of the heart or kidneys. Homecooking full time takes some research to do it right :)
Here's an excellent link:
http://www.pet-supplies-review.com/c...nutrition.html

:goodpost:

That's exactly why I am so nervous about home cooking and feed Natures Variety Prairie instead.

Somebody else figured everything out for me. :D

It seems like I'll have my work cut out for me if I started home cooking for my girls. I think I'll switch them to a raw diet in the future instead ... I think it's the next best thing :)

Homecooking really isn't that hard :) I really enjoy doing it for my babies. My yorkie is liver compromised and ever since I started homecooking, he has been completely seizure-free and stone/crystal-free...He's healthier than he has ever been! :) You just have to read up on supplements. I would never supplement with plain vitamin A or vitamin D. As I mentioned before, I make sure to include carrots and/or sweet potatoes in their diets for the betacarotene and I give fish oil. I also supplement with vitamin b-complex and vitamin E. Also, the eggshells for calcium :) I can't think of what else right now, but as I remember, I will post. It's important to get a good starter book or to get a couple of recipes from a dog nutritionist :)

Actually raw is the best thing...homecooking would be second best

Ah, good to know ... much less of a hassle too, as it will already be prepared for me. :D

Just curious, does the Vitamin D present more of a risk to your baby due to the liver disorder?

Very good point though...you have to make sure you are feeding foods rich in vitamins that compliment each other and are well balanced. Point in case as we have discussed, Calcium is harmful if supplemented alone, yet the carriers are harmful if given in excess.

I too have been cooking for several years now for my dogs, despite my vet being opposed to it. He finally has come around to accepting it after I had him do a blood panel on my guys and they were all within acceptable ranges for calcium/phospherous ratios.

I've read most of the posts and the one thing I did not see mentioned is some of the good pre-mixes that are available today. I have been using Dr. Harvey's Canine Health for two years now. All you do is add 2.5 ozs to 7.5 ozs of water and then add six ozs of meat or protein. Honest Kitchen is another good one.

With 8 dogs I cook once or twice a week and freeze it.

You can also go to BalanceIt.com and they used to do one free recipe for you based on your dog's weight, level of activity and age. Not sure if they are still doing one free but they were reasonably priced and its a good way to make sure you are meeting your dog's nutritional requirements.

I do use supplements add do add calcium carbonate to some recipes.

It takes a while to do the research but there is a lot of it available on the web.

:thumbup: This is exactly what I do with my dogs!:aimeeyork :aimeeyork

Table Food for Yorkies
 

Our yorkie doesn't appear to have any special dietary needs and has done very well eating the same proteins that we serve at our own table... chicken, ground beef, steak, etc., although these are combined with kibble and a cooked vegetable (broccoli, green beans, etc) for improved fiber. We include kibble (sprinkled over the main course) to help provide additional vitamin support and also to help her avoid developing a selective palate. We have been feeding Sparkles a combination of 'table food' and kibble with good success since birth. She also gets plenty of exercise (2-3 hours of running in our yard) per day and is surprisingly strong for her size. She does not have any chronic conditions (allergies, digestive, etc.) and has been very healthy (thank God).

I hate to use the word table food, because it makes me think of seasoned, salted, fried, etc. foods....But yes, real food is much better than kibble.

As long as food is not seasoned, salted, no fat, etc. then it's great! Of course, no raisins, grapes, onions, etc.

Foods like pork or turkey/chicken skins can cause pancreatitis, so try to avoid those as well..

I'm so glad your baby does well on homecooked foods...