this is so confusing for me
 

i just bought the dr pitcairns book, and i must say i am more confused than ever. do i use vitamin c tablets for humans? do i crush them up into a powder? it must be me, i just cannot concentrate on all these different things to substitute and add. all the different groups.
do i use human calcium tablets instead of bonemeal? or do i go buy bonemeal? i guess i need it spelled out to me.

:idontknow But I hope someone here will help you, if not you may want to ask the vet:animal-pa

supplementation??
 

Are you feeding a premium dog food? Why are you supplementing? Missing link is good as well as bonemeal. What so you think your dog is missing? Just wondering, Lynn

hi, i am homecooking for sammy , and i give him a multi vitamin and missing link, but i know there are other supplements that are even better for him, the thing is ( i guess i am not reading it right or i am just plain dumb ) but the book is a bit confusing for me.
like the book says to use ground vitamin c , is is human kind? do i grind it myself?
do i add vitamins c,a and e to each meal?
i guess the book is good , but my head is spinning from it. i thought someone on here would be able to help me figure it all out, if they are homecooking with supplements. thanks
elle

Do you need to feed supplements if you're feeding a good quality kibble, or is that just for people who raw and home cook for their babies?

I think a lot of people her supplement with the better kibbles, too. I do.:)

For homecooking, you need to supplement. For kibble, their are some "supplements" already in the kibble, but many provide their babies w/ more superior supplementation. For raw, you don't even really need to supplement at all, but some do use enzymes.

Your not alone....I have been reading on homecooking on here for a while now and I STILL dont get it. Well I get it, but Im scared to do it and would worry i was missing something. :(

well thank you, i am glad i am not alone. i have been homecooking only, no dog food at all and all i give sammy is a multi vitamin and the missing link, but i want to do more.
i was hoping someone who does homecooking on yt will be able to inform me , so i can get to the health food store right away .
thanks for answering
elle

I tried the home cooking and they really loved it, but I was always afraid I was missing something. I'm going to get that book at the library, and if I can figure it out I might go back to it. Atleast unlike my family they loved everything I cooked for them.:rolleyes:

See post #5 especially: http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93775

Another good one: http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=94570

I think both of those threads pretty much spell it out. I am not a big fan of Pitcairn's book - so I understand why you're frustrated.

yeah , alot of those posts are from me , asking about vitamins and supplements.
i am glad i am not alone with this . i am still hoping someone can spell it out for me.
thanks

Okay, when it talks about any kinds of vitamins, it's talking about human kind. Pills need to be crushed. You can use a mortar and pestle. Once you make the healthy powder mix once, you won't have to make it again for a long time. You don't add vitamin C to every meal. It's ONLY in the healthy powder mix.
Instead of bone meal, I like to use eggshells for calcium...So, instead of 4 tbsp of bone meal, it says you can use 2 level tbsp of powdered eggshell (crushed by you).
Ask me any questions that you have...I will help you.

I don't like to use Vitamin A or Vitamin D, so I never add that to the meals. They can get these from the food that they eat. I use carrots or sweet potatoes in the recipes so that they get betacarotene.

I add Vitamin E to every recipe. But that's easy. You just get a capsule of Vitamin E, and pierce it and pour it over the food and mix it in well.

I'm confused, reading through all your posts it seems like several people have spelt it out for you already, quite a few times :confused:

first of all, maybe i am not as bright as you are, ( and i did take this as being a bit rude) but the book and the posts are a bit confusing for me. there is alot of different info about what is good supplements for them. i do not know if you have read the book, but quite a few people have said it is confusing and they are still not ready to try homecooking with supplements. they are scared to try it because they are afraid they will not give the proper amounts. i did not think that i was bothering yt's on here. i am as concerned about my yorkie as well as they are about theres. there are a few people on yt who know what they are doing and have had alot of experience with homecooking, thats why i am asking. sorry to bother you and have yu read unwanted posts.

I wasen't trying to be rude, not at all. I was honestly just confused at what you wanted to know that you had not already been told. There are lots of different views on the right supplements, you just have to decide what works best for you and your yorkie.

hi, thanks so much for going through this once again and i am sorry to bother you, but do you give the vitamin b complex, if so , whats the milligrams?
whats the milligrams of vit e you give? i am going today to the health food store to get everything for him.
on the vit c, do i buy pills and crush them or do they sell ground vit c?
i really appreciate all your help. thanks
elle

For Vitamin C, you crush the pills. You can use a mortar and pestle if you have one.
For Vitamin E, I buy 400 IU and add to each recipe.
For Vitamin B-complex, I buy the B-complex 50...The amount I add depends on which recipe I use.

Do you already have the kelp, nutritional yeast, and lecithin granules?

Im right with you...I dont think its lack of intelligence it's lack of confidence. I am the same way...I am intimidated by some of the instructions as I dont know some of the words being used. Don't think your stupid for one second...Ask Villette, Yorkieluv, Marcerella, Wyliesmom, and More how many times I have aked then to break homecooking down for me...they try, and I get all confused and overwhelmed and give up :( Its a huge step. I have raised 2 skin kids and wasnt near as paranoid about the foods they ate as it was spelled out clearly and taught to use in school since the first grade. Maybe we can learn this together :thumbup: Have a few mentors hold our hands and guide us through? Everyone is different and some things come more naturally and other things dont. I could coach a football, basketball, and baseball game from beginning to end and have most in here going HUH??? lol Yes the chalk board with the X's and O's make perfect sense to me!!

