Is chicken good for my Pomeranian?

Question

Where I am located, all the stores sale nothing but crap dog food, like pedigree. Therefore, it seems that I can only cook something for my dog. If I cook my dog chicken and white rice (a meal which will have no salt or fat), would it be a healthy meal for him?

He is an 8-year-old, male Pomeranian, is not obese, and has no health issues.

Answer 1

he is missing out on lots of nutrtion this way. He will need more than just chicken meat and rice. Home cooked meals are possible, but more variety is needed... organ meats, and variety of meat is needed. Calcium is important too. Search thru yahoo groups and find some groups that do home cooked or rawfeeding and you will understand why that is not good enough.

Many of the better brands of dog food can be ordered online. Drs Foster and Smith has a good brand and you can order it from them. Many pet stores carry good brands, certainly there is a pet store near you? Check out feed stores in your area too. I buy Merrick's at a local feed store, they order it special for me.

Answer 2

Not really... He will still need other stuff (vitamins/minerals) which aren't in those... In fact, dogs can't digest rice, so why feed it? If you can't find a good dog food near you....Could you order it and have it shipped? If not, and that cost too much.

I'd look into starting a raw food diet. www.rawmeatybones.com

It is what your dog should eat anyway. I know a lady that does small dog rescue, and they won't let the dogs go to homes which won't feed raw...

Here is what she gives to people taking their dogs:

RAW FOOD DIET

Your new dog has the same digestive tract and DNA as it's ancestor, the wolf. Yes, even a 4 lb Yorkie is very much a carnivore. Many of us are feeding grain based food (commercial dog food) to meat eating animals. Would you feed a steak to a horse? Then why would you feed cartboydrates to a carnivore?

The basics:

80% raw muscle meat (NOT Ground or cut up)
10 to15% consumable bone
10% organ meat

Amounts:

2 to 3% of the animals' IDEAL body weight per DAY(must divide this in half if you feed 2 meals per day)

Example: 10 lb dog = approx 1/4 to 1/3 lb per DAY or 2 to 3 oz per meal
This includes edible bone by weight. Bone ratio should be close to only 10%. Example: chicken necks are a poor choice unless combined with more meat because they are too much bone and not enough meat. Some chicken backs have the same problem.

An easy way to feed the organ is to feed liver or kidney meal by the same weight once every 7 to 8 days. Heart is a muscle meat, not an organ.

As you will see on the links, if you choose to grind and make a mush with vegetables, you are not only making work for yourself, but feeding something that is far less healthy than the simple ideas above to your dog.

http://rawfed.com/myths/

Lots of great info here but on the first page under recent news, the link to read Dr. Tom Lonsdale's book in a pdf form is fabulous! It is a very EASY yet comprehensive and short book on raw feeding. Tom is a veterinarian. START BY READING THIS BOOK. Dr. Tom also has some video clips that make is easy for you to view interviews and information with him. They are on his web site at www.rawmeatybones.com under video clips.

The only supplement you will need is fish oil. 1000 mg of fish oil daily is very important unless you are feeding grass raised or naturally raised meat only. If you do not know what we mean by this then you are not feeding it You can use capsules or liquid, whichever is easier for you. Many dogs will just take the capsule like a treat. There is a wide fluctuation in the quality of fish oils. Be sure to buy a high quality fish body oil. Two of the best brands are Carlson and Nordic Naturals. The huge bottle of capsules at Sam's for $5.00 or so is just a waste of your $5.00 or so!

Most of the information you need to feed a proper diet is in the following links. I have listed some other books in addition to the ebook above.

http://www.rawlearning.com

http://www.rawmeatybones.com

http://www.rawfed.com/myths/

http://www.rawfeddogs.net/

http://www.ukrmb.co.uk/

Books:
Raw Meaty Bones Promote Health, Dr. Tom Lonsdale
Work Wonders, Dr. Tom Lonsdale (pdf above)

We would love to mentor and help you so please do not hesitate to ask any questions. We do it for strangers all over the country already!

www.yorkieandsmalldogrescue.com

Good luck.

Answer 3

chicken and rice alone will not have all the nutrients needed. there are surely some independently owned pet shops in your area that will have better than a grocery store selection. if not, you will definitely need some vitamins to give your loving pup (but you should know this, you should know everything... jesus)

Answer 4

I get jerked chicken for my dog as a treat, and she loves it much better than jerked beaf.

Answer 5

i dont see a problem there just make sure that u either debone the chicken or use boneless chicken