Homemade dog food question?

Question

Is there anything wrong with my homemade dog food recipe?
2 cups beef gravy
2 cups finely diced buckboard ham
1 small finely diced potato
2 small diced carrots
2 1/2 cups cooked white rice
Is there anything wrong with this? Is anything in it bad for my dogs? If it matters, my dogs are border collie/australian shepherd/newfoundland, lhasa apso/terrier, and wolf/husky/chow, and they are 50, 25 and 85 pounds respectively and 2,5, and 2 years old, respectively. Thanks!!

Buckboard ham is the same ham that people eat, it just isnt sliced. It comes in a big block or log or whatever you want to call it. Also, if my recipe isnt adequate, how can I fix whats wrong with it?

Answer 1

Sounds fine to me. If a buckboard ham is regular ham that people eat too, then go for it. It sounds like a nice treat for your dogs.

Answer 2

I feed my dogs a prey model diet (80% meat, 10% bone, 5% liver, 5% other organ) So it's pretty easy and cheap if your a smart shopper : D . Plus the main point is "balance over time". Feeding a raw diet also can help with many problems too, including allergies, anal gland problems, dentals, and some skin problems. But of course everything has a risk and possible risks include bacterial infection (more towards the humans than the dogs/cats; but it shouldn't be a problem if you clean properly) and you have to be careful especially when it comes to fish (some may contain very bad parasites) and also to be careful with trichinosis (depending upon where you live; but it's believed that freezing for a period of time will kill it), and also VERY VERY VERY VERY RARELY will a dog choke on a bone or become internally hurt from a bone and even then it's normally due to a gulper but even so the risk is ALWAYS there--- but please remember dogs can choke on kibble too. BUT when it comes to cooking a meal vs. kibble--- Cooking is better because you know what goes into the food BUT you have to be pretty careful and make sure he gets the correct balance of his dietary needs ESPECIALLY because you can't give dogs cooked bone-- and bone is a pretty major part; so you have to find a supplement/replacement for the nurtients found from bone. Kibble already is a pretty "balanced" meal, but you don't really know what's in it and besides that you cant CONTROL what's in kibble/commercialized dog food.... and once in a while extra ingredients could be added- remember the recalls a few years ago with the rat poisoning...? And kibble can be pretty expensive. Tooth problems (as well as allergies) and kibble normally go hand in hand. So EVERYTHING has a risk and a benefit and its up to the individual owner to decide what's best for the dog as well as the owner/budget/and lifestyle. ^_^

Answer 3

I would substitute the ham for diced, poached chicken, turkey or lamb. Pork has an enzyme in it that can be hard for dogs to digest, possibly making them feel slightly off and may give them the runs. Plus the curing process in ham contains too many chemicals and salt, even if a person eats too much ham, too often, it will make them ill. I would also add another cup of diced veges, just to change it up a bit, a bit more green veges eg broccoli, spinach no stem, cauliflower(although this can give them smelly farts). Even raw grated apple, added after the food is cooked and cooled is good for their skin and fur. And a teaspoon of minced garlic, a teaspoon chopped parsley and a teaspoon chopped mint to aid in digestion. Home cooked food digests differently to canned or pre made food.

Answer 4

Your recipe looks great. All you need is a multivitamin and a good quality fat if you are using lean ham. You can get good quality vitamins at pet supply stores, farm supply stores, and you can even use human vitamins. I just crush up about a half of a multi vitamin and a half of a calcium tablet and mix it in with my dog's food. I also add a bit of olive oil to get the proper fat content.
Otherwise, your recipe looks great.
My recipe I use if you want to mix it up is:
2 c. cooked rice
2. uncooked oats
2. cups chicken, tuna, eggs or beef (I use a mix of eggs and meat) Buy the chepest cuts of meat and boil it first.
2 c. diced or shredded veggies.
1/8 - 1/4 c. olive oil (use less if using a fatty meat or eggs, more if lean meat.)

What a good dog-parent you are!!

Answer 5

Pork is generally bad for dogs.. I'm not sure what it's called, a word beginning with T I believe that is bad for dogs that's in all pork. I would definitely consider changing that out for chicken, particularly breast. I also give her beef, human grade of course (my dog I mean). Potato is a good source of carbs, but try changing out the white rice for brown. You can also try zucchini added to carrots, or even squash. Also, depends on what the gravy is made of.. what the quality is, I mean. I'm sure it contains lots of starch that your dog doesn't need, as well as salt (and the pork too). Cut out the salt, definitely, as dogs dont need spices, etc. Good luck! :o)

Answer 6

I wouldn't give my dogs that much gravy and I would put some eggs in the dog food as well. And I don't know what "buckboard" ham is either. I assume it is chopped up ham. And I would give them more rice than what you are. Dogs love rice and it's cheap to feed them.

Answer 7

As the others have said, pork and too much fat is bad for dogs. You should get John Miller's book which has hundreds of safe dog food recipes, and he tells you how much to make based upon the size and activity and breed of your dog. Go to http://www.homemadehealthypetfood.com for more info, and for some of the recipes.

Answer 8

may be a little high in salt. point of reference: i know an old man who's dog was old and healthy and i was surprised. the old man told me that the best thing to feed your dog is the same thing you're eatting. if that's the way you wanna go, great for the dog.
i would recommend, since he is eatting the same food that you are, that you always make the dog wait untill after you are done eatting, before you feed it. this is the natural and proper thing to do because it maintains the understanding of the order of hiarchy (dog before man) and is very healthy for your dog and relationship with it.

Answer 9

I believe I'd cut the gravy in half and use beef or chicken rather than the ham.

Be sure to refrigerate the dog food to prevent salmonella.

Answer 10

Hi,
I found hundreds of great recipes for my dog at http://www.dogfood.co.nr , take a look at this site it has a great guide for dog food.
Hope this helps you with your dog