Like if I say okay run the 28 sweep out of a no huddle offense. That means the team rushed to the line of scrimmage and gets set...noone calls plays causing confusion for the defense. The ball is snapped the 1 back pitches it to the 2 back the 3 and 4 back are leading blockers for the 2 back, the 2 back hits the 8 hole and hopefully scores a td!! Now that comes easy to me.....may not to others doesnt mean they are less intelligent just different....

Hey I have an idea anyone interested in learning the ins and outs of a sport let me know and in return you can teach me how to homecook!!! lol :thumbup: :thumbup:

Why do i get the feeling noone is gonna take me up on this lmao:cool:

yes , i have all that. thanks so much for all your help
elle

Hahaha!!! You're cracking me up over here. LOL :)

Well I try....lol i hear the football stuff everyday :) I LOVE IT! So, when are you and Miko gonna get a web cam so I can sit you down in my kitchen and you help me cook??? lol

I just bought the book too and it's not all I thought it would be. Not enough recipies and complicated on the supplements but alot of other great information. I think I'll be looking for something different for thier recipies though. Right now I am using it as a basis and adding in more foods on my own and until I get everything together and give those supplements a go I am buying a multi (the one Marcel's mommy uses) and just now realizing that I think I need to give the calcium as well. So I will start giving the eggshell.

Anyone else have a suggestion on a good book on feeding?

Don't worry, I think if you get them off of that crap they call kibble and feed them healthy foods you can't go wrong. Mine did have a hard time in the change over with some bloody poops and soft stools but after a while the poops are hardened back up and lookin good. ;)

Kim

i had a panic moment the other day about feeding raw because the food recalls have made their way into pre-made raw diets (tho not because of anything to do with China). So i went to Dr. Pitcairn's site and was debating getting this book everyone talks about and homecooking for morgan. After reading thru some things i've decided that homecooking is even more of a gamble then feeding raw or kibble. You need all these supplements because cooked food is no where near a natural diet for dogs. If you don't supplement then you run the risk of doing more harm then good. Feeding kibble, while also nowhere near their natural diets at least gives them all they need (if its a premium food). And if your feeding raw you don't need to supplement AT ALL. People who do supplement do it for their own ease, not the dogs, or because the dog needs something a little extra like joint protection.

Yes that bravo recall reminded me exactly why I don't feed a pre made raw, they are so much more careful when it comes to meat that they think humans will be eating. Your right, feeding raw you do not need to supplement at all because they get everything they need from their food. The more you vary the different raw meats the more variety of vitamins they get. I do give salmon oil and vitamin e though, not because I think they need it but simply as a little extra for their coats and skin.

morgan gets salmon oil too and i hate the way it makes her beard stink :rolleyes:

of the pre-made diets i feed, i do not give chicken or turkey. i prefer beef, venison, and lamb. there's just something about the poultry ones that bother me and now i'm happy for not giving them. Tho i do feed actual chicken so....:rolleyes: . i just feel better about giving real organic poultry.

If you homecook the right way, I don't think it's a gamble at all.

I have a dog with a very compromised liver and he was on a prescription diet for almost 2 yrs, and he did fine on it, but he still had constant seizures, head pressing, LOTS of ammonium urate stones, etc.

Ever since I started homecooking for him, he has improved significantly. I can't tell you how long it has been since he has had a seizure. He hasn't had stones in months, and no headpressing at all. He is healthier than I have ever seen him. His coat is shinier and it's growing faster. He has plenty of energy :)

I did not use a recipe from Dr. Pitcairn for him because none of the diets in the book would work for his condition. but I use a diet that was formulated by another vet.

I used Dr. Pitcairn's book to get started homecooking for my maltese. I love the healthy powder mix and I use the general outline of a couple of the recipes in there. I think a lot of the information in the book is very good to know. It explains supplements in depth.

It seems confusing at first when you're reading, but honestly, all you have to do is read the recipes if that's all you want from it.

You can use any of the recipes and substitute different meats, different grains, and different veggies each time. You can just use it as a guide.

For example, for the doggie oats...
Instead of oats, you can use brown rice or bulgur or whatever you want...
Instead of the ground turkey, you can use ground chicken, or lean ground beef, or tofu, or cottage cheese
For the veggies, you can use several or alternate.
This way, everytime you make the recipe, you can have a lot of variety for your dog.

Yeah I get you, chicken can be very over processed. I feed as many different meats as I can get hold of. Mostly beef (including tripe), lamb, chicken and turkey because thats what I can get most easily but they have also had duck, goat and pheasant (venison is almost non existent in the UK). They love ox heart too and its packed with taurine. Organ meat is lambs liver, beef liver and kidneys.

Elle - just my own opinion here - but I don't think Lara was trying to be rude at all. I too thought it had all been spelled out before, which is why I linked to some past threads that were just so darn better written than I could do in another re-write attempt. :p

I understand how confusing it is - but I too was seeing the same questions asked more than a few times, so I just wasn't sure how I could help further. I think it sometimes comes down to someone posting it in just the right way where, for whatever reason, it just clicks all of a sudden. So, hang in there.

When I started, I would read and re-read alot of threads - what really helped was to cut/paste info. from the posts, put it in my own word document, typed up in such a way that really spelled it out for ME, in my own words. Maybe that might be something you could try? It really does help to create your own "cheat sheet" in your own words.

YORKIELUV provided SUPERB info as always - I'd make a cheat sheet off of her info any day!!! That'd be a great place to start.

Take care and keep us updated! :D