What do you think of homemade dog food???

Question

I have two small dogs- (Daisy is a female chihuahua fox terrier & Nacho is a male papillon fox terrier) and so far I have been feeding them Purina Puppy Chow. They are almost 10 months old and getting ready to switch to regular dog food but with the rising concerns on pet food, I'm considering switching them to homemade food. I've read a lot about it and what foods are toxic to dogs and that their diets should be a balance of protein, starches, and veggies. I was wondering what everyone thinks about making food at home. I've seen lots of recipes for chicken, beef, turkey, tuna, salmon, etc with some sort of grain, generally oats or rice, and some veggies of mixed veggies or potatoes. I didn't get too much info on vitamins and supplements that this sort of a diet would not provide as the bagged dry dog food does and was wondering if anyone knows about that? I tried to ask my vet but he just blew me off and said dogs should eat dog food and "people food" won't give them nutrients.

Answer 1

There are some groups on Yahoo that you can join for more accurate information. I'm afraid I disagree with your vet. While commercial food is indeed complete, it isn't the only good way to feed your dog. It's a matter of choice.

Do a search on the Yahoo groups page to find 'dog feeding'. If you have no success, e-mail me via my profile, and I'll get a hold of the info from some friends I have who are in the groups. Good luck!

Answer 2

I make my own dog food and my dog is very healthy. I've fed her this way for almost 6 years and her vet says she is very healthy. You need to find a vet who will be supportive and helpful. There are books on how to feed a balanced homemade diet, check your local library or dogwise.com. Plus, you can buy balanced supplements that will ensure they get all the vitamins they need. Feeding dogs a balanced diet is no different from feeding a child a balanced diet. It really isn't that hard, although it does take more work than simply pouring a cup of kibble into the bowl. They will have better coats, cleaner teeth, fresher breath, smaller poops and be happier.

Answer 3

I am trying to switch to homemade as well, I just haven't found a diet that I like yet. Try searching answers under raw dog food and Barf diet, they list lots of good websites. I asked a question about it and got a link to a great site where lots of people listed their recipes, raw and cooked. I also work as a Veterinary Technician, and we have several clients who make their own food. What our veterinarian recommends is adding a complete multivitamin supplement. Because your vet is close-minded he probibly won't recommend you a prescription one, which is best, but try looking at pet stores or natural food stores. We are lucky to have a natural pet supply, which carries several good vitamins. You can also look online for a vitamin. All the pets we see on homemade food are very healthy, just most are a little overweight... whatch the weight and adjust accordingly. At our hospital you can come in anytime to weigh your pet for free, if yours does take advantage of it. If you would like the name of the vitamin we recommend message me, I will write it down for you next time I'm at work.
Don't listen to people who belittle you, you just want the best for your puppies. People like you care more, pet food today is mostly garbage. It is almost daily we see food allergies and pets who are suffering because of pet food companies greed. If your pets do poorly on the diet, switch them to something else. At their age it shouldn't cause any life-threatening problems, and if you try it for a month and it doesn't work it you probibly won't have done any damage.

Answer 4

You have to be very careful not to create imbalances when making your own food.. But I would say that making homemade food is a far better idea than feeding that Purina garbage.. No nutrition at all, and alot of ingredients that have no business being in dog food..

Answer 5

It is very difficult to properly balance a home cooked diet for dogs. It can be done, but not easily. Without the proper vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids, the dog will suffer malnutrition. Just find a good dog food and feed it. If you seriously want to cook for the dog, some vets can give you recipes or put you in touch with a specialist. I wouldn't do it.

Answer 6

Home cooking for your dogs can be great when done properly. But yes you would need to give supplements, as home cooking doesn't always give them nutrients they need.

With all the recalls I too was very concerned about the food I was feeding my pack. I switched them to Solid Gold, which uses no by-products, no glutens, and no rice protiens. I highly recommend this food and have seen wonderful changes in all 3 of my dogs. I too, considered home cooking for them, but it can get quite expensive with the supplements. But if you do decide to home cook, do lots of research and find a vet who will work with you. Not just blow you off when you ask questions.

Here is a link to a guide you can subscribe too about home cooking for you dog. There are also many yahoo groups you can join that can help you get started.

http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/10_7/features/Home-Prepared-Dog-Food-Recipes_15944-1.html

Answer 7

If you are going to go to home made just because of the pet food recalls you will not be achieving much. Look at all the food recalls lately: beef, chicken, cheese, spinach, other veggies. If you want to do it for other reasons then find a good book, one suggested by others and go for it. Remember, most of the excellent dog foods were not involved in the recall. Since your dogs are small I do not think it will be much of a burden to home prepare for them.

Answer 8

www.rawmeatybones.com
www.rawfed.com/myths
www.rawlearning.com


I feed mine a raw prey model diet at home, and it is the best by far. You don't have to really do much at all to make sure it is balanced, and you don't have to cook.

80% meat, 10% edible bone, and 10% organs (with no more than 5% of that being liver!)

Vets get their nutrition training from the Dog Food companies. Really, they do- about a 30 min lecture from whatever pet food company supports the university, which means it is really- here, feed our food.

Good luck.

Answer 9

if you give them absolutely perfectly portioned dog food every day, then it would be fine, but that would take a REALLY long time to prepare. just don't use wet food, and IAMS must be boycotted.