<p>I listened to Diane Rehm show yesterday about dog and cat feeding and got very intrigued.
When I was growing up my parents did cook food for our dogs. In my own household we use dry dog food. But I am really intrigued and would like to try cooking for my golden retriever. Is anyone doing this. Any tips?</p>
<p>I don’t cook for my pets, but I know people who swear by it. </p>
<p>For those with cats: be aware you have to do research and find out how to meet Kitty’s nutritional needs, you can’t just cook random meat every day and call it good. Cats need taurine and if they don’t get it, they will go blind.</p>
<p>I’m not sure if dogs have any special needs like that.</p>
<p>Personally, I just use a kibble that doesn’t have fillers (grain, which cats/dogs can’t digest and is just used to “bulk up” the food.) My cats poop so much less since I switched away from foods where the first ingredient was grain! It’s also less smelly and firmer.</p>
<p>(For the economy minded out there–Costco’s brand, Kirklands, is actually a very good kibble that doesn’t have grain fillers. 
)</p>
<p>I though that dogs do need grain. They are omnivores, but do need some grains and vegetables.</p>
<p>I rented a room from a retired couple who owned a very large apartment in Paris many years ago. They had a very beloved terrier for whom the maid cooked dinner every night. It looked to me like a combination of rice, chunks of beef, and fresh cooked carrots.</p>
<p>Very lucky dog.</p>
<p>We had a pet with a health problem where they recommended a special diet. Ever since then, we’ve fed our pets a homemade diet. We’ve gone through several recipes and have now settled on the following portions:</p>
<p>25% Meat/protein
50% Carbohydrate
20% Fiber
2% Fat
1% Bone meal
1% Other</p>
<p>The percentages usually vary slightly.</p>
<p>The meat/protein has included chicken, turkey pork and pinto beans, grounded and whole, and cooked weight.</p>
<p>Carbohydrate sources included brown rice, potato, and oatmeal. </p>
<p>Fiber is usually a mix of frozen/fresh vegetables including broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, green beans, peas and squash. We grate them (Cuisinart), but it’s recommended to puree them. </p>
<p>The fat includes the fat from the cooked meat and we supplement with cooking oil.</p>
<p>The bone meal is human grade and can be gotten from places like GNC. We sometimes leave this out and supplement with raw bones and treats with high bone meal content.</p>
<p>The other includes potassium chloride (salt substitute), a vitamin pill and sometimes a vitamin E pill. We also add a digestive supplement (cuts down on gas), and a dietary supplement called Missing Link before serving.</p>
<p>We usually make a month supply on a weekend, bagging it up into meal size portions and freezing it. We leave enough out for a couple of days and thaw a package out in the refrigerator each day. </p>
<p>We now mix it half and half with a quality dry dog food to give them a crunch.</p>
<p>We add brown rice and boiled chicken to their dry food. We use Hills and Science Diet. Since we started the routine they really enjoy their meals. Prior to this our large guy was a picky eater. He runs to his food bowl now.</p>
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<p>Dogs don’t need grains. </p>
<p>They do need some carbs, but vegetables are a much better source than grains. That’s the case for people, too! ;)</p>
<p>A lot of the high-end dog foods are grain-free now, yet they still have all the nutrients for a balanced diet.</p>
<p>Dogs definitely do not need grains. There is even dispute as to whether or not they need vegetables, as there is some evidence to suggest that they are pure carniovres. However, there is really no harm in vegetables (unlike in grains).</p>
<p>This is an EXCELLENT site for kibble reviews:
[Dog</a> Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble](<a href=“http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/]Dog”>http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/)</p>
<p>And if you Google “dog food forum chat” (no quotation marks) and go to the first link, it’s an excellent forum about how to prepare dog food from scratch (you can also find out more about good dog food brands).</p>
<p>Because one of my dogs has horrendous allergies (and irritable bowel disease), I’ve been cooking for them for four years.</p>
<p>First off, my vet recommends a good dog vitamin supplement be added, because otherwise it’s hard to get all the vitamins.</p>
