[CFJFNF]

I am currently switching to homemade dog food. Where can I find a list or info on what to add? I have three dogs, their weights are 15lbs, 18lbs and 100lbs. Their health is great, but the little ones are developing skin issues. Any leads or advice would be greatly appreciated!

[pugmomsandy]

You can find diet supplementation guidelines at dogaware.com in the homemade section. Also the recipe book “Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats” by Becker/Taylor includes a recipe for a vitamin mix.

[Hound Dog Mom]

The first step is balancing the calcium to phosphorus ratio, if you’re feeding a “grind” with bone you likely won’t have to do anything but if you’re feeding boneless meat you’ll need about 1,000 mg calcium per pound of meat. The easiest thing to do at that point for someone just starting out with homemade diets would be to add a well rounded multivitamin with little to no calcium (you don’t want to throw off the ratio you previously balanced). There are also several pre-mixes on the market where all you need to add is meat to make a balanced meal (they usually contain fruits, vegetables and supplements). My favorite book on homemade food is “Unlocking the Ancestral Diet” by Steve Brown. There are some balanced recipes in there.

[brit]

I use eggshells for calcium if I am cooking the meat or using raw meat without bones. We use organic eggs for ourselves and our pets so I collect at least 6 eggshells, rinse the shells with cool water and leave to dry overnight. I put them in my little Braun coffee grinder (also handy for grinding dry herbs etc) and grind them to a powdery consistency. Use approx 1/2tsp per lb of meat. If I give chicken necks that morning (usually give them at least twice a week)I don’t worry about calcium that evening I buy Wholistic Pet Canine Complete and use on the food (I use half the dose that they suggest) as a supplement plus some herbs that I grind and add. During the winter I give a tsp of Carlsons Cod Liver Oil (unflavored) a couple times a week (its low in A and D which is good as some is way to high). I make all my own dog food but often cook and also often feed raw (usually Primal raw). So if I am buying something like Primal I don’t need to add calcium because it has bone ground in. Usually breakfast is cooked sweet potato/plain goat yogurt/raw egg yolk although often I buy canned Alaskan salmon, rinse it and use a small amount. Then evening meal is either the Primal with crushed raw veggies (I put them through my Greenstar Juicer which has a gadget that allows them to come through whole but crushed) or cooked meat with the veggies. If I have a dog that needs to gain weight I throw in some organic oat flakes while meat is cooking.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 2 months ago by brit.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 2 months ago by brit.

[Kristin C]

Brit-sounds like you are doing a lot, as I do. The itching? How much sweet potato are you feeding for breakfast? I ask because both my dogs have scratched less since I’ve ommitted sweet potato from my recipes, which was 15% at times. I’ve replaced it with pumpkin.

One of my dogs is skinny so I add oatmeal to her food and feed her unsalted peanut butter as a snack a few times per week.

How much salmon are you feeding? Are you adding vitamin e? I freeze my juicing pulp for my dog food, nice to hear someone else uses it too:)

[brit]

my dog does not seem to have a problem with the sweet potato but if he did, I agree that pumpkin would be a good option. He weighs 55lbs and gets maybe 1/2 a medium size sweet potato, a TBL goat yogurt and probably just 1/4cup of the canned salmon and a drizzle of olive oil. Tonight for dinner he got about 5ozs raw beef heart and a cup of the crushed veggies and a tsp of his cod liver oil (just twice a week). I also add a TBL each of sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds (raw) to his veggies as I crush them and I think he gets his Vit E and zinc from that. He has environmental allergies that seem to come every winter, first I thought it was food but after spending a fortune on rabbit etc turns out its not. brit 🙂

[GLO99]

Hi Hound Dog Mom…

How can I get in touch with you? I have some questions about allergies/home made food!

