Author Topic: home made dog food?  (Read 1884 times)

warmastoast

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home made dog food?
« on: August 31, 2017, 01:40:04 PM »
I have a 10 yr old lab/collie cross.  Since moving to the USA 4 years ago she has had a load of health problems that the veterinarian puts down to allergies.  She struggles with her weight ( dog, not dr!!) as well.  Dog has been on a limited ingredient diet for 2 years and takes meds when necessary.  Looking at the list of ingredients in the vet prescription diet, it's like a chemistry experiment.  My mom used to feed our dog back in the day with raw meat.

I quite like the idea of making my own dog food, any ideas of where to go ? resources?  ie. where should I buy meat?  should i lower vegetables as well as carbs? 
TIA

ketchup

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Re: home made dog food?
« Reply #1 on: August 31, 2017, 02:28:35 PM »
I feed our Australian Shepherds raw.  The basic principle is that you want to feed (averaged over a week or so): 80% meat, 10% bone, 5% liver, and 5% secreting organ (kidney, etc.), totaling 2-3% (depending on activity level) of your dog's ideal weight, with varying protein sources (I feed beef, lamb, chicken, pork, rabbit, venison, duck, turkey, goat, salmon, whiting, anchovies, llama, alpaca, beaver, bison, and emu; mostly lamb, beef, duck, goat, and venison).  You can buy hilariously expensive pre-made raw mixes at Petco or equivalent, you can buy less-expensive pre-made mixes in bulk from people that specialize in that, or you can figure out local suppliers and roll your own.  I do the third option.  We end up paying between $1.00-$1.50/lb on average (ranging from $0-$5/lb).  The premade "nuggets" at Petco are literally $6-8/lb, which is insane.  Cost-wise, we end up similar to decent-but-not-fantastic kibble.

For me, "local suppliers" means a mix of a beef farm, a local co-op that buys from a large supplier a state away, a local distributor that drops stuff off in a green van in a gym parking lot (but she's legit), a couple producers that sell direct, and a free-venison-trim-from-a-butcher co-op.  Grocery store meat once in a blue moon.  It may take a while to assemble your arsenal of sources, should you choose to go that route.

happylife17

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Re: home made dog food?
« Reply #2 on: September 11, 2017, 09:07:56 AM »
Hi there,

My dogs are a lot smaller than yours but I started making their dog food in May.  I feed them 40% Turkey(or chicken), 50% veggies and 10% grain (oatmeal and quinoa).  Sometimes I will add in some pumpkin to switch things up.  I try to buy organic meats as much as possible (organic turkey is hard to find) and I use frozen veggies just because it's easier.

I give mine supplements (daily vitamins, Omega 3 oil, milk thistle, vitamin E, SomE) in addition to organic egg shells for calcium.  One of my dogs is having liver issues so the last 3 supplements are directly related to that.  This is also the reason why the protein % is a bit low and I have to go with the poultry instead of red meat.

Balanceit.com provides free homemade dog food recipes.  You can select any type of medical condition and the meats that you want to use.  I used this resource when I first started.

Best of luck!

FiftyIsTheNewTwenty

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Re: home made dog food?
« Reply #3 on: September 12, 2017, 06:42:29 PM »
I've toyed with this, mostly for the dog's health.  He's a small dog so we wouldn't save much!

I think ketchup above has the right idea.  Variety is good  A little veg is good for fiber and nutrients.  Otherwise, dogs have no nutritional need for carbs.  Grains, etc. just make them fat.

Whatever cheap meat or organ meat is available on sale, cooked with leftover mixed vegetables, is under $1.00/lb. and probably better for him than any commercial dog food.  Don't forget fish!  And eggs.

I'm not convinced raw is any better, and unless it's fresh from a butcher I'd worry about what's festering in it.  I wouldn't want to feed weeks-old raw hamburger or kidneys to my dog any more than eat it myself.

lentil

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Re: home made dog food?
« Reply #4 on: September 13, 2017, 07:34:58 PM »
I'd look for a recipe from a nutritionist -- dogs have specific nutritional needs (which aren't met by many improvised homemade diets), and by the time a nutritional deficit becomes apparent, it's already pretty problematic. Linda Case, who write the excellent Science Dog blog, has a good book about choosing dog foods (Dog Food Logic), but (alas!) doesn't include actual recipes in her book. There are some online though.