<p>I give each my two 50-pound poodles about 1/4 to 1/2 pound of meat (chicken, beef, turkey) every day, along with a lot of vegetables–the more the better for my IBD dog, and some oatmeal (the only grain she’s not allergic to) if they’re currently on the thin side. I add flax seed oil (salmon oil would be better but she’s allergic to that too) and the vitamin supplement. I also add a probiotic (for digestion, not otherwise required). This is all cooked together as a soup of sorts. </p>
<p>I also make my own dog treats. </p>
<p>Yes, it’s obsessive and expensive. However, it’s less time consuming and less expensive than the $2000 I spent on vet bills before I went to this diet. And my IBD-afflicted dog is healthy and needs no drugs.</p>
<p>(Almost forgot to mention: I feed bones once a week. I buy beef back ribs from the grocery store. The dogs adore them and they are much cheaper than the ones they sell in pet stores–and I know they’re fit for human consumption. If I had dogs who were really destructive chewers, though, I’d probably buy femur chunks.)</p>
<p>Dogs are omnivores and evolved as a result of domestication by humans who fed them the same diet they were eating themselves. Dogs thrive on a healthy human diet fed in reasonable quantities.</p>
<p>When you buy real bones for your dogs, do you feed them raw or cooked? DMD, are the beef back ribs safe even if cooked, given how small they are? (I’m not Guy Noir, but to me, this is one of life’s persistent questions.)</p>
<p>Several years ago I had a recipe for a bland diet for dogs. The dog I had at the time was having some digestive issues. I lost that recipe and wish I still had it. Does anyone have anything like that?</p>
<p>FauxNom: back ribs are not the same as short ribs. Back ribs are 4 or 5 inches long and about 3/4" in diameter. They’re the ribs you take off a standing rib roast ;-)</p>
<p>FallGirl: the classic diet for a dog with digestive issues is boiled chicken and white rice. Some people add cooked (canned) pumpkin. Obviously it’s only for a few days. When my dog’s IBD is flaring up, I give her white rice cooked in chicken broth for 48 hours, then gradually introduce other foods.</p>
<p>Cooked bones are generally not safe for dogs and should be fed raw.</p>
<p>^^Not true. Raw bones a reliable source of disease-causing bacteria for you and your dog. Just do not boil the bones until they turn into mush, and your dog will be fine.</p>
<p>A dog’s stomach is very different, and the acid content makes it safe for them to eat foods like raw meat. There is absolutely nothing wrong with feeding a dog raw meat.</p>
<p>Now, depending on the source of the meat, I would put it in boiling water for a few seconds (to get rid of anythin that it has been treated with by people). But if you buy good organic or local meat, it’s not a problem.</p>
<p>acollegestudent: I will quote my vet, who is a specialist in digestive issues in dogs: “anyone who thinks dogs don’t get food poisoning from raw meat has not read the research.” Another big hazard of feeding raw is that the bacteria can survive in the dog’s feces, which are now spread all over your yard–thus contaminating your own yard. I cook my dogs’ food lightly. I also don’t feed my dog anything I wouldn’t eat myself.</p>
<p>Listen to what dmd77 says - she knows a lot about dogs. My sister owns a veterinary practice and she would never feed her dogs raw meat for the reasons outlined by dmd. Organic local meat is crawling with bacteria that our dogs’ ancestors have never encountered in the wild. How many people have been sickened by organic spinach and juices?</p>
<p>I gave my dog raw food one time- that I had gotten from a reputable pet store ( All the best) and it was packaged and mixed- so that it looked like kibble.</p>
<p>After she ate it- ( not immediately- but soon after) she couldn’t walk- she was weak and couldn’t stand up.
I had to carry her ( and she is a labrador) outside.</p>
<p>I think it was this kind-
[Steve’s</a> Real Food For Pets- Frozen & Freeze-dried Raw Pet Food Diets](<a href=“http://www.stevesrealfood.com/]Steve’s”>http://www.stevesrealfood.com/)
It looks like it should have been fine & admittedly I don’t know exactly what happened- but I put her back on her regular food ( a little dry orijen and some fresh cooked)
It took her a week to get her strenght back.</p>
<p>She is an older dog- but I had emphasized that point when I bought the food- I was interested in getting something different for her to eat since she is getting picky.</p>
<p>Be sure you brush your dog’s teeth when you feed it soft foods. The dry kibble is better than canned/wet foods for dental hygiene- ask your vet.</p>
<p>Our goldens are given kibble (a special kind from the vet) and supplemented with cooked food. Depending on my mood I poach chicken, salmon, whatever…with vegetables. My dogs also adore matzoh ball soup.</p>