[David K]

I feed my 3 year old, 40 pound Plott Hound a homemade mixture of boiled chicken, white rice, boiled sweet potatoes and scrambled eggs, with the shells.I give him 1/2 a cup of this mixture along with 1/2 a cup of Pure Balance brand dry food twice a day. He really likes it. My question is : Is he getting ALL his nutritional needs with this diet ? He’s been on this feeding program for about two years now and I was wondering if needed to add a supplement or any other additives or substitutions to make it more healthy ? Maybe switch up the meat and or the veggies for variety ? What do you think ? Am I on the right track or do I need to change things ? Thanks, Dave

[anonymous]

I use a quality kibble as a base, about 1/2 of the diet, I add real food as you are doing, but, mostly lean cooked meat, boiled chicken, chicken broth (homemade, nothing added) or water added to meals.
Rice, potatoes and such tend to be high calorie carbs, and I wouldn’t feed eggshells to any living thing, ugh.
Two meals per day, measured amounts, a carrot or two for snacks.
The only supplements I use is a fish oil capsule once a day added to the morning meal.
I have been feeding this way for a while now with good results.
When you take him in for his annual veterinary appointment, go along with the lab work if recommended, it’s the best diagnostic tool the vets have, if something is off, it will show up in the lab values….most of the time.
PS: Hope this helps http://skeptvet.com/Blog/category/herbs-and-supplements/

[anonymous]

Just to let you know I responded to your post and it was removed?

Anyway, less is better, regarding supplements imo. The only supplement I use at this time is one fish oil capsule per day added to the morning meal.

I use a quality kibble as a base, maybe 1/2 of the diet, I add cooked protein sources as a topper. Seems to be working.
When you take him in for his annual exam, I would go along with the lab work as recommended…if anything is wrong, it will show up there.
Just my opinion, but I would prefer to spend my money on lab work rather than dietary supplements.

PS: Go to skeptvet dot com, if you are interested in scientific veterinary medicine.

[Dee D]

You might try leaving out the dry commercial dog food. I have discovered that is the one big contributor to our dog’s illnesses.

[Pamela G]

I make a huge pot of dog food and freeze it I wanted to add her vitamin supplement a tablet that gets crushed to powde she gets 1/2 a tab daily she would eat 1/2 – 1 cup ddaily I bag in quart size bags so 1 would last 3 days I got 6 qt. Bags is 2 1/2 – 3 crushed okay for the whole batch, I lend with whole hard boiled egg then stir into rest..

[radun]

I am currently petting 1 month baby as for the homemade food add potassium, electrolytes and high protein diet for muscle growth plus keep the liquid intake high in summer

[Elizabeth T]

Even the best recipes prepared by the best canine nutritionists may not always supply all the required vitamins and minerals to your dog. So, the best idea is to balance your dog’s food by adding as many formulated vitamins and minerals as possible to ensure that your dog gets the best nutrients that will keep it healthy and happy.

PS: I hope these may help somebody:

https://www.thesprucepets.com/vitamins-for-dogs-4149539

Plain Food Is No Longer Enough: 23 Vitamins and Minerals to Add To Your Homemade Dog Food

https://thebark.com/content/important-vitamins-and-minerals-your-dog

[Nadia K]

I recently joined Home Cooking for Dogs on Facebook. There is a wealth of information there about how to get started, keeping meals balanced, supplements etc. Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1651729598373140/

[Chipy]

So awesome that you are switching to homemade dog food! Your pups are lucky to have you!! 🙂

It was the best decision for our dog and I love to encourage other dog lover to do the same. We use an online Recipe Maker to create healthy meals and add synthetic free, whole-food based vitamins, minerals, probiotics and omega oil supplements to fill in any nutritional gaps:

Dog Essentials

https://recipemaker.peterdobias.com/

[Abdul M]

I utilize a quality kibble as a base, around one and half of the eating routine, I add genuine food as you are doing, in any case, for the most part, lean cooked meat, bubbled chicken, chicken stock (custom made, nothing added), or water added to dinners.
Rice, potatoes and such will more often than not be fatty carbs, and I wouldn’t take care of eggshells to any living thing, ugh.
Two dinners each day, estimated sums, a carrot or two for snacks.
The main enhancement I use is a fish oil case once a day added to the morning supper.

[Author]

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