Homemade Dog Food - Need Freeper recipes

[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.

[Humal]

I buy the already ground meat. Just be sure to check on preservatives that they put in the meat. We have a Publix in our area, and their brand is the best.

You can get a heavy duty grinder and grind the whole animal bones and all.

One of the reasons I don’t give bones on a regular basis is our two will try and take the other’s bone. Then, either there is a fight or one is gulping the other’s bone. That has given me several scares. Grinding the bones and giving “recreational” bones and hard chewies has worked best for us.

[Humal]

I just got a magazine today from “the good puppy store” on feeding good prepared foods and raw food. It’s “Pet Food Report” put out by Animal Wellness Magazine (www.AnimalWellnessMagazine.com). I haven’t had time to read it yet, but the titles of the articles good.

Evangers puts out a good canned food too. It’s all meat, and it gives them a variety of meats (rabbit, venison, etc.), meats I don’t normally find in the grocery store.

[ulm1]

Feeding Suggestions-Dry kibble
Dog Weight Puppy Adult Senior
3-10 lbs. 1/2 - 1cup 1/4 - 1/2cup 3/4 - 1 1/4 cups
10-20 lbs. 1 - 2 1/2cups 1/2 - 1 1/4 cups 1 1/4 - 2
20-50 lbs. 2 1/2 - 6 1/2c 1 1/4 - 3 1/4 c 2 - 3 1/4c
50-100 lbs.6 1/2 - 12 c 3 1/4 - 6 3 1/4 - 6c

[CJinVA]

We feed our Lab boneless skinless chicken breasts. I grill them outside once a week and store them in a plastic zipper bag. Cut them up into 1/2 inch chunks. We also feed her the thin sliced turkey breasts lunch meat.

[HairOfTheDog]

All dry kibble is not equal I guess. If I fed that much, they’d all be grossly overweight. You can see them in the pictures. Barkley and Gidget are both on the pudgy side on what they’ve been getting.

[HairOfTheDog]

We’ve been doing that a lot for ourselves... grill up a bunch of chicken breasts, and keep in the fridge to use throughout the week.

[yorkie]

I, too am a fan of Royal Canine! It saved my little dog’s life! She got ulcerative colitis, and had to go in to intensive care at a Critical Care Veternarian Hospital (2 1/2 hours away).

She no longer can have ANY human food - not even a speck. She eats the “Calorie Control CC High Fiber” from Royal Canine. She gets canned twice a day and then the dry (for ‘treats’) when she is a ‘good girl’.

And, she hasn’t had a sick day since she started on it, three years ago.

Here is their Website: http://www.royalcanin.us/

Here is their phone number: 1-800-925-8426

[Ditter]

Interesting comment about the Australian dogs eating the stomach contents first. My hound caught a wild rabbit in our yard and ate the entire stomach and lower intestinal track. She was the sickest dog I have ever seen. She threw up 8 huge pile of “barf” and then laid around and hardly moved for 24 hours. She will do it again when she gets the chance I’m sure.

[gardengirl]

I boil chicken gizzards for mine for treats. Much cheaper and much, much better for them than store bought treats. Course, my rats are a tad on the spoiled side!

[fassue]

The grains in the kibble might be what’s causing the itching as well. I’ve been feeding my dogs a true raw diet for 5 years now, and while one still suffers with seasonal allergies from ragweed this time of year, the overall health improvement has been remarkable! It’s the easiest thing, as I feed totally raw chicken, beef, pork, venison, fish, whatever’s available, bones and all. It solved a LOT of problems with teeth, dandruff, smelly ears, anal sac blockages, activity level, coat dryness, etc. IMO subjecting a dog to a vegetarian diet would be animal abuse.

[TASMANIANRED]

I chose garbanzo’s because they are low gas...

Dogs have enough of a problem with it...I didn’t need chemical warfare.

I froze by the half gallon...delivers 8 cups or roughly 4 days of food...

When 4 cups down take a new one out of the freezer to allow 2 days to thaw in the refrigerator.

[HairOfTheDog]

Fair enough, that’s a good reason!

Thanks. I was thinking of freezing in a bunch of one-serving tuppers, but that ends up being a lot of containers, and your way, in larger containers you serve from, actually sounds a lot easier.

[Plains Drifter]

bfl

[TASMANIANRED]

Garlic is used as a flea retardant.

Onions are a no-no in dogs...

[Eagle Eye]

I’d give you my first wife’s entire cook book but that would be inhumane for your dogs.

Sorry.

[KeyLargo]

[bert]

.....“Thoughts on home-made dog food?”......

Ive found the most difficult part is skinning the cat.

[TASMANIANRED]

My Labs are omnivores...One of them begs for celery and broccoli raw...If it crunches Solitare wants it.

She eats cukes, cauliflower, green peppers and steals the cherry tomatoes right off the vine...She looks for the red ones..

My girls love the home made food...

[HairOfTheDog]

I wondered about how to provide some crunchy food too that they’ll eat... for their teeth.

[the OlLine Rebel]

Excuse me?