Home cooking/"people food" Question Well my picky girl Maddie has once again decided she does not like the food she's eating, which is raw. I have tried 3 different kinds of the raw in the last couple weeks and she is just not having it. I am willing to do whatever I have to that gets her to eat, and so far what she WILL eat is what I'm eating, her favorite being any kind of meat: turkey, chicken, beef, etc. She's not as crazy about cheese but she'll eat that too. She likes little tastes of yogurt or vanilla ice cream, things of that nature. My question is, if I'm going to homecook and/or feed her the food that I eat, what is it that she needs to be getting to be healthy? I know she can't solely rely on meat and cheese to balance her diet, so I want to know what are all the things I need to make sure she is getting by feeding her this way? I know what she is NOT supposed to have: onions, caffine, chocolate, grapes, etc. but wondered what she needs for sure and/or what your babies like if you feed them this way. Thanks in advance! |
Some say dogs can live on protein and fat and no or very few carbs. Some say protein, fat and carbs. Some say dogs can be vegetarians. Some say vegetables are important............. We feed protein with carbs, vegetables and oil for linoleic here. Then they need vitamins and minerals. It is best to get a recipe from a nutritionist. Normally Ellie gets boneless skinless chicken breast, noodles or rice, mixed vegetables and canola oil. :) |
The best thing you can do is talk to a nutritionist- i use Susan Davis askariel.com she is great- very informative and can create a diet that has the proper amount of K/cals for her weight and make sure that her diet is balanced. She MUST be supplemented - i use both the supplement and calcium from animalessentials.com But again- the best thing many on here will suggest is a nutritionst- takes all the guess work out of it and you learn SO much! |
Consulting a nutritionist is best. If you don't want to do that at first, here are a couple of good websites for homecooking recipes: Welcome to the Balance IT® Web Site http://www.naturesfarmacy.com/UserFriendlyDiet.pdf As the other posters said, you have to provide the necessary supplements. The calcium to phosphorus ratio is especially important. Dogs have a much higher calcium requirement than humans. In fact, a small dog needs about as much calcium as an adult woman. If the ratio isn't right, they can have skeletal, neurological and cardiac problems. A dog on a homecooked diet needs to get bloodwork done regularly, every six months in the beginning. |
I would use a nutrionist to make sure she is getting everything that she needs. Like Marci, we use susan davis. She is awesome and she makes it very easy for you. we had an hour consultation on the phone and she just made it very easy for me. We give the girls raw in the morning and homecook meal at night. You do need to invest in a small food scale to measure each meal since you don't want to over or under feed her. |
Thank you everyone, that is really helpful information. I'm going to try and contact Susan Davis since she comes so highly recommended. Where did you get your food scale? She has had bloodwork done twice, at the beginning of her pickiness to make sure she didn't have an infection, and once a couple months ago when she got her updated rabies. Everything has looked great so far. She is due to be spayed and have her teeth cleaned in February, so I plan on doing the blood panel again before that as well. She gets Eicosaderm daily and I've tried giving her Pet Tabs but no matter what form I put them in, crushed or not, she will not eat them, even hidden in yogurt or cheese, she knows it...:rolleyes: The Eicosaderm tastes like fish so she likes that, but I doubt fish oil is enough of a supplement for her. I think she does this because she knows I'll keep switching for her and give her whatever she wants, but at the same time I feel terrible doing the "they'll eat when they're hungry" routine...I just can't, I have to make sure she eats and if this is what it takes then so be it. :p |
I feel a variety of whole grains, cooked vegetables, some fruit, and a protien. I also feed a homemade vitamin suppliment that contains bonemeal and kelp along with some other ingredients that supply the necessary micronutrients. Right now I am cooking for five of the dogs - including Scarlett. She ate home cooked meals during her entire pregnancy and and as she continues to nurse. The pups are starting out right - by eating good nutritious home cooked meals - and if I do say so myself, they are spectatular! Donna, Yorkiedaze is by far the smartest person I know when it comes to home cooking. All you have to do is to look at Azrael, Raziel and Zada to see that her dogs are healthy and happy. She has spent countless hours mentoring me and answering questions. |
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Most dog vitamins were created to add to commercial food which is already full of them. She will most likely need something quite a bit more concentrated. |
we got our little food scale from bath and beyond but i think you can get it at walmart or target also. good luck with home cooking and just want to tell you that $78 consultation fee that we had we susan was the best money that we have spent on our girls. |
That little stinker! I thought you had it figured out with the raw. That just sucks!! I have heard fabulous things about Susan Davis, please let us know how your consultation goes. Hope she likes the homecooking better, it would be awful to go through all the trouble to cook and then have her turn up that tiny little nose!! |
I've been feeding lucas homecooked for about 3 days and he now jumps up and down and dances when it's dinner time. Before all he would do is slink to the food bowl and act like I was punishing him! I'm still doing my research but he's eating more food so I can't help but feel that in itself is an improvement!! Good luck. |
i am not much help in answering your question, sorry! :( but just wanted to say Susan Davis has helped SO MANY!! she comes with very high recommendations!! ;) good luck!! :) |
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