[Dolgad]

Hello everybody :wave:
as I said in the "Pictures" my time in "internet world" was very limited for a while
but now already had the time to see the new pics here (which are great!), read some topics :wink:
and of course I am here with a question!
well...to cut it short...I switched Pupa to a home cooked food...
I mean it is a bit late for me to stay asking if it is worth it...
I really doubt she will go back to Science Diet (which she was "eating" before) and I dont see the necessity for it.
I made this decision cos she was eating bad...I mean really bad...and loosing hair. And when she has thrown up one evening - it was the last thing I needed. I was kinda thinking before that it might be a bit boring for her to just stick to this Science Diet for all her life.
So I read a lot of info in books and Internet, and found out what I can cook for her and what I shouldn't...
so here I am asking you people (who maybe feed their babies with home-cooked food or who know about it)
if I am doing everything right:
the menu includes:
meat: chicken, beef, sea-fish(once a week), by-products (not a lot)

grain: rice, corn, oats, buckwheet, pasta, bread, noodles

dairy: lowfat ricotta, lowfat cheese, yogurt

vegs: cabbage, brokkoly, peas, carrot, marrow, pumpkin,cauliflower etc (excluding sweet peppers, onion, tomato)

additional: veg/olive oil, parsley

fruit: apples, banana etc (exc. grapes)

eggs: boiled or omelette (once a week)

what not to give:
- fried
- smoked
- with a lot of salt and spices
- sweets
- milk
- nuts
- onion
- grapes
- beans
- sweet pepper

Also I bought good vitamins (in the pet store they told me that if I am feeding at home, I can just crush half a pill with the morning food and half a pill in the evening and it gives the required vitamins)

So for example what I've been feeding her:
- boiled pieces of chicken with carrot, peas and rice
- noodels with scrambled eggs,carrot,marrow,chicken
- thick stew of all vegs (mentioned above) + small pasta beads + I added there her kibble (she eat it all) or I can add pieces of beef
...
also on the weekend in the very morning I give her a bit of mashed banana with ricotta and so on...

I noticed that she started going to poop only twice a day (before it was like 3-4 times) - which tells me that more food is being digested properly. The poop is solid and doesnt stink a lot.
She doesnt have "fishy" smell from her mouth any more...
What I am worried about is if my menu is rich enough, if maybe I forgot something, what else if necessary for her to eat?
I heard something about cod liver? what is it? where do i buy it?
Also any tips about home feeding will be appreciated highly!!!
Sorry I bored you guys with so much information, but I really need advice
Thanks in advance! :wave:

 

[Ms_P]

The only thing I can tell you about this is you do not want to give "cod liver oil". What you need is fish body oil.

I don't know a lot about this kind of diet, I read about it and wasn't that impressed. But if you have the time to do your research and fix all the necessary foods and vitamins/minerals, good luck with it.

The reason I know about the cod liver oil is because my Koke has color dilutant alopecia. Everything I have read says not to give cod liver oil, give them fish body oils. They can be found in health food stores. Just make sure you read the labels.

 

[sjc]

I cant really advise you either on this. I'm not a fan of the "RAW" or also called "BARF" diets. Some animals and also the owner have contracted "Salmonella" bacteria from these diets. Yours may be different?

I would use "Flax Seed Oil" it is safe and great to use on your Chi's. My Chi Bruiser had a lot of problems with the "Science Diet". I changed him over to "Royal Canin" and he never looked better. There is also a excellent food called "Flint River Ranch" it is oven baked and has all natural ingredients in it. You can order it over the Internet. They absolutley love it! Good Luck!

Sandra

 

[Dolgad]

Ms_P, sjc - thanks a lot for the response!
I will definitely look for "fish body oil" (isnt it that what they give to kids?) or "Flax Seed Oil"...
will read about them now a bit...

