What do I feed my dog?

Question

I live in an area where, within 50 miles of my home, all the general stores and even the pet stores sell nothing but crappy dog food (pedigree, science diet, etc). Thusly, I am forced to feed my dog home cooked meals. Yet I do not know what would be the best ingredient for my dog. Can anyone help me out? I am thinking about cooking chicken, but I know that chicken is not enough. Basically, I need a home cooked meal ingredient that would be very healthy for my dog.

I should note that one store had ‘Royal Canine’. This food is pretty good, right? Still, I would rather do the whole home cooked meal thing.

Answer 1

Eukanuba is best.

Answer 2

Why do you think Pedigree and Science Diet are not good?
You need to ask your vet and not take my word on this. But I had dogs before and they ate even the cheaper dog foods from Walmart. We mix the dry food with dog canned food so it is not too dry and we also gave people food at the side. That was like a treat. But the packaged dog foods are formulated with the right nutrients for the dog. People food may not have the right balance. You can also buy expensive kinds (I see the ad on Beneful- probably expensive, but you seem to want to give your pet the best) Perhaps you can go once a month to a town further away where they sell the better brand you choose and stock up for the whole month. Just a suggestion.

Answer 3

Google " dog food recipes". you should come up with something. If you have a bigger breed of dog this method can be very costly. You may also benefit by ordering a better brand of dog food on-line. Even with shipping it may be cheaper than cooking for Fido at home. If it's a smaller breed, go for it, unless money is no object. I feed my dog Nutro dog formula and I'm very happy with that brand. Between $25-$30 for a 20lb bag.
Good luck in your search.

Answer 4

Firat of all the crappy food you mentioned is not, it is actually a nice well balanced diet and your dog will live and thrive on it. However if you choose to feed your dog normal food that is great too. Dogs can eat any lean meat even beef. Their meal should consist of 2 parts protien, 1 part veggie, 1 part carb. Dogs do not digest raw foods well and any veggies will need to be cooked. Just throw them in the microwave until fork tender. When a dog/wolf eats in nature the first thing they eat is the stomach contents which includes veggies and plant life. These items are prechewed and semi digested hense the microwave mention above. For no reasn whatsoever should your dog have milk or milk products. They are not made to digest this and may result in the runs.

Answer 5

Home cooked meals have to be balanced, you need to feed a variety of meat, give the dog meaty (raw bones for calcium), organ meat: heart and liver, steamed veggies and raw fruit. Depending on the size of the dog grains. In a home cooked diet you can also add sardines and canned salamon, cooked eggs, cottage cheese ang yogurt.

Answer 6

You don't have to cook your dog's food! Even though most stores sell IAMS, Eukanuba, Science Diet, Pet Pride, Pedigree, etc., you can still buy commercial pet foods while feeling safe and assured. ALL food from this site is safe:
http://www.naturalpetmarket.com

Answer 7

You can also google pet food and find a good food for him. Most petsites ship their food.
20 years ago, dogs survived and thrived on pedigree and other food. Personally, i dont like it.
I did alot of research and rule of thumb is: if you cant identify the first 5 ingr. then dont buy it.

Answer 8

I feed my dog fresh beef or Boiled chicken preferably minced with cooked rice. I sometimes add steamed veggie to the meal such as broccoli, cauliflower, carrots. Boiled eggs I also add it’s a good source of protein. And for snacks I give my boy chicken necks-good for his teeth.

Edit: Cooked pasta is also good.

Answer 9

See if they have "natural balance", if they do, then do that.. if not, then stick to the meals, but one thing; IAMS AND EUKANUBA ARE THE WORST, A FEW YEARS AGO, WHEN I STILL HAD MY ANIMAL SHELTER, I DECIDED TO SWICTH TO THAT, AND 3 OF MY DOGS DIED! I NO LONGER HAVE THAT SHELTER CAUSE I'M MOVING TO FRANCE, BUT PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM ANY IAMS PRODUCTS

p.s.this happend WAY before the pet food recall

Answer 10

You are actually doing a very good thing for your dog!!! Check out this web-site http://www.njboxers.com/faqs.htm

It is a raw diet for dogs,which is how they eat in the wild anyway. It has done wonders for my dogs. I highly recommend this.

Answer 11

if you plan on feeding,, do not cook the chicken... look up BARF diet on the web or other raw dog food recipes.. ps.. you can go to TIMBERWOLF, CANIDAE etc. websites and they will ship premium food to your house you know?