Posted on 10/02/2007 6:51:50 AM PDT by HairOfTheDog
We've finally had it with itchy dogs. I think it's their food. We've tried several brands though, dogs still itchy. I don't think they have fleas. They're all on Advantage and we don't see any evidence of fleas.
Add to that all the issues with recalled products from China, and we're ready to try making dog food at home.
We'd like recipes that you've used, along with portion advice. We're currently feeding our two 80-90 pound dogs a cup of dry kibble twice daily and our 45 pound beagle a half a cup of dry kibble twice daily.
My initial thoughts were to use ground beef and rice but I'm not sure on the percentages. If that went well and the itching stopped, then we'd start adding ingredients like vegetables, one ingredient at a time.
We'd like to make it up in big batches and freeze portion sized amounts we can take out each day. That seems more doable than making it up daily.
I changed my itchy smelly dog to Canadie and started detoxing. It takes about a month for each year of your dogs age. I used Nzymes and dinovite. Google their sights and I can vouch for the before and after pics. My pooch lost fur and looked horrible before she got better.
I also use a blue ear solution for her ears. First time in seven years she’s stopped smelling. In the blue ear solution I used witchhazel instead of the alcohol.
No smell, flaking, or shedding. No more prednizone for itchig or antibiotics for infected ears or infection from scratching.
Do your dogs feet smell like fritos:)
Yeah, I wondered about that too. My 40 lb terrier and 70 lb newfie go through two 3 lb. margarine tubs of dry food a day plus a milk bone or raw hide each and various other little nibbles they can beg off us.
I promise you, they are not too thin. :~)
Recent picture of Gidget at the beach:
And Barkley the beagle and Homer at home:
Well, great tips... Worth considering if we want to go in search of Garbanzo beans. Beans are an interesting idea... I hadn’t considered beans. Any particular reason you settled on Garbanzo beans?
Do you freeze it in a big container or in portions?
I don't know, I haven't smelled em, LOL!
What is Canadie?
two pounds ground beef ,cooked (or cheaper horse meat)
four cups rice,cooked
two - four cooked carrots,sliced thin or shaved
one half cup olive oil
PRESTO.... Rover yummy !
as options you can add potatoes, apple bits, peas, or a different type of meat. Our dogs love deer meat (venison) if you can get it cheap.(or free!!) Just be sure to cook it fully.
Hey I never doubted you HOTD. My older Chow eats two cans of food per day and she’d probably eat more if I gave it to her. She only weights 30 lbs.
Happy FReeping!
We’d like recipes that you’ve used, along with portion advice. We’re currently feeding our two 80-90 pound dogs a cup of dry kibble twice daily and our 45 pound beagle a half a cup of dry kibble twice daily. <<<<<<<<<<
Our vet recommends 4-5 cups daily for a normal weight 75 lb dog. If overweight, reduce by 20%. (one cup)
That sounds like a simple recipe we can do.... though we will NOT be feeding the horses to the dogs. :~\
The proportions are what I’m not sure on. About two parts rice to one part meat?
Essential oils (fish oil) is also important. My pups eat a lot of salmon, mackerel, and tuna in oil.
At one time I noticed a reaction to eggs, so she no longer gets anything with chicken. No eggs, chicken livers, and read the ingredients.
If anyone is in the Dallas area, Metropet delvers right to the door.
My hound dog looks a lot like Homer.
If you've got pit bulls, I'm sure your neighbors will do nicely.... ;-)
We’ve never fed near that much quantity, and they’re fit and not hungry till dinner time. Do you feed about the same portion, by weight or volume, of the homemade as you would have with dry kibble?
What kind of hound? We're not really sure what he's mixed with... lab and ~something~. I think some kind of pointer because I've seen him spontaneously point when there's dove or a squirrel in the yard.
We’ve never fed near that much quantity, and they’re fit and not hungry till dinner time. Do you feed about the same portion, by weight or volume, of the homemade as you would have with dry kibble?,,<<<<<<<<<<
rice/meat ratio 2/1, incrase meat only if dog is UNDERWEIGHT.
Perhaps your kibble is more dense than my homemaid, the rice can get fluffy (if not overcooked). We measure by volume, 4-5 cups per day for a 75 lb Shepard and a 65 lb Lab. BTW the olive oil seems to help with coat sheen and “itchies”. Dry skin can be treated by adding egg to the mix. Hope this helps.
Oops, hope the spell police aren’t looking, it’s Canidae, a dry food thats natural, holistic. My dogs love it, and the youngest,a border collie/lab mix has the nicest coat of fur.
We were told a shepard lab, but she’s really a mutly. Like a bird dog, very gentle when taking or giving.
It does help, we’ll just have to start somewhere and adjust till we get it right.
I want to do this, at least we might be able to find out if it was the food that was doing it.
Ground beef sauteed in a pan.
Add garlic, diced onion, veggies [like carrots, peas, etc] and cooked rice [preferably brown rice].
Most of the sites I’ve looked at said dogs shouldn’t have onion. And some say garlic is good, some say it’s bad.
Why do you think they need it? What’s it’s purpose?
At least if you make it yourself, you don’t have to worry that is was Made In China!
I agree with a lot of the above suggestions above about getting more oils in their diet. Our breeder recommended a slice of American cheese or a scoop of cottage cheese daily. We also might add a hard-boiled egg as a treat. And instead of cooking up rice, our vet recommended mixing up Gerber Rice cereal with hot water and mixing that with their food. I’ve found that giving cooked hamburger can give dogs the runs, so I would use it sparingly, if at all.
Oh, and check if they are getting peanut butter, because a lot of dogs love peanut butter, and they may not metabolize it well.
Have you tried using a Stridex pad on the chin pimples? Our vet recommended that and it seems to have worked, even though we still use plastic. I’m thinking of trying it on the bumps on her front legs as well.
Lastly, we have less problems with itching when we stick with the Bil-Jac food and treats, and/or the Canidae brand food.
Good luck and let us know!
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