Home made dog food

nihicib2

Well the title says it all really, Id like to make my own dog for for my two and a half year old lab/german shepherd cross. He's a rescue and used to canned dog food mixed with dried biscuits/nuts. He's as fit as a fiddle and has a lovely coat on him but Id like to wean him off this and make my own food for him.

So what I have available is lungs, kidneys, plenty of offal from my local butcher, my own duck eggs and I can buy in chicken and any pasta's, rice, lentils etc.

I've been trying to wean him off the cans for a while now (jeez that makes him sound like he has a problem with the booze:D) but so far everything Ive tried, he's turned his nose up at and basically gone on hunger strike, and doesn't eat at all. Hence me trying to make my own.

Any ideas/advice at all

IH784man

nihicib2 wrote: »

Well the title says it all really, Id like to make my own dog for for my two and a half year old lab/german shepherd cross. He's a rescue and used to canned dog food mixed with dried biscuits/nuts. He's as fit as a fiddle and has a lovely coat on him but Id like to wean him off this and make my own food for him.

So what I have available is lungs, kidneys, plenty of offal from my local butcher, my own duck eggs and I can buy in chicken and any pasta's, rice, lentils etc.

I've been trying to wean him off the cans for a while now (jeez that makes him sound like he has a problem with the booze:D) but so far everything Ive tried, he's turned his nose up at and basically gone on hunger strike, and doesn't eat at all. Hence me trying to make my own.

Any ideas/advice at all

Feed him with what he was eating

nihicib2

IH784man wrote: »

Feed him with what he was eating

Thanks for that advice but the reason I posted the thread was to get advice on getting him off the cans of dog food, he won't eat dry food so Id like to make my own dog food for him, at least that way I know what he's getting and can adjust accordingly.

IH784man

I know your reason but if the dog is fit and healthy with the cans you may aswell leave him on it,only making hassle for yourself.Thats my view on it anyway I can't help you with the dog eating

aonb

Ive always fed my dogs home made food
They love it and seem to do pretty well on it.
Zero hassle because once/week I boil up a big pan then into the fridge, taking out whatever I need when needed (I microwave a bowl for 20 seconds to take off the chill and to increase the yummy smells)

I take whatever meat Im using, put it into the pan, add brown rice, whatever vegs I have, bit of sweet potato etc. add lots of water, then boil until the meat and rice cooked.
If its chicken on the bone (thighs are easy) then I remove the bones, and chop it all into nice mush sizes.
I vary the pan every week - using beef/potatos/pasta/white frozen fish/turkey - whatever is on sale/special offer. I add a bit of salmon oil and seaweed. I feed raw bones several times/week. I also give raw chicken wings when I think of it. When I had a dog with allergies (died age 17!) I added coconut oil. I will sometimes add a couple of eggs if I have a surplus. Its all about variety, whats in season, whats on special offer.

Make a small pan for your boy when you try it first. maybe 3 or 4 chicken thighs, with some rice, some veg and boil it up. Debone the chicken, and chop the lot up. I'd be surprised if he didnt gobble it up in a flash!

Let us know how it goes

tk123

Just be careful with the offal or you'll blow his bum off lol - it can be very rich for them. My two are raw fed and the recommended offal is only 10% of a meal. (The rest is 80% meat and 10% bone).

If you're planning on cooking it let it stew away in a slow cooker and do the work for you.

nihicib2

Thanks aonb and tk123 for the great advice, ha yeah thats exactly what I was trying to avoid with the offal, don't need to be running after him in the house with a wad of paper towels.

I made up a pot of a mixture of a small bit of offal, lentils, rice and some veg, basically whatever was in the larder/fridge and he wolfed it down, but I'll hit the local supermarket and see what they have on offer and use that, the slow cooker is great so that will be used and then Ill just stick some in the fridge and the rest in the freezer.

Thanks again you two for the advice

tk123

I don't have much experience with actually cooking the food - I'm not sure how you'd keep it balanced?

nihicib2

tk123 wrote: »

I don't have much experience with actually cooking the food - I'm not sure how you'd keep it balanced?

Im not sure either to be honest but Ill do some more research into amounts and portion sizes and I guess just take it from there, there are recipes online but I just wanted to hear from others who had been feeding this way, it must be healthier than his previous diet anyway as I'll know whats going into his food and its prepared from scratch.

volchitsa

tk123 wrote: »

Just be careful with the offal or you'll blow his bum off lol - it can be very rich for them. My two are raw fed and the recommended offal is only 10% of a meal. (The rest is 80% meat and 10% bone).

If you're planning on cooking it let it stew away in a slow cooker and do the work for you.

No vegetable content in there at all? Is that right?

I bought a box of "dog-burgers" a while back, chicken apparently, to try alternating with the kibble she's usually on, but while it said how much meat to use, I find I'm never sure what proportion and what mixture of vegetable, pasta, rice etc to add to that.

tk123

volchitsa wrote: »

No vegetable content in there at all? Is that right?

I bought a box of "dog-burgers" a while back, chicken apparently, to try alternating with the kibble she's usually on, but while it said how much meat to use, I find I'm never sure what proportion and what mixture of vegetable, pasta, rice etc to add to that.

I do mix veg but it doesn't count in the figures it's in addition - not everyone who raw feeds gives veg though. I don't use any rice/pasta etc

volchitsa

tk123 wrote: »

I do mix veg but it doesn't count in the figures it's in addition - not everyone who raw feeds gives veg though. I don't use any rice/pasta etc

Ah ok so maybe that's why it seemed vaguer than the meat content.
Does that mean they can't get overweight with vegetables? Presumably fruit must have an effect due to its sugar content (she loves apples, banana, oranges, apricots, pretty much all fruit she's ever tried.)

As an aside, concerning cooked vs raw, I notice she'll eat cooked string beans no problem when mixed into dinner, but when I give her a raw one (we grow them in the garden) she'll chew at it for a minute and then drop it. She expected it to be nice I think but then didn't like the taste. Whereas when I give her a chunk of raw carrot in the same circumstances she loves it. I wonder do they digest cooked veg better than raw?

aonb

some vegetables are not digestible unless cooked. Some bean family veg's are toxic when not cooked.

There was a very interesting article on the benefits of feeding dogs home cooked food in yesterdays Times newspaper - English Times. It basically said that dogs were less inclined to overweight on home cooked food vs kibble. There is a new company who will come to your house, show you how to cook a balanced meal for your dog! Im sure you could google it...

OP, if you are interested in cooking home-cooked food, there is a wealth of information online.

My dogs adore peanut butter, and probiotic natural yoghurt.
Pumpkin is a great addition to your dogs food. Its very good for digestion too. Porridge oats are another good option.
Onions and garlic are not good.
I will add a tin of kidney beans if Im short of veg/additions
Frozen veg is handy to add to a pan of meat/pasta or rice
I avoid feeding pork.
I microwave eggshells, pound them into very very small pieces and add them to the dogs food (calcium) (I also give this to the hens)