mamaluv321
Lovin' The Homestead
So anyone do this? I have 2 older dogs and have done raw food in the past, years ago, but I don't have butcher hook up I used to have...
Homemade dogfood?
- Thread starter mamaluv321
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tortoise
Wild Hare
I've seen some threads on raw dog food here before. If you're talking about home-cooked food for dogs, that can get a little tricky to get the macrominerals to work out right.
What are you looking for?
What are you looking for?
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mamaluv321
Lovin' The Homestead
Well, my dog Marz is 13 and she has started leaking pee, and have been told to try homemade food before steroids or other meds. Somethng about lowering phospherous or something... Can't remeber rite now. But wastold to mix chicken, barley, rice,oats, sweet tatoes, beets,ect into a stew and see if there is any improvement. Thought I'd dig around on the inter-webs first...
ToLiveToLaugh
Lovin' The Homestead
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I know there are several people on here that do homemade, raw food diets for their dogs. They should be along shortly! It's worth the wait, some interesting stuff on here.
big brown horse
Hoof In Mouth
SKR8PN
Late For Supper
Here is a link to 245 home made dog food recipes. It is down loadable, but it costs 29.95
http://www.sunshine-4u.com/dog/index.html
This second link is a database that breaks down EVERY commercial dog food available. Hit the "reviews" tab to get started. I use this site to determine which dog food was the best for us. Dog Food price has never been an issue when it comes to my dogs. I just want the best value and quality I can get for my money.
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/
http://www.sunshine-4u.com/dog/index.html
This second link is a database that breaks down EVERY commercial dog food available. Hit the "reviews" tab to get started. I use this site to determine which dog food was the best for us. Dog Food price has never been an issue when it comes to my dogs. I just want the best value and quality I can get for my money.
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/
freemotion
Food Guru
Dogs seem to do best on a "poor" diet...that is, less meat and more bones, tendon, gristle, etc. Which really you have to feed raw to be safe, or cook it until it falls apart.
I would not give any grains to my dog in the daily diet, especially with any urinary issues. Limiting blood sugar spikes and stabilizing the blood sugar is important for dogs, like it is in people. Even more so since they are not designed to eat grains. I've seen this "cure" mild incontinence in women, too. One sugar binge and it can come right back.
Call around and see if you can find chicken backs. I was delighted to find them for .49-59 per lb. They still sometimes have a bit too much meat on them, but you can always trim some off and saute it up for lunch for you!
Veggies can be tough if you have a picky dog. One of mine is very picky, so I give him what he likes....carrots and collards primarily, raw and puree'd. I make extra of veggies he likes cooked when I cook for us...broccoli, asparagus, roasted root veggies, rutabagas, etc.
My other dog will steal all the raw veggie chunks out of the goat's feeders if I set them on the ground while I am doing chores!
Avoid fruit, as it can contribute to tartar on the teeth. I did not realize this until I brought my dog to a veterinary chiropractor/acupuncturist a couple of years ago. I leave the apple out of his veggie mix now.
For mild urinary incontinence, make a tea with corn silk. You can buy it from places that sell medicinal herbs, or you can save it up and dry it or freeze it over the summer.
Check out the extensive raw feeding thread, there are more details there and some ideas that might be helpful. Let us know how it goes!
I would not give any grains to my dog in the daily diet, especially with any urinary issues. Limiting blood sugar spikes and stabilizing the blood sugar is important for dogs, like it is in people. Even more so since they are not designed to eat grains. I've seen this "cure" mild incontinence in women, too. One sugar binge and it can come right back.
Call around and see if you can find chicken backs. I was delighted to find them for .49-59 per lb. They still sometimes have a bit too much meat on them, but you can always trim some off and saute it up for lunch for you!
Veggies can be tough if you have a picky dog. One of mine is very picky, so I give him what he likes....carrots and collards primarily, raw and puree'd. I make extra of veggies he likes cooked when I cook for us...broccoli, asparagus, roasted root veggies, rutabagas, etc.
My other dog will steal all the raw veggie chunks out of the goat's feeders if I set them on the ground while I am doing chores!
Avoid fruit, as it can contribute to tartar on the teeth. I did not realize this until I brought my dog to a veterinary chiropractor/acupuncturist a couple of years ago. I leave the apple out of his veggie mix now.
For mild urinary incontinence, make a tea with corn silk. You can buy it from places that sell medicinal herbs, or you can save it up and dry it or freeze it over the summer.
Check out the extensive raw feeding thread, there are more details there and some ideas that might be helpful. Let us know how it goes!