As I understood from my little research I made Science Diet is good in everything except that the meat content is a bit low...even the first ingredient on the packet is not meat... Royal Canin she wouldnt even smell - I bouth a packet...
I never heard about "Flint River Ranch"...doubt if I saw it in the shops...
Over the internet - hmm... I will pay more for the shipping I am afraid
thanks for the advice anyway! :wave:

ehh...looks like I am alone here who is considering home-cooking :roll:

 

[Dolgad]

sjc - by the way, I am not feeding meat raw...
raw I give only vegs and prior to that I grate them, to be more digestible

a lot of work i should say, but I really enjoy it

 

[sjc]

That is a much better and a safer way to do it! There are a lot of people out there feeding their little ones "Raw Meat". I would be very uncomfortable doing that. Your diet sounds much safer and better
best wishes

Sandra

 

[Camilla]

Olga, when I got Poppy I also considered doing a home cooked diet because she was really fussy and wouldnt eat anything! But I ended up having to cook special things for her and I just didnt have the time to devote to it so in the end she now eats Purina dog chow which she loves.But good luck, I will be interested to hear how it goes for you :wave:

 

[Dolgad]

sjc - :wink: I never will experiment with raw food cos I am not 100% sure in meats... better safe than sorry :wink:

Camilla King - if it's interesting then I will post how the feeding is going Then thing is that I really enjoy finding out about it, reading, cooking for her

 

[Tinker]

There is a great food called Wellness, all natural ingredients and very healthy. Some dogs don't like it because it has rosemary oil in it but most dogs take right to it. If you have the time then I think your home cooked diet is excellent since you are cooking the meat and being careful about what you put in the food.

 

[biscuits]

I just started to have home-cooked food for my chis.. After feeding them for 9 years, their healths start to have problems, despite their old age. Vet commented them one of them is over-protein which result her to have liver problem. True enough, most of the kibbles have high contents of protein which may not be good for dogs.

Anway, just hope that those who are also feeding home-cook food for their chis, do share with me your receipes.

For mine, i will prepare 1 week meals supply and will put into 7 zip-locked bags and freeze them. I will thaw one daily & get it cooked.

Currently i'm feeding them minced pork, carrots, brocolii, aspeargus. Will consider giving them brown rice soon. Even though home cooked is supposed to be healthy.. but it may not have the full supplements.. On top of that, i will add solid gold seameal and Missing Link into the food after it cools down.

I did notice a change in terms of their coats and they are not as smelly as before.

 

[Pauline Leland]

I've been feeding Boop raw for a while, which made my vet unhappy when she learned of it - salmonella, et al. Vet was pretty emphatic that dogs can get food borne illnesses. She recommended Dr. Rebecca Remillard, Google her, but the consultations are $250!!! Or Dr Donald R. Strombeck's Home-Prepared Dog & Cat Diets, much less at $43 at dogwise.com.

I bought the book! It arrived yesterday, I got the ingredients yesterday and today, and am about to start cooking, after I get off the net.

After the obligatory slam of commercial dog foods, Dr. Strombeck explains dog and cat nutrition and then gives specific recipes that use easy to find grocery store ingredients. Well, I had to go to a pet food store to get bone meal. You can add veggies, but I'm going to rely on pet vitamin pills for a while. The ingredients for the first meal I'll try are:

very lean beef
rice
canned sardines in tomato sauce (!!!)
canola oil
salt substitute - potassium chloride
bonemeal
multi vitamin-mineral tablet, pet or human​

He gives the amounts of each, says it will feed a 30-lb dog for one day, says how many calories it contains. Then it's up to me to find out how many calories my dog needs from one of the tables in the book and adjust the amounts! Have a calculator handy.

He also doesn't give any cooking directions. I assume I'll cook the meat and rice separately, crush the pills, and then mix everything together.

I'm doing this because Boop refuses to eat dog food. Well, if she's starving she would, but I can't be that stern with my ickle Boopsie. And the melamine tainted commercial foods terrified me.

He also has recipes for puppies, pregnant and lactating bitches, and dogs with special health problems. One review of the book, found via Google, says it's fairly dry. True.

Since my vet recommended the book, I thought I'd pass the info along. Wish me luck, and I'll wish you the same.