Homecooking - where to start?
 

Recently, I have been thinking about switching my 9 month old yorkie from kibble to home cooked meals. I am currently feeding him Innova puppy food, with some wet everyday. He will eat it, but he just doesn't feed happy with his kibble anymore. And I really would like to switch him to home cooked meals because I know he would love it. So, everyone who home cooks for there little ones, let me ask you:
But where should I start? Any websites/threads that could help assist me? What should I be feeding him & how much etc.?

Also, if I switch my yorkie, Koda, to home cooked meals, I would like to do that same with my 3 month old kitten. Does anyone home cook for they're kitten/cat as well? Since cats are carnivores I'm really not sure if I should give her all the same things I would with Koda.

Thanks in advance! Any information would help, really. Sorry if I am asking to many questions, this is the first time I have considered something like this.

:)Sheri
:doghop:Koda & :cat:Zoey

A good place to start is the Sticky at the top of this section - there are some recipes there. A lot folks recommend the Pitcairn book, though I am not a fan of it - he recommends things that dogs don't need to eat (and makes them seem necessary, which makes me question his entire book) and he makes homecooking seem totally overwhelming. When I was homecooking, his book almost made me stop. But, other folks like parts of his book.

The real key to homecooking is balancing the cal/phos ratio - you MUST supplement calcium when homecooking. Others also give digestive enzymes, multi vits/minerals, probiotics, Omega 3/6 etcetera. Done correctly, homecooking is very good for them. I wish I had a book I could recommend. I had heard of another, more simple one - but now I cannot remember what it was.

I moved on from homecooking to feeding Natures Variety Raw Frozen Medallions and could not be more thrilled. It made more nutritional sense to me than cooking, is more species appropriate, and is a complete nutritional diet - no supplements needed. My guys are healthier than ever.

So, I think there are a lot of options - I just wish I had a book to recommend - but others will chime in w/ recipes to get you going. The key is to nail down how you're going to supplement first - then figure out your cooking. :)

Is Natures Variety Raw a brand of kibble, but all raw? I'm kind of nervous about trying another kibble - I know he got bored of Innova easily. I tried looking it up on a dog food analysis, but couldn't find it. Thanks for all your help!:animal-pa

Nature's Variety is a dog food that has raw patties & medallions, canned, and kibble. Here is the webite Nature's Variety

I also use the raw and love it. My dogs are doing great on it. I also homecook from time to time and they also get the kibble/canned when we are up in Canada. My yorkie can eat anything...my Bichon, can only eat rabbit or the fish diet I was sent by Wile's mom.

so all you both feed them is the raw medallions? i am very interested in this. i would love to cook for bella, but i did it for a while and she wouldnt eat it, and i always felt like i didnt have the nutrition right.

The NV raw is balanced diet for dogs and you can feed cats it too. I love this. It is the only food that my Bichon can eat without getting sick. Many people here feed the NV medallions. I use the patties, as they are cheaper in the long run.

Thank you everyone, :hug:
This sounds so much easier then having to cook everyday. I checked out the website and it looks great. Do you have a petstore around you that sells it? I'm going to see if we have a local one around us.

If you go to the website, they have a wonderful store finder AND a feeding guide where you can enter your dog's weight/activity level - and see exactly how much to feed. :D

Julie is right - the patties or chubs are less expensive....I'm just lazy so I use the medallions bc they come in little 1 oz. chunks, which I like. :)

I am feeding 2 dogs on it...so for me the patties work better. But I do use the medallions when I want to give Myah a little variety.

Ellie gets homecooked but there really aren't any good books about it that I have found. I talked to a nutritionist to make sure everything was right for Ellie. You can also go to the BalanceIT website and buy recipes. I'd stay away from the ones that use the actual BalanceIT supplement, but you can buy the version with human supplement ratios. That might work for you.

By the way, I don't cook everyday.
I cook 1-4 times a month and freeze it.

Ellie May - nutritionist detail
 

Hi Ellie May, I was wondering if you could PM me with your nutritionist's information (if you do in fact recommend them). I am in need of help with my dog's diet specially formulated for his liver... Any advice would be appreciated.

I don't mind posting it right here...I already have talked about her.:)
Her name is Rebecca Remillard and she has more qualifications than I can even comprehend. She is one of the best in the world. Her site is petdiets.com but it is best to use that site if your dog is perfectly healthy. If not, you can contact her directly through MSPCA/Angell Memorial in Boston and have a phone consult with her. The consult and recipe is about $160. The number is (617) 522-7282. Following the prompts to get to that department takes a looong time. She will want you to read his blood test results possibly and explain in depth about your pup's health problems.

I don't always recommend going this way because she likes the BalanceIT line of supplements and I don't like their general mix for healthy dogs, but they use BalanceIT K for dogs with liver issues and I like it better. That is what Ellie uses. She has high bile acids. She might give you a list of different proteins, carbs and veggies you can chose from. I'd recommend not feeding red meat or pork even if it is on the list. Maybe she would create a diet with fish, egg or cottage cheese for your pup instead.

There is also Dr. Wakshlag out of Cornell and may be okay.
All veterinary schools should have one on staff.
Wylie's Mom also likes her nutritionist, Susan Davis.