DianeS
Lovin' The Homestead
I used to feed homemade to all my dogs, back before I got lazy. It does help to be able to tweak individual amounts of things to find what works best for your individual dog, rather than having one feed with everything mixed in that works for "most" dogs. "Most" doesn't help when it's your own dog that isn't in that category!
When people start feeding homemade, I always recommend that they start simple. The fewer ingredients, the easier it is to tell whether the dog is allergic to something, or doesn't like a particular ingredient, or if something in it helps or hurts a particular issue. (Kind of the same reasoning for starting a human child on foods slowly, with a few days in between new ones to check for problems.)
I always started with three things - one source of protein, one source of "greens", and one source of carbs, and don't double up on any colors. Like chicken, green beans, and sweet potatoes. (NOT carrots and sweet potatoes together. Siminarly colored foods usually have similar nutrients, and you don't want to overload on any one thing.)
I also started with proportions of approx 1/2 carbs, 1/4 meat, and 1/4 veggies. If the dog is overweight, I reduce the carbs and protein a bit and add veggies. If I'm working on something specific, I'd adjust for that. (Like a dog with anemia would get red meat, and leafy greens specifically.) The proportions are different from a lot of raw diets, because the cooking process changes the nutritional value of everything.
If your dog has a sensitive stomach, I'd work the homecooked into his diet slowly over a couple days. 1/4 of his food, then 1/2, etc.
And I'd feed the same identical type of food for about 3 days, then change whatever you think needs changed. Wait another three days before changing anything else. (Remember that even though this dog may have eaten raw before, cooked food is nutritionally different, so the reactions may be different too.)
I always keep an eye on any changes in the dog, especially bathroom habit changes. The color and consistency and timing of the bowel movements can tell you a lot. (You probably know that from feeding raw before.)
I've never heard of feeding homemade as a remedy to incontinence before, but I've also never done any research into it because I never had a dog with that issue. I wish you success, and if you find out that the homemade can help, I'd appreaciate hearing about it!
DianeS (hopping over from BYC to learn more!)
When people start feeding homemade, I always recommend that they start simple. The fewer ingredients, the easier it is to tell whether the dog is allergic to something, or doesn't like a particular ingredient, or if something in it helps or hurts a particular issue. (Kind of the same reasoning for starting a human child on foods slowly, with a few days in between new ones to check for problems.)
I always started with three things - one source of protein, one source of "greens", and one source of carbs, and don't double up on any colors. Like chicken, green beans, and sweet potatoes. (NOT carrots and sweet potatoes together. Siminarly colored foods usually have similar nutrients, and you don't want to overload on any one thing.)
I also started with proportions of approx 1/2 carbs, 1/4 meat, and 1/4 veggies. If the dog is overweight, I reduce the carbs and protein a bit and add veggies. If I'm working on something specific, I'd adjust for that. (Like a dog with anemia would get red meat, and leafy greens specifically.) The proportions are different from a lot of raw diets, because the cooking process changes the nutritional value of everything.
If your dog has a sensitive stomach, I'd work the homecooked into his diet slowly over a couple days. 1/4 of his food, then 1/2, etc.
And I'd feed the same identical type of food for about 3 days, then change whatever you think needs changed. Wait another three days before changing anything else. (Remember that even though this dog may have eaten raw before, cooked food is nutritionally different, so the reactions may be different too.)
I always keep an eye on any changes in the dog, especially bathroom habit changes. The color and consistency and timing of the bowel movements can tell you a lot. (You probably know that from feeding raw before.)
I've never heard of feeding homemade as a remedy to incontinence before, but I've also never done any research into it because I never had a dog with that issue. I wish you success, and if you find out that the homemade can help, I'd appreaciate hearing about it!
DianeS (hopping over from BYC to learn more!)
tortoise
Wild Hare
Have you had any vet work done to find the cause of the incontinence? Hormone-responsive? Bladder polyps? Bladder tumors? Neurogenic? Kidney failure? Lesion on the spinal cord? Urinary tract infection? Polyuria?mamaluv321 said:
The advice you were given is for struvite bladder stones, of which incontinence is not a symptom.
I am 100% for raw dog food as an advocate for my dog's health. However, there are too many times that raw diet can do more harm than good - especially when someone tries to treat an unknown condition by manipulating macrominerals. That can lead to serious health problems!
miss_thenorth
Frugal Homesteader
Free, I know before you said you grind up the bones for dogs and add it in the food. What do you use to do this? and if the bones are cooked really well, they can't be given to the dogs as is, or can they? i was always under the impression thatonly raw bones for dogs.freemotion said:
I do make my own dog food, the cooked version (actually i just go t done making a batch.) i haven't tossed the bones yet.......
